On any given day at the Chicago Cultural Center, you might find a free classical concert being performed, an art exhibition on display in one of the building’s many galleries or tourists marveling at the world’s largest stained glass Tiffany dome. Don’t worry about paying for admission—nearly everything that happens in this building is free and open to the public. Housed in a structure that’s as wide as an entire city block and dates back to 1897—when it originally housed the Chicago Public Library—the Chicago Cultural Center provides a place for citizens and visitors alike to experience amazing art and beautiful architecture without spending a cent.
A must-do at the Cultural Center? Head to the Chicago Cultural Center’s Preston Bradley Hall to see the building’s architectural crown jewel: a stained glass Tiffany dome that’s 38 feet in diameter. Comprised of 30,000 individual panes of glass, the dome was renovated in 2008 to allow the dizzying display to once again be lit with natural light. If you’re up for more neck craning, walk to the nearby Grand Army of the Republic Hall, which boasts neo-classical stained glass dome.
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