- River Cruise starts this Friday – April 1! And although, it won’t be the warmest of spring days this coming weekend we are seeing some good sales trends before the season starts!
- CAC – Open 7 Days a Week! The CAC will be open 7 days a week starting April 1. The hours will be from 10am-5pm. Walking tours departing from the CAC 7-days a week will be available as well!
- Energy Revolution Exhibit – to open April 8! More information to come!
- Member Hours: Between April 8 and April 15, we will be open to members only from 9am-10am and a couple evenings as well from 5pm-7pm.
- Design Store: Throughout the month of April and May, the Design Store will be refreshed with new product on a weekly basis. The product will of course reflect architecture and design, but will also have a focus on education for both youth and adults, creative design, sustainability, and earth friendly product that will tie to our new exhibit as well.
- Design Store Discount: Don’t forget! As a volunteer, you are eligible for a discount on product – so keep our store in mind for all your Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduation, Wedding and Birthday gifts that will happen this spring and summer!
New Comp Ticket Request Form
We have updated the link on The Bridge for Comp Request Form. If you have bookmarked this page, please delete and use the new one located underneath Quick Links.
New Hires
New additions to the CAC include:
Karen Bippus joined CAC as Director of Individual & Planned Giving on Thursday, March 31st. Karen is incredibly passionate about what is important to her and approach the world with an optimistic attitude. For the past ten years, she had the incredibly good fortune to work as a fundraiser for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Last year, she began a part-time pursuit of a master of science in nonprofit management from Northeastern University.
Joel Holt, Vice President of Information Technology. Joel has over 24 years of experience as an IT expert. He joins the Chicago Architecture Center after working with the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago for over 16 years. Joel began as a network administrator, then advanced to IT Manager, and then to IT Director.
Lisa Nucci, Vice President of Marketing effective March 23. Lisa comes to us from the Chicago Bulls where she was employed since 2013, her last position being their Executive Director of Marketing. Prior to that she worked at United Way of Metropolitan Chicago, Laughlin Constable and Allied Advertising.
Lexie Oliva, Volunteer Coordinator effective March 8th. Lexie is currently a graduate student at the University of Illinois-Chicago for Museum and Exhibition Studies. Lexie served as the Assistant Center Director at Mathnasium and managed schedules for instructors and students. She brings a lot of administrative and organizational skills to this position.
Updated CAC Mask Policy
We are once again in ever changing state of policies so please take a few moments to read our current policy on masks. https://www.architecture.org/news/happening-caf/covid-19-safety-policies/.
We are still asking staff to wear masks both in the CAC and in our office spaces.
We are also asking all docents and volunteers when they are in the CAC or walking around office spaces to still wear masks until further notice.
Docents will not need to wear a mask when outside giving a tour.
We will still need to comply with any buildings that require a mask.
We are still reviewing guidelines for any in-person trainings and will announce when those are confirmed.
There are new logins for the library computers. Please refer to this article for more information: New Login Information for Library Computers.
The Center is currently open Friday-Monday through the end of March. The hours of operation will be from 10am-4pm. The Call Center will be open 7 days a week. We will evaluate March hours in February. Scheduling for March in VolunteerMatters begins Saturday, January 8th at 9:30.
Vaccine Requirement: If you have not shown proof of vaccination, you have been marked “inactive” and will not be able to sign up tours/shifts. If you want to continue volunteering with the CAC, please contact Caroline at cd***@ar**********.org as soon as possible.
Neighborhood Tours: The Will Call lists will be posted on The Bridge after 5 pm the day before your tour. Look for Will Call List under Quick Links. If the Will Call list is not posted, you can email ti*****@ar**********.org and staff will get an updated version up as soon as possible. If your tour is not listed on the current will call list, this means there are no sales and you do not need to come in for your tour. This applies to Neighborhood tours ONLY.
Guests must sign up for neighborhood tours on line. We are currently not allowing walk-up purchases for neighborhood tours. This is now clearly stated on the CAC website. Notes under all neighborhood tours include this language:
- Advance reservations are required for this tour.
- Access to building interiors featured on this tour may be subject to change, due to weekend and holiday schedules or unforeseen closures.
- Ticket price includes entrance to the Chicago Architecture Center within 7 days of your tour.
- View the CAC’s hours.
Please also be sure to fill out the Neighborhood Tour Report Form after your tour. If your tour has zero tickets, you do not need to fill out the report. If your tour is not listed, choose OTHER and fill in the tour name in the comments.
PARKING
We are no longer issuing the parking vouchers for members. The discounted parking is still availlable at 111 East Wacker Drive. CAC guests and members receive but YOU MUST GET YOUR PARKING TICKET STAMPED at the CAC Box Office or the dockside CFL River Cruise box office. To receive your discounted rate pay at the LAZ garage office located inside 111 E Wacker opposite Potbellies Sandwiches. The parking garage is open 24/7.
Several other public parking garages are available in the River North and Loop neighborhoods. SpotHero can help you find a good deal. To reserve your parking spot, visit the Chicago Architecture Center SpotHero Parking Page and book with rates up to 50% off drive-up. Please note: if parking is prepurchased, early arrival or departure is subjected to additional charges at the garage’s discretion. New to SpotHero? Click here to download the SpotHero app. Questions? Give SpotHero a call at (312) 566-7768.