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CHI (P) - Explore Chicago! Tour of the Old Post Office 042925
About this event
(photo courtesy of the Chicago Architecture Center)
Take this fascinating tour of what was the world’s largest post office; 2.5 million square feet. Built in 1921, expanded in 1932. It developed largely because Chicago was the “mail order capital” of the world due to Montgomery Wards (the world’s largest retailer) and Sears & Roebuck, the world’s second largest retailer. Trains drove inside the building to pick up and deliver packages. The facility handled 35 million letters per day and 500,000 sacks of mail!!
The building is a combination of Art Deco and Beaux Art design; restored beautifully. The building closed in 1997 and sat empty until 2019 when it opened as an office building for such companies as Uber (the largest tenant at 10,000 square feet), PepsiCo, Cisco Systems and Walgreens.
The renovated space finally opened in October 2019. It has been beautifully restored but in accomplishing the restoration pieces remain that remind you it was once a post office. Today it is offices, restaurants, retail and has a 3.5 acre rooftop with pickleball courts, a running track, basketball courts and a gorgeous rooftop view of the city.
Accessibility: the tour requires slightly less than a mile of walking and requires use of an escalator or elevator.
Fee: $14
entrance: 433 West Van Buren (meet inside the Van Buren lobby) - arrive no later than 10:45 a.m. The tour will begin promptly at 11:00 a.m.
Optional: we will gather for lunch in the post office building following the tour. Members pay for their own lunch expenses.
Event contact: Judi C.
Event Contact(s)
judi A Cellini
Registration Info
Registration is closed - Event is full and Waitlist is full
Payment In Full In Advance Only
The fee for this event is $14 and must be paid upon registration. If you cancel before the deadline of April 11th, the fee will be refunded to your account. However, if you cancel after the cancellation deadline, or fail to attend the event without cancelling for any reason, the fee will be forfeited and WILL NOT BE REFUNDED.
If you need to cancel, please cancel as early as possible so that someone on the waitlist can join. You must be logged in to register.
There is a 4 hour time limit when you are notified a space has opened up on the waitlist.
Registration cancellations will be accepted until Friday, April 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Cancellation Policy:
If you are a member and cancel your registration before the specified deadline, you will receive a full refund as a credit to your account. You can use the credit to pay for another event or put it toward your annual dues payment.
Capacity
23 Total Slots
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