Blog

September 6, 2018
The Move Update

Well, folks, you did it!! The move has taken place. The center is open for business — and thriving with large numbers of visitors ranging from tour takers, to those who just walk in off the street, to those who are drawn in by the GREAT publicity CAC has gotten around the world.

Sure, there are some kinks to work out — we still need an announcement speaker to call tours and bring the guests out of the shop to take their tours. But overall, things are going really well.

If you did not come to the fabulous party Wednesday night, be advised that you can pick up your name badges in the volunteer library. Name tags are in baskets organized by first name. Caroline  and Erin will be sending out a message on how to pick up your  “swag,” — two shirts of your choice, a cap, either red or black, and either a backpack or a supersized tote bag, both of them slick and chic. There is a lot of apparel to sift through so please don’t stop by unannounced for items.

And come early before tours to look around or stay late afterward. There are loads of things to learn –much that re-enforce your tours, some that’s new and can be added– and everything that is so fascinating for all of us who are lifetime learners.

Two last items to remind you of:
1. Certifications for the new tours should be completed by 9/30 unless you have an extension from the Tour Director.
2.Analysis of demand for tours begins now and will continue as we plan for a new class in 2019, adjust schedules from the summer-time high numbers of departures and doubling up on docents to fewer departures and open docent slots, and think ahead about what the long-term outlook will be, beginning next spring.

Other groups will be monitoring traffic patterns, demand numbers and popularlity of tours.These include the scheduling task force, the Tour Roster Task Force, the docent marketing committee, and, of course, Docent Council. The Move Task Force ends its role at the end of this month.

Thanks for everyone’s hard work and support. Your efforts have made the move possible. See you around the CAC.

August 10, 2018
The Move Update

Well, folks, you/we did it. WE’VE SUCCESSFULLY MOVED!!!!
Congratulations to one and all but the successful move from one location to another. Truthfully, this is just the first stepping stone and we will again be “moving” the last week in August, when all the galleries should be finished, the model will open and everything will be off and running.

But, in the meantime, things have begun really well. Tours have been running smoothly from the new location, with many docents taking their groups outside to begin. The areas in front of the door, around the corner and along the Wacker Drive sidewalk are suitable for introductions. The new, huge box office is running smoothly, with four people able to serve our customers, leaving room for handing out stickers and headsets on the east side easily done by Guest Services Volunteers. The Discover Chicago bus has been leaving daily from the front door and all is running smoothly.

People are coming into the space to ask questions, to express delight in seeing the new space evolving and just to ask for directions. Members of the Move Task Force committee have been around to help guide all volunteers to the new space, explain traffic flow and show off the fabulous new washrooms. The response from everyone wandering in and out just to get the feel of this new home, our new CAC, is “this is great.”

Other issues involved with moving includes the new tour pricing. Caroline has sent this out to Neighborhood Tour Directors (see below), but to make sure everyone knows, here is the schedule for costs of the new tours. Please note that you can take money from walk-ups or not – you can more easily direct people to the architecture.org Web site and let them purchase tickets on the spot. Members who walk up can be taken with no problem. Just remember to add them to the report that needs to be filed for every neighborhood tour.

Thanks to staff, docents, volunteers and whomever else was involved in this massive operation – we have come, we have seen, we have conquered. Congratulations to us – and here’s a toast to the next 20 years at CAC.

We’ve made some updates to the FAQs so please review here: FAQs About the New CAC

The Move Task Force

Here’s the message from Caroline re tour costs and procedures:
If you attended one of the recent CAC orientations, you may have heard some information about walk-ups for our building and neighborhood tours. We understand that it can be bothersome to deal with cash transactions so we want to move away from accepting cash sales. These tours are free for members who make up the majority of the guests. However, if a non-member walks up wanting to join the tour and tickets are still available, docents should tell them to purchase tickets online at architecture.org.
We also understand that there still might be situations where you may have to accept cash (i.e. sold out tour but not everyone shows up) and in those instances follow the normal procedure of collecting cash/sending to Caroline.
The Neighborhood Tour Report form will still be filled out to account for any walk-up member tickets.
New walking tour pricing, as of August 1st, is below:
1) Building Tours (includes admission to CAC exhibit spaces)
a. $20 Standard Price
b. $17 Student Price (available by calling or box office only)
c. There is no longer a Senior Price
d. $0 Member Price
2) Core and Neighborhood Tours (includes admission to CAC exhibit spaces)
a. $26 Standard Price
b. $22 Student Price (available by calling or box office only)
c. There is no longer a Senior Price
d. $0 Member Price
3) Exceptions
a. FLW in Oak Park remains at: i. $15 Standard Price
ii. $12 Student and Senior Price (available by calling or box office only)
iii. $0 Member Price
b. Food & Architecture of 1893 (includes admission to CAC exhibit spaces)
i. $35 Standard Price
ii. $30 Student Price (available by calling or box office only
——————————————————————————————————————-
Here are step by step instructions on how to purchase tickets online.
1. Open a web browser (chrome, safari, etc.) and go to architecture.org
2. Click on the white MENU button in the upper right corner
3. When the expanded menu appears, click on CALENDAR. It’s towards the middle underneath ABOUT CAF. You may have to scroll slightly.
4. The calendar will automatically open to that day with tours listed chronologically – find your tour and click the red BUY TICKETS button
5. On the next screen, make sure they’re picking the right date & time (it’s most likely the first one listed), and click BUY TICKETS
6. On the next screen they can choose from the dropdown menu if they want more than 1 ticket, click NEXT and finish checkout
i. If they’re a member, on this screen they can click YES under “Are you a CAC member?” and once they log-in they’ll get their discounted/free ticket

July 27, 2018
The Move Update

tours take off from the new Chicago Architecture Center, everyone will be certified in all the tours they had planned to be certified in.

Here is the most recent update on the Move:

1. If you have not yet signed up, do sign up for an Orientation session. The last 2 sessions are Saturday at 10am and 11:30am. More than 333 docents and volunteers have signed up already (out of a potential group of 520 people) – Don’t be left out.
2. On the agenda for these Orientations: Looking inside CAC; getting ready for your tour; “Back of the House,” or the library, bathrooms, etc.; miscellaneous FAQs including answers about vouchers, costs, apparel.
3. BE CERTIFIED. If there is some reason you can’t certify by July 30, please contact the Tour Director of that tour. We will extend the deadline for certifications if there is reasonable need to do so.
4. Although tours begin on August 7, the Retail operations will not open until Aug. 9. From Aug. 9 through August 26, tours will be running from CAC. The last full week of August will be devoted to special openings for funders, donors, and docents and volunteers. On August 30 and 31 CAC will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; On Aug. 30 it is expected no tours will be going out, but there will be tours on Aug. 31^st, the first day the entire facility will be open to the public.
5. Tentatively Aug. 27^th will be open for volunteers and docents, from 4-5:50 and 6-7:30 periods. Keep the date open and look for more details.

Hopefully, all these dates and “get ready” events are making you even more excited and pleased about our upcoming Move. 224 S. Michigan is a veritable shadow if itself as of the end of lasts week – no books in the library, no sales in the shop. We all can hardly wait for the new experiences. Hang onto your seats, folks. The best is yet to come.

July 13, 2018
The Move Update

Dear CAF Docents, Education Guides, Exhibit Hosts, and Guest Services,

Our move from 224 is fast approaching and many dates have been finalized.

The week of Jul 23rd, we have several CAC orientations scheduled to familiarize you all with the Center as much as possible before we open our doors. If you have not signed up for an orientation, please do so today. The sign up is on The Bridge.

The last tour will depart from 224 S Michigan at 2pm on Sunday, Jul 29
The first day of tours departing from the new center at 111 E Wacker will be Tuesday, Aug 7. If you are signed up for a tour or shift between July 30 and August 6. Caroline and Erin will be reaching out to you shortly.
Between July 30 and Aug 6, the CAF River Cruise, neighborhood tours, private tours, and building tours will continue as normal
In preparation for our CAC orientation sessions, below you can click on  a list of FAQs. We will cover some of the below in more detail at the July sessions as well.

CLICK HERE FOR FAQs

Thank you and we look forward to seeing you soon!

July 6, 2018
The Move Update 

Much of the update has to do with moving as of August 1.
1. All tours begin from 111 E. Wacker Dr. as of Aug. 1. If you have no certification date and/or will not be certified by then, do not schedule yourself for a tour in August. Once you are certified, you can sign up for the tours that leave CAC.

2. To help everyone, the week of July 23 through 28 has been set aside for orientations. Those will be held at 224 S. Michigan in the lecture hall. Some days have one session, some two. Pick the time that works out best for you and sign up. We need everyone to know about the new center and how taking a tour out works. You can sign up here: CAC Orientation RSVP. 

3. Finally, many people have asked what to say to our tourists when we give tours between now and Aug. 1. The Marketing Department has suggested the following “elevator speech” to use. You want to be upbeat, remind people, particularly those who are members, that the new tours will be different than what they have taken before and the new center offers new opportunities. Here’s the suggested riff – of course you don’t need to do this verbatim but just to give you an idea. The keywords here are “hub and gateway”:
——————————————————————————————————————
If you haven’t heard yet, the new Chicago Architecture Center is opening August 31 at 111 East Wacker Drive, at the intersection of Wacker and Michigan—just above the dock for our River Cruise.

The Center will be a hub and gateway for visitors to discover Chicago’s architecture—through tours, programs and exhibits. At the Center, you can take a tour, attend a program in our lecture hall, bring your kids to our design studio AND explore nearly 10,000 square feet of new exhibits! Our members will get great benefits at the Chicago Architecture Center, including access to more than 65 FREE walking tours, a buy-one-get-one-FREE river cruise benefit, and of course, FREE admission to the Center year-round.

Consider joining today to get special early access to the Center when it opens Labor Day weekend. You can purchase tour tickets, buy a membership, register for programs or just learn more about the Center by visiting architecture.org. And don’t forget to mark our grand opening on August 31 on your calendar!

June 15, 2018
The Move Update 

Announcements this week have brought the opening of the new Chicago Architecture Center and tour sign-ups even closer. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ISSUES SO PLEASE READ THIS CAREFULLY:

1.Signing up for Tours/Shifts
As you all know via the members’ email and media coverage (Blair Kamin in the Trib, WTTW, etc.), the official public opening date for the new CAC is Aug. 31, 2018. At the same time, it was announced that tours will begin to run from the CAC as of August 1. That means that on Sunday, when we sign up for August tours, you will be signing up for the newly configured or reconfigured tours.

Walking through the process:
On Sunday, you can sign up for the last few days of July through July 29. Tours departing on July 27, 28 and 29, will depart from 224 S. Michigan; they are the current tours we are now giving. So, if you are nostalgic, need tour hours, just want to do your usual bit, sign up for tours between July 27-29 and give the “last” of whatever tour you love.

There will be NO TOURS will depart from either location on Monday and Tuesday, July 30 and 31. This is to allow the moving that begins late July 29 to be completed. And to ensure, we are being clear, any scheduled building and neighborhood tours will still depart as will the river cruise.

Beginning August 1, all core tours will depart from CAC. Those who are certified on the new tours and those who have a certification date set for June or July should sign up for the new tours, with the exception of the Neighborhood Historic and LaSalle Deco.(see below) When you sign up for a tour in August, it begins at the CAC and is on the new schedule, which you can find on The Bridge or in Volunteer Matters.

2. For those who give the Neighborhood Historic and/or LaSalle Deco 
We need to treat the signup for these two tours a bit differently because of the number of spots vs. the number of certified docents. This reiterates what we have already said to those certifying for these tours: Docents will only be able to conduct the tour once or possibly twice a year. Volunteer Matters will open for sign-ups a week from Sunday, on June 24. At that time the ENTIRE season will be available, from August 1-March 31. Each docent will be eligible to sign up for ONE departure. Following that open week, the calendar will be locked and if there are open departures, Caroline will open them on a month-by-month basis.

SO – TO REPEAT AND REITERATE:
On Sunday, if you are already certified for the new tours (thanks), you can sign up as usual. You have the option to sign up for four tours as usual. Those tours will depart from CAC beginning Aug. 1. If you have a certification date for a new tour, you also may sign up. We are trusting that you will certify before August 1.
If you have trained and not made a date to certify, do so NOW. The final date for certifying is July 31. Do not sign up for tours until you get that date for certification.

3. The move is a movable thing.
While we are giving tours from 224. S. Michigan you will notice many changes at that location.
At the end of June, the following spaces will close permanently: Design Studio, Morse/Learning Studio, storage space in the basement. We will continue to operate tours, the Box Office, lecture hall, library and offices stay open.
Mid-July, likely the week of July 16, the retail operation will be closed and packing will begin in earnest (including the library).
As mentioned above, the last tours will leave 224 S. Michigan on July 29. Then we “go dark” on walking and bus tours until we reopen at the CAC on Aug. 1. At that location, it will be the tour operations and the retail store, with construction and installation for the exhibits going on until the formal public opening Aug. 31.

Between now and then a subcommittee of the Move Task Force of staffers (Michael Malak, Erin, Caroline), docent Kathleen Carpenter and Guest Services rep Marge Schillaci will be working on a long-term plan to provide orientations, transition tours, etc. for everyone to get acclimated to the new location. You will be getting more information about that as soon as we have it.

By the numbers, calendar
Just to keep you in the loop, as of now we have 51% of the certifications complete. That does not include the last 35 docents who just began training for Treasures last week. But thus far, 199 certifications have been completed for the training tours, and 293 docents completed the refreshers needed to certify.

Volunteer applications for Exhibit Hosts and Guests Services continue to come in. To date, Erin and Caroline have conducted over 75 interviews and accepted 65 new volunteers. Training dates have yet to be confirmed but will take place in August.

The new schedule – the one that begins Aug. 1 with Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age stepping off at 10 a.m., can be found on The Bridge or at this link: CAC Tour Schedule.

Once again, and very heartfelt, folks, thanks for all your efforts. We are seeing a large light at the end of the tunnel. Stick with us for the last and the reward is coming up. We can equate those of us participating in all of this training and retraining to the recent Triple Crown win by Justify at the Belmont Stakes. He started out ahead of the crowd, kept the pace to stay in front, and then sprinted at the end to win it all. We’re on the same ride.

If there are questions, please email Ellen Shubart, es******@ao*.com, Move Task Force chair.
Let’s try not to bother Caroline and Erin; they are enormously busy making all of this happen for us. Thanks.

June 8, 2018
The Move Update 

We are moving closer than ever to CAC. Decisions are being made right now on which specific date we will begin departing tours from 111 E. Wacker. Here is a round-up of some of the changes that will be happening between now through early August:

• Retail sales will continue at 224 S. Michigan through July 15. CAF is pulling the inventory down as is obvious by looking at the quickly emptying shop, and through the 30% off all items, 50%-75% off selected items sales going on right now. If you were not aware, CAF will no longer be operating the retail store. We will be outsourcing that function to a specialized firm, Event Network. Retail sales will open in 111 E. Wacker at the same time tours begin departing from the new location. A new line of CAC-branded products and products exclusive only to CAC will be offered from the new location.

• An orientation committee has been set up that includes staff (Caroline and Erin) as well as a docent-representative and a guest services volunteer. They will be scheduling orientation tours and any other help needed as we prepared to give tours that depart from 111 E. Wacker. We will be doing tours from the center with only the retail shop open to the public. The same committee also will help in the transition when the entire center, meaning the exhibition areas, is open to the public.

• Once the center is fully open, there will be new branded apparel for staff, docents, and volunteers to wear. Branding will be for the CAC – no longer CAF. Nametags will be issued with the new logo and name. Once we get information on what this will look like, we will pass it along. In your opening intros, tho, you should begin to talk about CAC’s mission to help people discover why design matters.

• A group of Education Guides participated in the first of two training options as the Education Department rolls out their new field trip portfolio. These Education Guides will conduct complimentary ‘test’ field trips over the summer and report back to Education with successes and suggestions. All current Education Guides will be trained on new CAC field trips in August.

• Some of the newly created core tours – such as Chicago Architecture: A Walk through Time as the manual calls it – are going to get tweaks on their names. Most have too many letters to fit in the message board space and on the Web site. We will alert you on the new nomenclature, again, before you sign up for August tours.

Finally, and even though they are last, these are KEY issues:

• It is no longer easy to say, “I’ll get to that certification next week, next month, whenever.” NOW IS THE TIME TO GET YOUR CERTIFICATION DATE SET.

• As of now, we have trained almost everyone in the tours they chose. Only two more training sessions are left. Yet, only 43% of those who have trained have certified. Again, NOW IS THE TIME TO CERTIFY.

Once more into the breach, dear friends, is the quote from Shakespeare (Winston Churchill?). As we enter the last two months of transition, just remember:

• We are accomplishing a major task – and doing it well. It isn’t easy to retrain 400 people on 10 new tours, and yet we are making it happen with aplomb and without many problems;

• Docents have shown that they “step up” when asked and so many have done so we have gazillion thank you-s to say – to the Tour directors who began this process, to the people who trained early so they could be certifiers, to the Move Task Force team, to the staff, to everyone!!!

• We have so little time now, it is truly happening “within our lifetime.” We just need one more spurt of energy for the remaining certifications and we are done.

Take a bow everyone, and let’s march forward.

May 18, 2018
The Move Update

Well, finally, and maybe permanently, good weather has arrived. How much nicer to train and certify in good weather. Makes it all much easier.

A few notes about what’s happening and what’s coming next:

1. As you could infer from the sign-up procedures for July, the new CAC will open sometime between July 27 and August 1. We will be doing our current tours from CAF at 224 S. Michigan Avenue from now until July 26.

• We will keep you up to date as we hear about progress as to when we switch from the old to the new tours and schedules.
• Click here for a look at the Core Tour Schedule (to start when tours depart from the CAC):
• August is sooner rather than later. Remember that you must be certified to do the new tours, so please schedule your certification dates as soon as you can.

2. Many have asked about the time spent on training and whether docents will receive service hours for time spent. The answer is that, yes, docents will receive service hours for training. There is no need for docents to enter those hours, though. After all the training sessions have been completed, Caroline will go through the lists and give service hours to those who have attended. You will get credit; you do not need to add it yourself. Docents participating in 1-day training programs will be automatically awarded 10 service hours. 2-day training will receive 20 service hours.
3. Those docents who conduct the new versions of Masterworks, Art Deco, Millennium Park, Food and Architecture, Historic Treasures are expected to offer to walk guests back to the CAC where they themselves are headed. Docents will return the GTS devices to the CAC as soon as the tour is over and if guests are going back to CAC, docents are expected to escort them. This is the same procedures that we now use for the Must See tour.
4. Again, here are the numbers. More than 275 docents have taken training. Since many of us are learning multiple tours we have 401 certifications to be achieved between all the tours so far. 156 of those certifications have happened to date. That means we have many more certifications to go. Please remember you have six weeks from the end of training to complete certifications. And, if possible, try to make it even sooner. Set up your certification NOW. Thanks
5. We will be scheduling various orientations at the CAC to go over procedures to meet your groups, get the GTS and exit the building, etc. We will keep you posted as those dates are set. We know you want to walk around the new Center. So do we all. It will all fit into place soon. Thanks for your patience.

Visitor Experience Volunteer Update

We are focusing recruitment efforts for Exhibit Hosts but we will still have opportunities in our guest services areas. At this time, we will not be offering any volunteer opportunities in the Design Studio. We hope that our regular volunteers in this space will explore the current opportunities while we figure out the best way to utilize our Design Studio.

Exhibit Hosts: These volunteers will be stationed throughout the CAC’s dynamic gallery and visitor spaces. Exhibit hosts will provide more specific information about our current exhibits, orient guests around the Chicago Model, be available to highlight specific exhibition components and answer questions, share exhibition themes, stories and components to engage visitors; and help guests interpret current exhibits

Guests Services: These volunteers will be in the box office/GTS station welcoming guests, answering common visitor questions about the CAC, tours, programs, exhibitions and Chicago and provide critical support for guest wayfinding.

If you know of anyone who might be a good fit, please have them contact Erin or Caroline.

Training Expectations

We want to ensure that you are equipped with all the knowledge to have a meaningful volunteer and guest experience. All current volunteers will be expected to retrain due to the new space and the new opportunities our expanded exhibitions program will offer our guests. These session will cover a CAC Orientation, Exhibit Overview, Guest Services, and VolunteerMatters. Volunteers wanting to become an exhibit hosts will be expected to attend 2 additional half-day training sessions. These sessions will cover a more in-depth take on the exhibits, stories to share with guests and ways to best engage our guests. An announcement with training dates and additional details on these trainings will be coming out in the next week.

May 4, 2018
The Move Update

May! Wow! It’s been a long stretch and we continue to make progress. Training sessions are nearing the end and lots of certifications are happening. You have to admit, it’s nice doing certification tours in 70-degree weather. We’ve been waiting for this.

OK, here’s the update for the past few weeks:

1. Construction delays are postponing our intended open date until after July 1. As a result, the only calendars that will open for July sign-ups are River Cruises, neighborhood tours and/or building tours. We will alert you as soon as we can when you can sign up for July core tours. It should be no later than May 20.
2. If you are getting curious about how things will go at the new location – you’re like everyone else. Docent Council members got a peek at the hard hat area this week, and other orientations will be coming. We promise you’ll get to see the inside of the CAC prior to doing tours. Exact dates will be upcoming.
3. If you’d like to imagine a bit, take a look at the renderings in the Docent & VEV Library. Under the heading PLACE there are 3 views of the Orientation and Box Office areas.

• As guests enter, staff will be stationed at a red desk and selling tickets for the tours. GTS equipment will be near the Orientation Hall.
• The Orientation Hall is where docents will meet guests. They will get GTS equipment from the volunteers at a station nearby. It’s the gathering spot for the new, shorter introductions. (5 minutes only, remember)
• The map on the floor is behind the major staircase that goes to the east and up to the exhibition area.

4. As we all get ready to leave 224 S. Michigan, please notice that Donna Gabanski and her library committee staff are culling the book shelves, eliminating those books that are duplicates, unrelated to our mission or otherwise not needed. A box sits in the Docent Library with these books and the volumes change almost by the day as docents and VEVs can take any ones they would like for their own library. Please help yourself.
5. By the numbers. As of this week, 246 Docents are certified for the core tours.
6. Over 85 people have applied to become a VEV at the new center. Interviews are currently taking place. Training sessions are expected to start in June.
7. The Food & Architecture tour, which we previously said would be a neighborhood tour, has morphed once more. It will now join the roster of those tours that begin at CAC.
8. Looking ahead: We are foreseeing some programs that will help orient everyone to the new location and to the new procedures. Keep an eye out for announcements of those. Most will be held in June. We’ll let you know when we get firm dates.

April 5, 2018
The Move Update

April? Who are we kidding? It’s still February outside, but in the April reality of indoors we are moving forward toward the CAC, no matter the weather.

Here are the highlights of what’s happened over the past three weeks:

• As those of you who have visited 224 S. Michigan know almost all of the staff have moved. But the volunteers are still there! Erin will be here for her usual work week (Tuesday-Saturday). Caroline will be here on most days but contact her ahead of time if you need to speak with her. There will be other CAF staff on the 1st but staff coverage will be similar to our weekend.
• To get into the office you need to get the key from the box office. The office door needs to remain locked.
• Thus far, 131 docents have certified for tours. That’s less than half of the number that have been trained – 270 – so you can see where our efforts have to be focused from here on in.
• Once more, if you would like to be a certifier, please let the Tour Director(s) know. We need as many certifiers as we can get.
• Before you become a certifier, you must take “feedback” training. Two sessions of feedback are being offered on April 11 at 1:00 pm and April 18 at 5:30 pm.  Contact Erin at ec*******@ar**********.org to sign up for one of these two trainings.

We have 10 trainings scheduled in April, starting with Food & Architecture on Saturday, April 7. That will be followed by 38 docents taking Art Deco Riverfront training, another 25 docents learning Must See and Elevated, 36 set for Walk through Time (formerly Evolution), and double digit numbers for Masterworks, Tiffany and Treasures. That another 193 docents in all.

This is a mammoth project and while it is moving, it is moving slowly. We are still aiming for an early July CAC opening and we’re hoping everyone will be ready for the change.

To answer some questions/concerns that have come up in training sessions:

1. Yes, there will be some “orientation” programs before we move. No dates are set in stone yet, but we certainly know that everyone will need a bit of preparation before setting out on their first tour. We have to introduce you to the bathrooms if nothing else. Just stay tuned and more information will follow. Don’t worry; you’ll be at home in the new place before you walk out with your first tour.
2. Will there be a sale in the shop before we move? Likely yes. Keep watch. Lots of things are already on sale.

And, finally, although this has been said before, it has to be said again and again. Our Core Tour Directors are working like hell on this project. Stop and give them some kudos and support if you can. Without them this never would have happened. Thanks.

The Move Task Force

March 16, 2018
The Move Update

Spring keeps coming. The sunshine has been great lately and it lasts longer; now all we need a few more degrees of temp.
However, it’s not just spring that is advancing. So are we, in terms of those who are certifying for the new tours.

Here’s the roundup for The Move in late March:

• On March 20 the model moves out of the Railway Exchange Bldg. atrium.
  • Say goodbye to the model for a couple of months. When it returns to the new CAC it will be twice its size, with the southern boundary moving to Cermak Road (22^nd Street) and the northern one to Fullerton Avenue. It will go west as far as Sangamon Street and the east will include Navy Pier.
  • Colombian Model & Exhibit Works will house the model. In the next few months it will get all the new buildings, a cleaning and upgrades. It will join us at the CAC in the Exhibition section on the second level when the CAC opens.
  • If you’ve noticed all the crates in the first floor offices it’s because, as we have mentioned before, most of CAF personnel will be moving on the April 1 weekend. Those who will be around after April 1 include Caroline, Erin, the call center staff, and a few staff from the Education Department.
  • Finally, once the model is removed a new exhibition, River’s Edge, will go up in the Lecture Hall. This was first on display during  last fall’s Architectural Biennial. The exhibit displays ideas and concepts from architecture firms  about what to do with the land along the Chicago River. A panel or two on our building and the impact of the CAC on the river will be added. Look for it soon.
• Have you noticed the fabulous bulletin board in the Docent/Volunteer Library? The east wall was put together by Leslie Clark Lewis and Sandy Guettler. It has renderings of what the new space will look like and a timeline of the trainings and events leading up to the move. Thanks to this two-person communications group for a great job – and do take a look.
• Statistics update:
  • As of March 15, 220 people (or fewer as some people have taken more than one training, but 220 docent-slots) have taken training.
  • 81 of those have certified for one or another tour.
  • Those tours that have completed their first (or only) sessions include Hotel Boom, Chicago Masterworks, Art Deco, Chicago Modern, Historic Treasures, Evolution of the Skyscraper and Millennium Park.
  • Those tours plus Elevated Architecture, Must-See, Tiffany, Food & Architecture and the neighborhood Historic and Art Deco tours all have docents signed up for training. For the rest of March, we’ll see the second session of Evolution, with 43 docents training; and Historic Treasures with 18 docents signed up

So that’s what’s upcoming. Thanks for all of you keeping your strength up, walking the routes and learning the tours. We appreciate everyone’s efforts on this.

The Move Task Force

March 2, 2018
The Move Update

March came in like a lion — both weather-wise and as we launched furiously into trainings and refreshers scheduled for this month. The following is a recap of where we are and where we’re headed this month.

It also includes a DEADLINE for changing times for trainings. We will no longer take changes after March 9. See below for details.

First, an update on where we are at this point:

1. Hotel Boom training is complete; 18 docents are certified for the tour.
2. Forty docents are enrolled in Art Deco Riverfront Favorites training, readying for certification;
3. Chicago Masterworks training has 37 docents working on certification;
4. Chicago Modern training is over; 32 docents are working toward certification.

Upcoming March trainings include:

1. Treasures of Cultural and Commerce (new name: Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age), training begins its first session March 3;
2. Evolution of the Skyscraper (new name: Chicago Architecture: A Walk Thorough Time), holds its first training session March 10 (session 1) and March 24 (2^nd session)
3. Millennium Park, training is set for March 15
4. Must-See Chicago, training is on March 31.

As you can see, lots of docents, lots of classes, lots of progress.

On top of that, we have shifted docents who were scheduled to take Historic Skyscrapers training into either Treasures or Walk through Time. BUT:

1. Many of those who were asked to respond to Erin re which classes they want to continue with have not responded. Can those of you who are thinking you are enrolled in either Treasures or Walk through Time and have not responded to Erin please do so ASAP.
2. And, Erin has been making changes – lots and lots of changes to accommodate people. But the deadline for changes is approaching. WE WILL NO LONGER CHANGE CLASS ENROLLMENTS FOR TRAINING AFTER MARCH 9. If you want to change from one training session to another, now is the time to firm up your selection and make the arrangements with Erin.

Time marches on toward out deadline move of July 1, 2018. Once again, thanks for all your cooperation and for all the time and effort you are putting in that will make the Move successful.

Move Task Force

February 23, 2018
The Move Update

With the ups and downs in the weather, it is clear that spring will come – eventually rather than tomorrow, but still, it is coming. That’s good news for so many of us who are walking the streets learning and certifying for new tours.

Here’s where we’re at as of the end of February:
1. For anyone who has been walking in and around our new address, 111 E. Wacker, you would have heard the noise. Things are happening inside as Turner Construction continues to work on the interior.

2. As those of you who were signed up for the now-cancelled “old” historic tour know, docents who were scheduled for historic will now take either Evolution/Walk Though Time OR Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age. We’re hoping everyone will step up to both take the training and/or be a certifier for these tours. These tours will be going out on an expanded schedule as will the old historic tour as a neighborhood tour.

3. To keep everyone up to date, new names for the following tours have been established:
Evolution is now Chicago Architecture: Walk through Time and Treasures of Culture and Commerce has morphed into Historic Treasures of Chicago’s Golden Age. These new names better describe the content of the the tours that are being offered to our guests.

4. While anyone who had signed up for historic is eligible for training, these sessions are especially aimed at the Class of 2017, which learned Historic as one of their two tours. Those docents should make sure theytake either Walk Through Time or Historic Treasures to ensure that they have two tours in their inventory.

5. Everyone should be aware that as we move into March, things will be changing – it’s going to get a bit emptier around here.
While the docents are not directly affected, the offices of CAF will move out to 11 E. Wacker Dr. by the end of the month (March 29-30). At that time, too, the model will be removed from the atrium. Remember what that looked like?
A less robust number of staffers will be left in the first floor offices. Caroline and Erin will remain, as will the box office and call center personnel. But the group sales staff will be relocated as of April 1, as will Janine, Ruth and Casey.
We all will meet again at 111 E. Wacker in July, of course, and CAF staffers will move back and forth for meetings at various locations.

6. Please remember that if you want to practice your tours prior to certification and need some “help” in the form of people to “take” your tours, you can contact Caroline to hook up with VEVs who are eager to learn the new tours. It’s a win-win for docents and VEVs; use their curiosity to help you learn your tours.

7. Please welcome staffers who might be joining in on demonstration tours. They need to learn the new tours, too, so they can sell them to those who call in. Deb Rodak and her Group Sales department staff will be accompanying people on demos to learn all the ins and outs of the tours. Just say hi and welcome.

8. Here’s the count of what’s gone on so far: Hotel Boom refresher is over and all 20 docents are certified for the new tour when it starts July 1. The first Chicago Modern training session of two days is complete and docents are becoming certified. Same situation with the first Masterworks and Art Deco: Riverfront Favorites tours. March is crammed with trainings not only for Walk Through Time and Treasures, but Elevated Architecture is on the the calendar and Millennium Park as well . The pace begins to get a bit more hectic, but remember it is always moving forward.

Thanks for all your help and hard work. We can’t do it without you.

February 16, 2018
Historic Skyscraper Tour Update

As we move through our great adventures with The Move, we are learning a lot about our capabilities, our resources, our dedication – and ourselves.

We want to pause for a moment to let you know that, after a tremendous amount of effort — talking, walking the route, researching and formulating the themes, thinking and rethinking — the Move Task Force is recommending that what was to be the “new historic,” or the Early Skyscraper tour, is just not viable. Many docents spent a great deal of time trying to concoct a tour from the buildings of the era that are located near the Chicago Architecture Center at 111 E. Wacker. The buildings in the area that can be included as walkable are hard to interpret and do not well illustrate a specific style or design principle in a definitive fashion. Potential routes seemed serviceable but, ultimately, uninspiring. And a less-than-stellar tour is not something we would ever offer to the public.

We have discussed this with the Tour Directors, who gave their all, and those docents who were working to be early certifiers and aides as well as CAF Staff. It is with our deep regret that this tour is not going to happen. However, we have other tours that depict the history and evolution of Chicago’s architectural story. We will be ramping up the schedule for those tours, in place of the proposed Early Skyscrapers.

While full details of the revised training schedule have not yet been approved, docents who have been assigned to historic tour training will still be offered alternative options for tour training on these dates.
Docents-If you were planning to participate in one of these training sessions, please keep the dates on your calendar. You will be contacted with specific plans in the very near future.

More updates will be in next week’s Move Update.

No one should see this as a failure: it is a way to make sure that the Move is the best success we can make it and that the new schedule presents to our guests the best tours ever from our new location.

February 9, 2018
The Move Update

Things continue to march on toward our Move date of July 1, 2018, with trainings, refreshers and certifications taking place every week (including during the upcoming 10-inch snow, because as we all know, like the post office, docents work through rain, snow, sleet, etc.). Here is the newest information about our move to 111 E. Wacker.

Turner Construction is on the site in 111 E. Wacker Drive. You can hear the noise, as workers make the space ready for The Move.

Docent Council has approved service hour credits for those who take trainings and/or refreshers to prepare for the move. Following up on the recommendations of the Service Corps Committee (Jill Tanz, chair), which has jurisdiction on how docents receive credit for tasks that are not traditional touring, the following was unanimously adopted at Docent Council:

For every one-day refresher taken, docents will receive 10 hours of service credits. Therefore, it you take three refreshers, you’d get an additional 30 hours; one refresher, 10 hours, etc.
For every 2-day training taken, docents will receive 20 hours of service. This is for those who are learning the new tours that require certifications and two days of learning.

While we know this will not equal all the hours spent in class, walking the tour route and certification, this formula will be equal for all participants. You will not see the service hours on your record during the year; Caroline will add them to your record at the end of 2018, when all docents will be finished taking all the new trainings and refreshers. The total will be added up next January for the listing in the DAN program, as we do now with service hours.

Tour training continues going well, according to Delta Greene, Move Task Force member and co-chair of training (with Lance Friedmann). She reported to Docent Council this week that Engaging Your Audience (EYA) training, which has undergone some changes as we’ve moved along, is going well. A survey has gone out to docents who completed EYA training. If you’ve received the survey, we hope you will record your thoughts about using the new questioning procedures and storytelling.

Delta also lauded those docents who are learning the new tours early in order to serve as certifiers. “Certifiers are really stepping up,” she said. Thanks to everyone who is involved in that process.
So far, we have had training for Hotel Boom, Masterworks and Chicago Modern tours. Others will be added as we move through the months.

Leslie Clark Lewis, co-chair of the communications task force with Sandy Guettler, reports that the east wall in the Docent Library has been cleared. Displays will be going up showing Time, Place and Space – visuals of the new CAC spaces. At the same time, remember that The Bridge has updates regarding the move and all the FAQs about the move. So if you have questions, just troll through the material on The Bridge and hopefully you’ll find your answer.

Ellen Shubart noted that many docents, staff and VEVs are taking advantage of available Pedway walks, where docents from the Pedway tours guide people through the Pedway to help them acclimate to the new location, pointing out bus stops, parking opportunities, food court offerings and doorways that are and are not open on weekends. Thanks to Lorie Westerman, Pedway Tour Director, and her crew for scheduling these walks. If you are interested in coming along, opportunities for sign ups are listed on The Bridge or contact Caroline.

January 12, 2018
The Move Update

As we enter the new year, the Move Task Force is dedicated to keeping docents and volunteers up-to-date on what is happening – and, boy, are things happening! Lots of activity all around CAF on many fronts, and in what will become our bi-weekly emails we’ll try and keep you up-to-date so you’ll know what’s going on and what to expect as we move forward.

Training has begun! As we all know, more than 300 docents are currently being re-trained for the new tours that depart from the CAC. Some of these are refresher trainings of one day’s duration; others are two-day trainings with certification required.

We began the first session Wednesday, January 10, with refresher training for Hotel Boom, the tour that visits adaptively-reused buildings now functioning as hotels. (The extremely popular tour is much more exciting than it sounds.) The second Hotel Boom refresher training will be given on Sunday, January 14.

Kudos to all the docents who came; to Lance Friedmann and Delta Greene, who are in charge of all the training that is going to continue through June; and to Jen Masengarb, who taught the Engaging Your Audience (EYA) module, on ways to interpret buildings through questioning. As we incorporate the results of Project Fresh, EYA will be on the agenda for everyone, helping us upgrade our good tours to even better ones.
Training continues twice a week for the next six months, with Masterworks next in line to begin.

The January 27/February 10 training sessions for the new Historic (still to be renamed) tour have been cancelled. The tour is not quite ready to go at this point and needs a bit more tweaking. We needed to give the Tour Directors additional time to work on the manual and the themes for this tour. We want to make sure all our tours are the best we can make them.

All docents who were scheduled for these sessions have been notified by email and offered alternative times to take the tour training. The March/April and April/May training sessions will proceed as planned.

Among other factors, we have to remember that the current Historic tour is the most popular, as measured in numbers of people who take it. This topic is of interest to so many people we must make sure we provide an excellent tour for everyone.

This week, three docents and volunteers met with staff and the CAC interior architects (Gensler) to discuss the Docent/Volunteer Library. CAF is taking all suggestions under consideration.

As you have no doubt already heard, the new library will be larger than the one we have now – it can accommodate two tables of six each with three computer workstations. Located on the ground level in the south end of the building, it will feature our bookshelves on two walls and a frosted window that backs into the Pedway. Accommodations in the library include lockers for use while giving a tour or serving a shift, as well as place to hang coats. The library will be on the same level as the restrooms.

Pedway tours are available. As you might have noticed, tours of the Pedway – from the Hyatt Hotel (standing in for 111 E. Wacker) to the Thompson Center – are being offered. These tours are designed to help us learn how to get to the CAC via many means of public transportation – L, subway and/or bus) — and is a general orientation to the Pedway “city.” Find out where you might want to eat lunch, mail a letter or just hop an express bus. These tours are for staff, volunteers and/or docents. Check on The Bridge for times or contact Caroline.

For docents who are training: If you are seeking an audience for your practice tours, Caroline has created a list of VEVs who are eager to learn about the new tours. When you want to go out, check with Caroline to find out who could go with you.

And, so it goes. We move forward with more training, more planning for the spaces we will fill and more excited anticipation.

Thanks to everyone who has been participating in all of these activities – to those who are training hard to become certifiers for the new tours; to those who are writing the manuals; to those waiting in the wings to take the training; to those who learning new tours – in short, to almost everyone. Once again, remember that “We are the Class of 2018.”

December 8, 2017
Docent Move Task Force Update

All the planning for the upcoming move “moves” to the next phase: implementation
The next steps for CAF include:
Design work begins on the Volunteers’ Library with staff working with Docent Library Committee chair Donna Gabanski;
Our new Vice-president for Marketing, Lori Kleinerman, is working on promoting CAF’s marketing and new branding strategy;
The Tour Department is working on the admissions/costs for tours, exhibitions, etc.

CAF’s move is paralleled by the Docents’ Move Task Force’s transition from planning to implementation.
Many activities are underway:
1. More than 300 people signed up for trainings/refreshers. Of the remaining docents, many don’t give core tours. Overall, we had a TREMENDOUS response to the selection survey. THANKS to everyone who answered the call.

2. Demonstration tours have been going out almost daily, with Tour committee members helping Tour Directors finalize the newly routed tours and the manuals for training. These include demos for the new Historic (no word yet on a new name, but it is coming); Chicago Modern, Art Deco, Must-See Chicago and Evolution of the Skyscraper. All tours will have been approved and ready for training and/or refreshers by the January 10, 2018, the next meeting of the Tour Committee.

3. Delta Greene, representing the Education Committee on the Move Task Force, is coordinating the upcoming trainings. Classes are being formed (you will be notified which classes you will be in by Jan. 1, 2018), certifiers for the new tours are being selected and trained, and Tour Directors are organizing for the training and/or refresher sessions. Click here for an official listing of the entire schedule: http://cacthebridge1966.com/?wpfb_dl=502 . These will also be posted on The Bridge calendar.

4. In addition, we are currently working on a module called “Engaging Your Audience” (EYA). This module derived its concepts from the Project French effort. The EYA module will involve learning the cutting edge principles about presentation and interpretation. Our own Jen Masengarb, Vice-President for Education Gabe Lyon, and Angela Esposito from the Education Department will help us learn the most up-to-date ways of presenting information to our guests. Implementation of all of this will continue through the next six months.
And at the same time, docents still are making CAF work! People are going out on tours, including the newest tour, the Big Bus Holiday Lights tour, currently running at 92% capacity. The tour goes out four times a day on the weekends. All of this bodes well for the upcoming training/refresher season, running from January 10 to June 10, 2018.

We’ll keep you posted as we move forward. Thanks for all that you are doing!

November 21, 2017
Docent Move Information: Questionnaire, Training, and Refreshers

On Nov. 18, last Saturday, 200 docents – half the docent body!! – attended a day-long docent Seminar Day. Jen Masengarb’s introduced our new neighbors – the Wrigley Building, the Equitable Building and the Tribune Tower. They also heard about our new home, 111 E. Wacker Drive, and an enlightening discussion of the building’s history and whether it is correct to call this a Mies-designed structure.

Ellen Shubart presented instructions about the new tours that will leave from the CAC – Chicago Architecture Center – and how to become certified to give tours. CAF will need many docents to give these many new tours. Between now and June 2018, more than 300 docents will be retrained/refreshed to give CAF’s new 10 core tours. At the same time, docents will be trained/refreshed using Project Fresh recommendations.
Tuesday Nov. 21, all docents received a questionnaire to select which tours they want to re-learn and which dates are best for them.

The questionnaire is due Dec. 1 – The Move Task Force cannot guarantee any spots for docents after that date. If you missed the email, the link to the survey is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BFH5XJ7.
Picking dates is a commitment – docents who sign up are saying they will be giving tours next year, from the CAC after July 1. Docents currently certified for core tours will be given opportunity to re-certify for those same tours. Training options allow for vacations, snowbirds and training for more than one tour. The Move Task Force is committed to give docents their choices – to the best of the group’s ability and docent availability.
If docents cannot find available dates, they cannot be re-certified for the tours (for now). If there are fewer certified docents eager for training the task force MAY open up training to those not certified for these tours.

A docent certified for (the existing) Historic Skyscraper, Masterworks, Chicago Modern, Evolution of the Skyscraper and/or Art Deco, is eligible to learn a new tour. That will require 2 days of training and certification by your peers/TD. Three dates options have been set for Historic docents, with two dates options for the other tours.

A docent certified for Treasures, Must-See Chicago, Elevated Architecture (“L”) Hotel Boom, Millennium Park or those certifying for the new half-day neighborhood tours: Tiffany, Food and Architecture, Old Historic and La Salle Deco will be required to sign up for a Refresher Day. Refresher days can be full- or half-day sessions depending on the tour. Attendance at refresher day(s) equals certification for that tour. Refresher Day training includes learning about the new routes, Project Fresh principles, and how to give a neighborhood tour (stickers, money, records, etc.)

A few other points to consider:
There is no limit on how many tours you select; how much time and energy you have is something only you can decide.
Some docents will be learning new tours early in 2018 even though CAF doesn’t move until midsummer 2018 . We have to start now because of the sheer numbers of docents to be trained.
Please remember that if you only select the old Historic and/or the La Salle St. Deco, those tours will be going out less frequently. You should not rely on just those departures to fulfill your 10-tour requirement. You are encouraged to learn another tour.

October 27, 2017
The Move and Core Tours – What You Need to Know Now

A Message to the CAF Docent Body from the Move Task Force:
By now, most everyone knows that with the CAF move to 111 East Wacker Drive, many of our so-called “core” tours (leaving from the shop, going out two times a week or more, running year-round and self-scheduled by docents/staff) are being revised – rerouted and re-conceived.

We are making great progress on this important task. At its October meeting, the Tour Committee approved the new routes for these tours. And this means that tour directors for these core tours are now working hard on creating the new tour manuals. The deadline for them to be completed is December 13, 2017.

Here’s what you need to know about what’s next:
If you are a docent who gives one of these four major core tours – Modern, Art Deco, Evolution and Masterworks, you have probably already received an email from the tour director(s) about the proposed new routes and the expectation for new training for these tours. Training for these tours will require two days of class and re-certification.

If you are a docent who gives Historic you probably received an email outlining the new route from the two new co-TDs, Nancy Carter and Ed McDevitt. These two have been selected to co-direct the new tour, which we now are calling Early Skyscrapers. They were selected to be TDs by Tour Committee but still need Docent Council approval, which will come early next month. Everyone who wants to be certified in this tour will need to take two days of training and re-certification.

If you are a docent who gives Treasures, Must-See, Elevated Architecture, Millennium Park, and/or Hotel Boom, you, too, have likely received an email from the tour directors talking about the new routes and advising you that you will asked to take a “refresher” class, an updating but not a full training. Refresher means that you will be expected to take a one-day refresher course to update you on the new route.

For all of you who give either the current Historic and/or the Art Deco Downtown tour, both will be turned into neighborhood tours, which means they will meet at a given site (not at the Chicago Architecture Center) and be done as our other current neighborhood tours without GTS. That means we have not abandoned the buildings in the south loop but will interpret them to tourists in another manner. Art Deco TDs Bill Coffin and Fawn Gottlieb, and Historic TD Jack Kremers (with a soon-to-be appointed co-TD) will work on these tours and will be in touch with you about them.

For those who give Food and Architecture 1893 and/or Tiffany, these, too, will become neighborhood tours. You should have heard about that from the TDs involved. A half-day refresher will be required for these tours.

Training Expectations
Re-training will be held multiple times in the first half of next year. Sessions required for the core tours will be offered two or three times to accommodate those who are snowbirds, on vacation, or have other plans. Refreshers also will be offered more than once so we can accommodate everyone who wants to continue to give these tours. More details will be spelled out at the November 18 All Docent Day.

At this time, we envision being able to train everyone who is currently certified in the tours that they now give. If you want to learn a new tour, only those tours with full training will be open to you and only if we have space. Priority will be given to those who currently give the tours.

Critical Survey to Complete
On November 19, you will receive a training survey. Please give it your immediate attention. You will be asked whether you want to continue to give any of the core tours you are certified for and when is the best time for you to learn the new tour – whether it be through a refresher or a full training. We will then know how many people want to take the new training, and how many can come in the time-frames available. We will try to match your best time to learn with the availability of our speakers and the training space at CAF.

In other Move news:
Ellen Oberhart, Chair of the Volunteer Steering Committee, has joined the Move Task Force to ensure that we are moving in concert with VEV re-trainings, changes, etc.
Thanks to all of the docents on various tours who have agreed to step up and help TDs get the new manuals in shape. If you are interested in helping as well, contact your TDs and let them know what you’d like to do.
Keep up-to-date with the news about the Move by watching for posts on The Bridge. And notice that there is new place to click on FAQs About The Move in the right-hand column in RED. In addition, a new Move communications committee has been set up to keep you up-to-date.

Remember, questions and comments are always welcome – just contact a Move Task Force member: Tom Carmichael, Kathleen Carpenter, Caroline Duda, Lance Friedmann, Delta Greene, Leslie Clark Lewis, Michael Malak, Jen Masengarb, Ellen Oberhart, Bobbi Pinkert, Hallie Rosen, Constance Rajala, Ellen Shubart, Shera Street, and Lisa Voigt.

August 24, 2017
Frequently Asked Questions about “The Move”

Why are we moving?
After more than 25 years at the Railway Exchange Building, the building owner decided to convert the ground-level space into another use and CAF’s lease was not extended. CAF took this as an opportunity to realize our longstanding goal of creating a “destination” architecture center offering a wide range of experiences to delight architecture fans of all stripes.

Is there a date for the CAC to open?
There is not an official date set yet. It will be in Summer of 2018 and once a date is established it will be shared.

How was our new location selected?
Core requirements focused on space, cost, extended duration (20+ years), and a downtown location with easy access to Chicago’s great buildings. Desirable features included an architecturally distinguished building that is easily accessible to visitors. Proximity to our River Cruise is a “plus”, but was not a requirement.

How will the CAC be different from our current location?
We aim for the Chicago Architecture Center to become the destination in Chicago for anyone interested in architecture. The CAC will offer our famous tours, an upgraded model, museum-quality exhibitions, a lecture hall, hands-on design studio, our award-winning retail shop, and a discrete space for tours to gather and set up before they depart. It will provide Chicagoans and visitors a place to learn more about the city that invented the skyscraper.

Did we consider alternatives like a Loop-based kiosk, trolley, or shuttle that would enable us to keep our Loop walking tours as they are?
Items such as these were discussed between CAF Board, CAF leadership, and Docent Leadership, and were decided against to ensure success of the new CAC. Having our downtown tours start and end there is the best way to do that. The great buildings in the Loop will continue to be offered in various CAF tours…and now we’ll be able to visit many more iconic Chicago buildings that are easily reached from our new home.

Does CAF plan to eventually eliminate walking tours altogether, and just keep the River Cruise?
Absolutely not. Walking tours are where CAF started and will remain a cornerstone of our offerings.

Where are we moving?
The new Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), future home of CAF, will be at 111 East Wacker Drive, in a 1970 building designed by the Office of Mies van der Rohe.

When do we move?
Our lease at the Railway Exchange Building expires at the end of March 2018. However, we have a two-month extension on our first-floor space. So, we will have to be out and into our new space by the end of May 2018.

What will happen to the model?

The model is definitely coming with us. It will be expanded and set up in our new location. However, the model will become part of the CAC’s exhibition area and will no longer be available as a starting point for tours.

Who is overseeing all the move and tour change activities for the docents and VEVs?
The Move Task Force was formed to oversee all move and change activities. Members include docents Kathleen Carpenter, Tom Carmichael, Lance Friedmann, Delta Greene, Constance Rajala, Ellen Shubart, and Lisa Voigt; VEV Chair, Ellen Oberhart, and staffers Caroline Duda, Michael Malak, Jen Masengarb, Hallie Rosen and Shera Street.

Why do we have to revise our tours?

The new location is far enough away from our current home so that some of the 12 core tours will have to be re-routed or re-conceived. Other options include converting to neighborhood tours or retiring a tour to the vault. (Core tours are those that leave from the shop; go out two or more times/week; are year-round; and are scheduled by the docents themselves through VolunteerMatters.)

Which tours will be changed?
Art Deco Downtown
Chicago Masterworks
Chicago Modern
Elevated Architecture –Downtown L
Evolution of the Skyscraper
Food & Architecture:1893
Historic Skyscrapers
Hotel Boom
Must-see Chicago
Millennium Park: Beyond the Bean
Tiffany Treasures
Treasures of Culture and Commerce

Which tours will remain the same?
Neighborhood, building, and bus tours (and the River Cruise) will remain the same.

Who is in charge of making the changes to the core tours?
The tour directors of the core tours, in collaboration with the Tour Committee and Education Committee, will develop and approve the tour revisions.

Must docents be re-certified for the revised tours?
Re-certification requirements, if applicable, will be decided on a tour by tour basis.

How will docents be re-trained and re-certified for the revised tours?
We will follow our current process for training and certification: develop routes and identify structures; develop tour manuals and conduct demonstration tours; hold training classes; certify docents based on performance. Depending on the revisions needed, the scope of these activities may vary. Some tours will be greatly revised, so more extensive training will be needed. Some may need only minor changes, so certain of these activities may be somewhat abbreviated.

Who will develop new tour manuals?
The tour directors, in collaboration with the Tour Committee, will develop the new manuals.
Is it true that all core tours will now be 90 minutes long?

The recommended tour length for core tours is now 90 minutes. Most revised tours will follow this recommendation. However, this is not a hard and fast rule. Tour directors who feel they require additional time may extend their tours. The maximum would be two hours.

How did we decide on 90 minutes?
Feedback from our audience, research on competitors’ tours, and observation led to this change.

How can you help?
Tour directors are working on the changes to the 12 core tours. Please contact your tour director to offer your assistance.