You know that fall has descended upon Chicago when the leaves look more fiery, the smell of pumpkin spice tinges the air and Open House Chicago prepares to bust open typically-shut doors across the city. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the always-free public architecture festival—with the anniversary comes new locations, a transit plan and more.
This year, Open House Chicago will feature approximately 210 locations across 25 Chicago neighborhoods, including more than 30 new sites. Returning spots include KOVAL Distillery, Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport, Farm on Ogden, the Walt Disney House & Birthplace in Hermosa and downtown’s Fine Arts Building. In addition to the open sites, OHC will host more than 40 programs and activations throughout the weekend.
If you’re feeling especially competitive, enter the OHC Photo Competition, during which attendees can submit photos taken at Open House Chicago sites in one of five categories: interior, exterior, detail, black & white and people & buildings. Selected entrants will have their photography printed and displayed at the Chicago Architecture Center’s November 2025 exhibition “Framed Views: OHC Photography.”
We know that options abound when it comes to Open House Chicago. To help you decide which spots are worth the trek, we’ve rounded up some of the most iconic Chicago buildings participating this year.
The 5 best buildings to visit during Open House 2025
Electrical Audio, 2621 W Belmont Ave
Oct 19 10am–5pm
Walk in the footsteps of contemporary musical legends like Andrew Bird, Foo Fighters and St. Vincent with a visit to world-famous recording studio Electrical Audio. Converted into its current digs in the 1990s by late musician and audio engineer Steve Albini, Electrical Audio has served as a creative hub for some of Chicago’s most venerable indie acts and global chart-toppers alike. For the first time ever, Open House Chicago will be offering guided tours of the space—which had past lives as a dairy bar, screen printing shop and pinball warehouse—every 15 minutes.
Chicago Magic Lounge, 5050 N Clark St
Oct 18 10am–5pm, Oct 19 10am–3pm
Originally a 1940s-era laundromat, the Chicago Magic Lounge was converted into its current Art Deco-style parlor by Chicago firm Morris Architect Planners. From the building’s restored laundromat facade to the bar designed with close-up magic spectators in mind, the Chicago Magic Lounge offers glamorous confines for those hoping to be dazzled by old school illusionists. Visitors will tour the Chicago Magic Lounge in small groups, and a guide will delve into the history behind the building’s artifacts, posters, ephemera and, of course, architectural details.
Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, 55 E Wacker Dr
Oct 18 10am–5pm, Oct 19 noon–5pm
Tour the seven-story structure that the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist has called home since 1968. The Brutalist-style building—armored inside-and-out with smooth travertine panels—reads more flying saucer than house of worship. Try to keep your jaw from hitting the floor when you tour the Greek amphitheater-inspired auditorium, home to a glorious 3,316-pipe Aeolian-Skinner organ.
The Chicago Board of Trade Building, 141 W Jackson Blvd
Oct 18, 19 10am–5pm
The crown jewel of Chicago’s Financial District will open its doors for Open House Chicago for the fifth year. Completed in 1930, the impressive Art Deco structure was the tallest building in Chicago for 35 years—before it was surpassed by the 648-foot-tall Richard J. Daley Center. Perhaps the most photographed features of the building are its magnificent gold-plated lobby and 30-foot-tall statue of Ceres, the Roman goddess of grain, which holds a perch on the corner of LaSalle and Jackson streets. Visitors will kick off the tour with a to-be-announced experiential element, followed by a tour of the first-floor lobby and expansive lower-level vault.
Grand Ballroom, 6351 S Cottage Grove Ave
Oct 18 10am–5pm, Oct 19 10am–5pm
Woodlawn’s Grand Ballroom dates back to the Jazz Age, when it was a South Side destination venue. Originally named the Cinderella Ballroom, slipper and pumpkin motifs are peppered throughout the ballroom's floor, light fixtures and elsewhere. The stage, which is crowned by a scalloped shell inspired by Cinderella's carriage, serves as the centerpiece for the impressive space. Visitors are welcome to take a self-guided tour of the building, which is now fully restored as a venue for dance and music after narrowly escaping demolition.