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Chicago

The Terrence J. O'Brien Water Reclamation Plant. Photo: Eric Allix Rogers

Where to Go During Open House Chicago

Daniel Hautzinger

During Open House Chicago, which is October 13 and 14, you can see things you've never seen before as more than 250 sites across Chicagoland open to the public for free. So many choices are overwhelming, so we've chosen a few highlights.
The Chicago Literacy Alliance's Literacenter. Photo: Eileen Molony

Working Towards a Fully Literate Society

Daniel Hautzinger

One in six adults, or 35 million people, read below a fourth-grade level in the United States. The Chicago Literacy Alliance is working to change that, by bringing together organizations with similar goals and fostering collaboration amongst them.
A demonstration for German Day in 1931 in front of the Field Museum. Photo: Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1990-073-12

Fascism in Chicago

Daniel Hautzinger

From the feted arrival of an Italian Fascist in Chicago during the Century of Progress World's Fair (commemorated with the renaming of a street and a monument donated by Mussolini) to the infamous controversy where neo-Nazis tried to march in Skokie, learn about fascist flare-ups in Chicago.

Tour the New Chicago Architecture Center

Daniel Hautzinger

Take a tour of the new Chicago Architecture Center and discover its new features, including an expanded and newly interactive Chicago model and a skyscraper gallery. The Center is located inside a Mies van der Rohe building with a vantage of some of Chicago's most famous buildings.
Chicago's Seminary Co-op

Even More of Chicago's Favorite Indie Bookstores

Daniel Hautzinger

Discover the stories behind more of Chicago's favorite indie bookstores on the South Side, including a legendary, long-lived one that counts Barack and Michelle Obama amongst its fans.
Pilsen Community Books in Chicago

More of Chicago's Beloved Independent Bookstores

Daniel Hautzinger

Independent bookstores remain an irreplaceable asset, with their staff recommendations and sense of community. We've already featured three Chicago stalwarts, but here are the stories of a few more of the city's beloved indie bookstores.
The Bahá’i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois, north of Chicago. Photo: Courtesy of the US Bahá’í National Center

What the Bahá’i Temple Reveals About the Bahá’i Faith

Daniel Hautzinger

The Bahá’i House of Worship on the lakefront north of Chicago is sometimes called the "silent teacher" for the way that it illustrates principles of the faith, many of which are incorporated into the striking, innovative, ornate design, which took 50 years to realize.
A bookstore. Photo: Adolfo Felix on Unsplash

Chicago's Independent Bookstores

Daniel Hautzinger

If you love books, you probably also love bookstores, and independent bookstores remain irreplaceable gems, with their staff recommendations, unusual selections, and sense of community. Discover the stories behind a few of Chicago's beloved indie bookstores.

Chef Thia and Marcus Samuelsson prepare a meal for their Beach BBQ in Miami in "No Passport Required." Photo: Christine Carreira

Haitians in Chicago

Daniel Hautzinger

With chef Marcus Samuelsson visiting Miami's Little Haiti on No Passport Required, explore the history of Chicago’s Haitian community, which may stretch back to the founding of the city, touches the 1893 World’s Fair, and continues today in a time of uncertainty.

The 2014 Special Olympics. Photo: John Huet

"The World Will Never Be the Same After This": 50 Years of the Special Olympics

Daniel Hautzinger

The first Special Olympics were held 50 years ago in Chicago, thanks in part to the championing efforts of a Kennedy. A celebration of the Special Olympics will be held on their anniversary here in July.

The Chicago Gospel Music Festival. Photo: Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events

Chicago, The "Vatican and Mecca" of Gospel Music

Daniel Hautzinger

Gospel music's "Father," and "Mother," "Queen" and "King," all made their career or were born in Chicago, where the soul-stirring music was first developed and popularized. Discover the development of gospel and its main players in Chicago.
Women detainees at Angel Island. Photo: California Historical Society

The Chinese Exclusion Act and Chicago

Daniel Hautzinger

With the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned all Chinese immigration and naturalization, many Chinese immigrants began moving eastward to towns like Chicago, where they slowly cemented a presence despite the demographic restrictions of the Act. 
Chicago's Grant Park

How 13 Chicago Parks Got Their Names

Daniel Hautzinger

Who are some of the more prominent parks in the "City in a Garden" named after, and why? From Humboldt Park to Horner Park to Sherman Park, learn about the history of Chicago's 8,800 acres of parkland and the origins of some of the parks' names.
The Chicago "L." Photo: Jackson Hirsch on Unsplash

12 Iconic Works of Chicago Literature

Daniel Hautzinger

When the rest of the world thinks of Chicago, it's often in terms borrowed from literature: "Hog Butcher for the World," a city of slaughterhouses, a gritty, working-class town. What are some of the most iconic literary depictions of the city?
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago. Photo: From WTTW's DuSable to Obama, courtesyGetty Images

Martin Luther King and Fair Housing in Chicago

Daniel Hautzinger

50 years ago, on April 11, 1968, Congress passed the Fair Housing Act. Martin Luther King, Jr. had come to Chicago in 1966 for his first campaign outside the South to advocate for fair housing, but it took the riots caused by his assassination for the bill to be passed.
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