2016 REPORT

2,000 VOLUNTEERS

DONATED

12,000 HOURS

66,000 PEOPLE SHOPPED OR DINED WHILE ATTENDING OHC

$8 MILLION ECONOMIC IMPACT ON THE CHICAGO ECONOMY

2.2 MILLION PAGEVIEWS ON OPENHOUSECHICAGO.ORG

#OHC2016 TRENDING TOPIC ON TWITTER

61,800 PEOPLE VISITED

NEW NEIGHBORHOODS88,500 LOCALS

11,500 TOURISTS

ATTENDEES FROM ALL

50 STATES & 90 COUNTRIES

AVERAGE EVENT RATING OF

4.67 OUT OF 580,800 PEOPLE (91% OF LOCALS) SAID OHC MADE THEM FEEL PROUD TO BE A CHICAGOAN

213 SITES IN

20 NEIGHBORHOODS

380,000 SITE VISITS

100,000 ATTENDEES

28,300 PEOPLE MADE 170,000 CTA TRIPS

2,200 DIVVY BIKE

RENTALS

contentsExecutive Summary ................................... 1History and Goals ....................................... 2 Neighborhoods .......................................... 3 Sponsors and Partners ................................ 4 Volunteers .................................................. 5 Programs and Family Activities .................. 7

OVERVIEW

Campaign Details ....................................... 8 Results ...................................................... 12

MARKETING

Attendance Overview ............................... 13 Trends ....................................................... 16 Demographics .......................................... 18 Attendance Maps ..................................... 20

ATTENDANCE AND AUDIENCE

Ratings ..................................................... 25 Comments ................................................ 26

FEEDBACK

Community Impact .................................. 23 Economic Impact ..................................... 24

IMPACT

Six Years of OHC .....................................28 Next Year .................................................28

SUMMARY

The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring people to discover why design matters. As an education leader in architecture and design, CAF offers tours, programs, exhibitions, field trips, curricula and online tools that are part of a dynamic learning journey for all ages. Proceeds from CAF’s tours and gift shop support this educational mission.

For more information, visit architecture.org or call 312.922.3432

Photos by Eric Allix Rogers, Jonathan Loïc Rogers, Glenn Kaupert

OHC 2016 REPORT1

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Open House Chicago is a free public festival that offers behind-the-scenes access to 200 cool places across Chicago.

Open House Chicago invites residents and visitors to explore the hidden gems and architectural treasures of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods—all for free. No tickets or reservations are required.

2016

The sixth-annual Open House Chicago took place during the weekend of October 15-16, 2016. In two days, more than 100,000 attendees made 380,000 site visits to 213 sites in 18 Chicago neighborhoods plus the adjacent suburbs of Evanston and Oak Park, making OHC the most-attended event of its kind in the world.

overview

City Hall

OHC 2016 REPORT 2

HISTORY

Open House Chicago (OHC) is part of a worldwide movement of free Open House events that began in London in 1992. Today, more than 40 cities on five continents hold similar Open House and Doors Open events.

The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) held the first OHC in 2011 with a unique focus on highlighting Chicago’s neighborhoods. During the inaugural event, 23,000 attendees made 84,000 visits to OHC sites. The event has grown significantly each year and is now more than quadruple its original size. Featured sites include historic mansions, private clubs, sacred spaces, hotels, offices, theatres, studios and more. Each year, CAF works with community partner organizations and collects public input to help identify sites that are architecturally, historically and culturally significant in Chicago’s neighborhoods. CAF recruits, schedules and trains 2,000 volunteers to make OHC possible.

The seventh-annual Open House Chicago is scheduled for October 14–15, 2017.

GOALS

CAF’s mission is to inspire people to discover why design matters. OHC gives residents and visitors access to buildings that tell the stories of Chicago communities and cultures.

Open House Chicago goals

• Raise awareness of the role design plays in creating a vibrant and livable city• Foster civic and community pride• Spark the exploration of new neighborhoods• Improve perceptions and appreciation of neighborhoods• Encourage repeat visits to neighborhoods• Boost patronage of local businesses and institutions• Introduce people to Chicago’s unique architectural assets

OHC 2016 REPORT3

NEIGHBORHOODS

OHC 2016 included 213 sites in the following 18 Chicago neighborhoods and two adjacent suburbs:

• Downtown• Bridgeport / Back of the Yards• Bronzeville• Edgewater• Englewood• Evanston• Garfield Park / North Lawndale• Gold Coast / Near North Side• Hyde Park• Jefferson Park / Portage Park• Lakeview• Lincoln Park• Lincoln Square / Ravenswood• Near West Side• Oak Park presented by• Rogers Park• South Loop / Prairie Avenue• South Shore CAF’s partnership with the South Shore community is sponsored by • Ukrainian Village• West Town

Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Cathedral The Rookery

OHC 2016 REPORT 4

SPONSORS

OHC would not be possible without the generosity and partnership of these sponsors:

• 47th Ward Alderman Ameya Pawar’s Office• 48th Ward Alderman Harry Osterman’s Office• Archdiocese of Chicago• Bronzeville Area Residents and Commerce Council• Building Owners and Managers Association• Chicago Loop Alliance• Chicago Park District• Chicago’s North Shore Convention

& Visitors Bureau• City of Evanston• Design Evanston• Downtown Evanston• Edgewater Chamber of Commerce• Edgewater Historical Society• Evanston Chamber of Commerce• Evanston Community Foundation• Evanston History Center• Foundation for Homan Square• Glessner House Museum

• Greater Englewood Community Development Corporation• Jefferson Park Chamber of Commerce• Lakeview Chamber of Commerce• Magnificent Mile Association• Northwest Chicago Historical Society• Oak Park River Forest Community Foundation• Pleasant Home Foundation• Public Media Institute• Quad Communities Development Corporation• Rogers Park Business Alliance• Rogers Park/West Ridge Historical Society• Six Corners Association• South East Chicago Commission• South Shore Chamber, Inc.• Theater Historical Society of America• Ukrainian Village Neighborhood Association• Uptown United• Visit Oak Park• West Loop Community Organization

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

CAF works with community organizations to identify locations, recruit volunteers, promote participation and deepen engagement in OHC. These organizations include chambers of commerce, historical societies, community development corporations, tourism bureaus, aldermanic offices and more. CAF acknowledges and thanks the following community partners who are instrumental in opening up our city’s neighborhoods for exploration and discovery:

MEDIA SPONSORS

PARTNERS

SPONSORSPRESENTING SPONSOR

OHC 2016 REPORT5

VOLUNTEERS

In 2016, CAF recruited, trained and scheduled more than 2,000 volunteer greeters with the help of OHC site hosts and community partners. These volunteers greeted participants at every site, answered basic questions about the event and tracked visitor attendance.

85 additional volunteers and CAF staff acted as “district coordinators” or “site captains.” These high-level volunteers acted as area leaders and as liaisons between sites and CAF. 40 of CAF’s expert docents were stationed at notable downtown buildings to interact with attendees waiting in lines and provide information about nearby architecture.

OHC volunteers donated more than 12,000 hours in support of the festival. 93% of volunteer greeters reported that volunteering for OHC was a positive experience and 89% said they were definitely planning to volunteer again.

1611 West Division ICA GreenRise

OHC 2016 REPORT 6

COMMENTS FROM VOLUNTEERS

“Great meeting and talking to the wide range of people about a common interest... Chicago and its architecture.”

“ Chicago has incredible architecture, and I wanted to be part of an event that celebrates that.”

“ The volunteers as well as the hosts and visitors all share the same enthusiasm for our city and its treasures!”

“ It was an exciting experience and I love the idea of offering these sites to the public. The overall public response was thrilling to behold.”

“ CAF treats its volunteers really well and we are used purposefully!”

“ It’s so much fun to share the OHC experience with visitors from all over the world!”

“ Great people organizing the weekend, great volunteers to work alongside and great people showing up at the sites excited about architecture.”

“ I got to contribute to a great weekend experience and I feel prouder about living in Chicago. It was great to see so many residents and tourists alike getting involved. I also made friends with fellow volunteers (and had my friends come to my site!). And the benefits I got were rewarding. Overall it is a very exciting and satisfactory experience!”

“ I’ve never seen an event as well organized. Kudos!”

OHC 2016 REPORT7

Garfield-Clarendon Model Railroad Club Orchestra Hall at Symphony Center

PROGRAMS AND FAMILY ACTIVITIES

Select OHC sites featured free arts and culture programming. Family-oriented programming was available at CAF headquarters. Family itineraries were provided on the OHC website.

Highlights

• OHC Family Fun Festival at CAF• Access Contemporary Music at Colvin House and Florsheim Mansion• Columbian Model & Exhibit Works at CAF (visitors could talk with the people

behind CAF’s Chicago Model)• Chicago Riverwalk with Ross Barney Architects• Pappageorge Haymes architects at Arc at Old Colony and Infinite

(visitors got to meet the restoration architects for these two buildings) • Meet the architects from Wheeler Kearns Architects at 1611 West Division• Musical performance from Sam Prekop at the Poetry Foundation• Live model painting at Oak Park Art League• Art for Social Change: Behind the Wall exhibition at Oak Park Art League• Historic Maxwell Street at UIC’s University Hall (historic displays only for OHC weekend)• Studies in Light and Form: The Chicago Seven and the

Michigan Avenue Bridge Sculptures at Elks National Memorial

OHC 2016 REPORT 8

marketingCAF launched an eight-week integrated marketing campaign to support OHC. The campaign drove record impressions and attendance.

TOTAL TRAFFICUsers 251,000 26% over 2015

Visits 429,000 27% over 2015

Pageviews 2,196,000 22% over 2015

OHC WEEKEND TRAFFICUsers 59,000 29% over 2015

Visits 104,000 31% over 2015

Pageviews 593,000 16% over 2015

TOP TRAFFIC SOURCES1 Search (Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.) 46.4%

2 Direct or unknown 25.9%

3 Social media 10.3%

4 Email 5.6%

5 Architecture.org 3.0%

6 Chicagoist.com 2.0%

7 Curbed.com 1.5%

8 ChooseChicago.com 0.9%

9 DNAinfo.com 0.5%

10 OpenHouseWorldwide.org 0.4%

WEBSITE

• More than 10,000 people created itineraries on openhousechicago.org

• Phones and tablets accounted for 78% of traffic during OHC weekend

• Overall mobile traffic was up 38% over 2015

EVENT GUIDE

Each year, CAF partners with the Chicago Tribune, an OHC media sponsor, to create the official event guide. In 2016, the guide was a 32-page stapled tabloid insert on top of the Chicago Tribune and in the RedEye. On the Thursday prior to OHC, the guide reached approximately 500,000 people through the paper. An additional 75,000 guides were distributed to all 213 sites in the festival.

OHC 2016 REPORT9

ADVERTISING

Advertising for OHC 2016 focused on regional online, local print and local out-of-home. The broad reach of the campaign would not have been possible without the generous in-kind support of our media sponsors and partners.

Highlights from more than 30 placements

• Chicago magazine• CTA branded train cars and buses• Divvy station panels• Doors Open Milwaukee event guide• Time Out Chicago • WBEZ 91.5• WFMT 98.7

LEFT OHC branded CTA train car RIGHT 2 back to back full page ads in Time Out Chicago

OHC 2016 REPORT 10

MEDIA HIGHLIGHTSChicago Reader (online)

06.24.16 “OHC, where real estate dreams come true”

NBC (TV) 09.08.16 On-air segment covering OHC press conference with mayor

ABC (TV) 09.08.16 OHC press conference on 5pm news

Chicago Tribune (online)

09.08.16 Mention of OHC press conference with mayor

Time Out Chicago (online)

09.08.16 “A complete guide to OHC”

Chicagoist (online) 09.09.16 “OHC is back with 200 free architecture tours you shouldn’t miss”

ChicagoNow (online)

09.09.16 OHC preview feature

Chicago Tribune (print, online)

09.15.16 Article on architecture projects and related events, including OHC (Blair Kamin)

Daily Herald (print, online)

10.08.16 “Midwest travel: See architectural wonders for free during OHC”

Curbed Chicago (online)

10.10.16 “OHC 2016: 20 must-see sites”

WGN (TV) 10.10.16 Around Town and the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Open House

Chicago Reader (online)

10.11.16 “How to see OHC, from north to south”

ABC 10.11.16 “OHC offers behind-the-scenes access to the city”

Post-Tribune (online)

10.13.16 “OHC offers different views of architecture”

WBEZ Morning Shift (Radio)

10.13.16 “What's that building? Open House Chicago edition”

Our Urban Times (online)

10.13.16 “OHC includes the West Town community area”

DNAinfo (online) 10.14.16 “Here are the best OHC spots from the guy who knows them all”

Time Out Chicago (online)

10.14.16 “15 must-see spots during OHC”

DNAinfo (online) September and October

Multiple articles including neighborhood features on Ukrainian Village and Edgewater

MEDIA RELATIONS

A press conference was held on September 8, 2016 with Mayor Rahm Emanuel and community partners. The event took place at the Yale Building in Englewood (see cover photo of this report) and was attended by numerous local TV stations and other media. In 2016, CAF’s media relations efforts resulted in more top tier placements than any other year of OHC.

OHC 2016 REPORT11

SOCIAL MEDIA

CAF launched an OHC social media campaign across seven platforms to drive word of mouth and festival attendance. OHC web traffic from social media increased 34% over 2015. Here are the highlights.

1.2MILLION IMPRESSIONS FROM CAF POSTS ALONE

40,000 ENGAGED USERS

40% INCREASE IN WEB TRAFFIC

140,000+ FOLLOWERS

FACEBOOK

#OHC2016 13,800+ PHOTOS POSTED

(38% OVER 2015)

34,000+ FOLLOWERS

INSTAGRAM

#OHC2016 TRENDED IN

CHICAGO

4,500+ TWEETS ABOUT OHC

11% INCREASE IN WEB TRAFFIC

50,000+ FOLLOWERS

TWITTER

COMMUNICATIONS

CAF leveraged its existing communications and materials distribution channels to spread the word about OHC.

OHC communication channels

• 60,000 rack cards and several hundred posters were distributed throughout the city via tourism centers, hotels, local shops and neighborhood bulletins

• Inclusion in CAF monthly emails for a combined audience of more than 40,000 people• Inclusion in printed materials such as the CAF Member Magazine• Cross-promotion through partner organizations (web, social media, emails, etc)• Many of CAF’s 450 volunteer docents made mention of OHC on their tours

OHC 2016 REPORT 12

RESULTS

CAF asked participants how they heard about OHC. Notable increases over 2015 occurred in the categories of news coverage and social media.

HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT OHC 2016?

Event guide in the Chicago Tribune

Other advertising

News coverage

Social media

CAF brochure, website or email

Walk up / happenstance

Word of mouth

24.2%

22.8%

16.1%

22.2%

28.7%

6.2%

26.1%

IMPRESSIONS

A summary of campaign impressions is below. Impressions refer to the number of views of a particular marketing channel.

110 MILLION MEDIA RELATIONS75 MILLION ADVERTISING

3 MILLION WEBSITE AND COMMUNICATIONS 2 MILLION SOCIAL MEDIA

_________________________

190 MILLION TOTAL

OHC 2016 REPORT13

attendance and audience

ATTENDANCE OVERVIEW

CAF conducts extensive audience research in order to evaluate and improve OHC. In 2016, attendee zip codes were recorded at each site and more than 3,500 surveys were collected. These data inform the figures found in the remainder of this report.

ESTIMATED ATTENDEES

SITE VISITS GROWTH

2016 100,000 380,000 15,000 people ( 18%)

2015 85,000 320,000 10,000 people ( 13%)

2014 75,000 285,000 20,000 people ( 40%)

2013 55,000 194,000 15,000 people ( 37%)

2012 40,000 142,000 17,000 people ( 69%)

2011 23,000 84,000 23,000 people (first year)

VISITS

Since 2011, OHC has more than quadrupled in size.

2011 84,000

2012 142,000

2013 194,000

2014 285,000

2015 320,000

2016 380,000

OHC 2016 REPORT 14

VISITS BY NEIGHBORHOOD

Approximately 80% of OHC attendees visited at least one neighborhood outside of downtown. Nearly every neighborhood featured in OHC saw attendance growth over 2015.

NEIGHBORHOOD SITES SITE VISITS

Downtown 63 193,633

Bridgeport / Back of the Yards 7 7,495

Bronzeville 8 3,509

Edgewater 6 15,926

Englewood 5 7,923

Evanston 14 20,722

Garfield Park / North Lawndale 5 2,426

Gold Coast / Near North Side 17 27,278

Hyde Park 7 6,540

Jefferson Park / Portage Park 6 3,014

Lakeview 6 5,563

Lincoln Park 5 14,550

Near West Side 9 5,235

Oak Park 10 13,620

Rogers Park 7 4,015

South Loop / Prairie Avenue 6 13,800

South Shore 7 7,734

Ukrainian Village 6 7,678

Uptown / Ravenswood 7 7,484

West Town 12 11,503

OHC 2016 REPORT15

VISITS BY SITE

DOWNTOWN SITES VISITS

Hard Rock Hotel Chicago (Carbide and Carbon Building) 8,502

Aon Center 6,808

Chicago Board of Trade Building 6,630

The Kemper Building 6,421

231 S. LaSalle (Wintrust Bank Building) 6,054

300 East Randolph (Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois) 5,857

McCormick Bridgehouse & Chicago River Museum 5,854

Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park 5,822

LondonHouse Chicago (London Guarantee & Accident Building) 5,681

Sky-Line Club 5,584

NEIGHBORHOOD SITES NEIGHBORHOOD VISITS

Elks National Memorial Lincoln Park 5,204

Florsheim Mansion Gold Coast / Near North Side 4,649

Colvin House Edgewater 4,284

Yale Building Englewood 3,869

Brewster Building Lincoln Park 3,795

Berger Park North Mansion (Gunder House) Edgewater 3,328

Stone Terrace Evanston 3,315

Graham Foundation (Madlener House) Gold Coast / Near North Side 3,206

Keith House South Loop / Prairie Avenue 3,162

New Regal Theater (Avalon Theater) South Shore 2,985

Pleasant Home (Farson House) Oak Park 2,817

Edgewater Beach Apartments Edgewater 2,717

Sacred Heart Schools, Driehaus Center (Conway House)

Edgewater 2,715

International Museum of Surgical Science Gold Coast / Near North Side 2,538

The Wheeler Mansion South Loop / Prairie Avenue 2,310

OHC 2016 REPORT 16

REPEAT PARTICIPATION

• 43% of attendees were new to OHC in 2016• 57% were repeat attendees

SITES PER PERSON

• Citywide, participants visited an average of 3.8 sites per person.• The average was 5 sites per person downtown.• In the neighborhoods, participants visited an average of 3 sites per person.

This figure varied based on the number of participating sites in each community. NEIGHBORHOODS PER PERSON

The number of neighborhoods each person visits during OHC has grown each year, suggesting that participants are becoming more comfortable exploring new neighborhoods. Since the start of the festival in 2011, the average neighborhoods per person figure has grown from 1.86 to 2.69, a 45% increase.

PARTY SIZE

• The average party size during OHC was 2.5 people (giving an estimated 39,300 parties)

• 7% of parties included children, with an average of 1.7 children per party

• More than 4,700 children attended (4.7% of attendees were children)

trends

2011

NEIGHBORHOODS VISITED

2012 2013 2014

100% 5+4321

90%

80%

70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%2015 2016

OHC 2016 REPORT17

TRANSPORTATION

29% CTA

28,300 PEOPLE GENERATING

AN ESTIMATED 170,000 TRIPS

51% WALKING

51,100 PEOPLE

49% CAR

49,100 PEOPLE USING

AN ESTIMATED 19,600 CARS

6% BICYCLE

5,700 PEOPLE 40% (2,200 PEOPLE)

USED DIVVY

4% METRA

4,100 PEOPLE

Pleasant Home

OHC 2016 REPORT 18

46 AVERAGE

AGE

demographics

7.7%

13.8%14.9%

19.2%

2.8%

55 to 64

45 to 54

35 to 44

65 to 74

25 to 34

18 to 24

Under 18

75 or older

15.3%

21.5%

4.7% More than 4,700 children participated in OHC.AGE

ETHNICITY 0.7% American Indian or Alaska Native

7% Asian

5.5% Black or African American

7.4% Latino/a or Hispanic

0.8% Middle Eastern or North African

0.4% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander

1.8% Other

77% White

EDUCATION

87% HAVE A COLLEGE DEGREE

36% MEN

GENDER INCOME

$100,000– $149,999

$75,000–$99,999

17.3%

$50,000–$74,999

20%

$25,000–$49,999

15.4%less than $25,0007.7%

20.1%

19.4%

$100,000–

$99,99917.3%

$50,000–$74,999

$25,000–$49,999

15.4%

20.1%

$150,000+

64% WOMEN

OHC 2016 REPORT19

12% 11,500 TOURISTS

88% 88,500 LOCALS

RESIDENCY

In 2016, attendance from the Chicago suburbs rose significantly; 22,800 suburbanites attended in 2015 and 30,500 attended in 2016.

58.1%City of Chicago 58,100 PEOPLE

30.6% Chicago Suburbs

30,500 PEOPLE

8.3%Other US states

8,300 PEOPLE

1.5% Illinois, outside

Chicagoland 1,500 PEOPLE

1.6% International 1,600 PEOPLE

OHC 2016 REPORT 20

The maps included here show that attendees not only came from all over the city and country to participate in OHC, they also explored communities they had never visited before.

attendance maps

TOP COUNTRIES AMONG 1,600 INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS Canada 263

Germany 160

France 139

UK 120

China 94

Spain 92

Italy 61

Mexico 54

Brazil 49

Australia 48

TOP STATES AMONG 9,800 DOMESTIC TOURISTS (EXCLUDING ILLINOIS) Wisconsin 1,594

Indiana 1,500

California 1,160

Michigan 1,130

Ohio 632

Florida 448

New York 445

Missouri 396

Texas 393

Minnesota 342

TOP COUNTRIES AND STATES

Participants came to OHC from all 50 states and from 90 countries around the globe:

The Rookery Yale Building, photo by Brett Hayes

OHC 2016 REPORT21

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OHC 2016 REPORT 22N

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OHC 2016 REPORT23

impactCOMMUNITY IMPACT

CAF measured OHC’s impact on participants and on Chicago through economic, educational and behavioral factors. These figures include both locals and tourists unless stated otherwise.

61,800 PEOPLE (62% OF ATTENDEES)

VISITED A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD AS A RESULT OF OHC

_________________________

81,100 PEOPLE (81% OF ATTENDEES)

HAVE IMPROVED PERCEPTIONS OF NEIGHBORHOODS AS

A RESULT OF OHC_________________________

86,000 PEOPLE (86% OF ATTENDEES)

PLAN TO RETURN TO NEIGHBORHOODS THEY VISITED DURING OHC

_________________________

91% OF LOCALS (80,800 PEOPLE)

ARE “PROUD TO BE A CHICAGOAN” BECAUSE OF OHC

OHC 2016 REPORT 24

ECONOMIC IMPACT

CAF queried participants on their spending during OHC. Using the spending per person information listed below, CAF estimates that OHC participants contributed $8 million to the Chicago economy:

Attendees visited more than 1,000 different businesses during OHC. The most common businesses visited were neighborhood coffee shops and restaurants.

$8M TOTAL ECONOMIC IMPACT

$63 PER PERSON

SUBURBANITES

$40 PER PERSON

CHICAGO RESIDENTS

$770 PER PERSON INTERNATIONAL TOURISTS

$300 PER PERSON DOMESTIC TOURISTS

66,000 PEOPLE (2 OUT OF 3 PARTICIPANTS) SHOPPED OR ATE AT A RESTAURANT WHILE ATTENDING OHC

OHC 2016 REPORT25

feedbackRATINGS

• 97% said they would attend again• Over the years, the average event rating has steadily increased

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

4.4 4.6 4.5 4.57 4.67 4.67

ADDITIONAL 2016 RATINGS

Event guide

Used the guide 79.6%Rating of guide 4.43

Desktop website

Used the website 89.4%Rating of website 3.94

Mobile website

Used the mobile site 60.5%Rating of mobile site 3.64

Studio Gang Architects (Polish National Alliance)1611 West Division

OHC 2016 REPORT 26

COMMENTS FROM SITE HOSTS

98% of OHC site hosts rated the overall experience “excellent” or “very good” on a 5-point scale and 96% indicated that they are “definitely” or “very likely” planning on having their site participate again.

“ It certainly doesn’t hurt for people to know that our neighborhood is nowhere near as bad as it’s portrayed by the media. As you know, there are many new things happening in the area. This gave us an opportunity to change some people’s perspective on this part of Englewood.”

—Yale Building

“ Meeting international visitors and curious members of the local community alike was a very rewarding experience. We love a bustling, diverse community and OHC fosters that.”

—Lake Street Church

“ We’ve heard nothing but good things from people about the weekend and it seemed like a great success from here… There was continuously a long line, but everyone was very understanding and positive. Thanks for all your help and the great work you have done!”

—Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio

“ It was far and away a super, spectacular weekend. We cannot thank you enough for the opportunity to be a part of [OHC]. It was an amazing experience, and one that leaves us in awe of all that you do to promote community and architecture throughout the city and beyond. A special shout out to your extraordinary team of volunteers. They were without a doubt instrumental to our success in keeping the masses moving through our space and on to the next. Many thanks for your time and involvement with this event.”

—Bath House Cultural Center

“ A spectacular event. Holy Name Cathedral is so proud to be a part of this extraordinary experience for the city of Chicago. Thank you for including us.”

—Holy Name Cathedral

“ The fantastic turnout is quite motivating. Our volunteers had a lot of fun.”

—Edgewater Beach Apartments

“ We enjoyed it very much and had a much bigger response than we had anticipated. We definitely want to be a part of this next year, and we will do both days next time! This was a wonderful event for us, and the response was phenomenal from visitors… We’ve been here so long that we are desensitized to what we do here, however, many visitors were just in awe and couldn’t get enough. Some stayed for an hour or more.”

—WGN Flag & Decorating Co.

“ We had a really great weekend here and heard super positive things about OHC from our visitors. I even snuck away for a minute to see [another site] which was so amazing.”

— Growing Home’s Wood Street Farm

“ We knew to expect thousands, but still couldn’t quite believe it! We were all worn out by the end of the weekend but very happy with the turnout…. A number of people have emailed us asking about doing business with us in the future, either using the co-working space or hosting an event here.”

—Colvin House

“ It was a great experience. CTA was thrilled at the response to our two new sites this year. We look forward to returning for OHC 2017!”

—Chicago Transit Authority

“ CAF’s OHC team did a great job with planning. This was my first OHC experience and I was highly impressed with how well the team had considered every detail in advance, especially considering how many sites participated. Well done!!!”

—Wright Heerema

OHC 2016 REPORT27

COMMENTS FROM ATTENDEES

“ Open House Chicago is the best party all year. It was another stellar collection of places to visit. Your website gets better each year and the choices continue to impress. There is something for everyone. I was able to visit 13 new places. I’m so grateful for the team effort that must go into organizing the legions of volunteers that are needed and the countless details to make this work.”

“ This event is not just about buildings, which I love. It is also about meeting the people who are passionate about what takes place at these sites… It is an awe-inspiring event.”

“[OHC] is trick-or-treat for adults.”

“ Congratulations on all of the work you put in to make OHC so wonderful! Last year I took my 11-year-old daughter and this year my 14-year-old son, and it has been fantastic! Such a great event!”

“ This is one of my favorite weekends of the year. Thank you CAF and sponsors for giving us this awesome opportunity each year.”

“ Glad we’re CAF members and could see places for members only and jump to the front of many lines.”

“ I do like seeing OHC expanding into new neighborhoods every year.”

“ It’s a lovely idea that really helps people to explore and learn about their local communities.”

“ Makes me proud to be an architect in one of the best architectural cities in the world.”

“ My husband and I have attended the OHC for the last three years. The sites featured by CAF are well chosen and selected. The volunteers are very pleasant at all times.”

“ Loved touring buildings in my own neighborhood and learning more about my community. It opened my eyes to what is around me and is making me consider joining or supporting a local organization.”

OHC 2016 REPORT 28

summarySIX YEARS OF OPEN HOUSE CHICAGO

Since 2011, Open House Chicago has attracted more than 1.4 million visits to 520 unique sites of architectural interest across Chicago, Oak Park and Evanston. In six years, OHC attendees have contributed more than $33 million to the Chicago economy.Most importantly, Open House Chicago encourages people to discover their city. More than 289,000 people have improved perceptions of Chicago neighborhoods as a result of this event.

NEXT YEAR

CAF will host the sixth-annual Open House Chicago on October 14–15, 2017. Mark your calendars!200 cool places. 48 hours. Go. It’s free!

224 South Michigan Avenue | Chicago, Illinois 60604

312.922.3432 | architecture.org