LINCOLN PARK — For one weekend, many of Chicago's architectural masterpieces will open their doors to the public to browse, gawk at and peruse areas that are often off limits.
The Chicago Architecture Foundation's Open House Chicago is a free festival that offers behind-the-scenes access to architectural treasures all across the city on Saturday and Sunday.
Check out these often overlooked gems in Lincoln Park, all of which are within walking distance of each other during the open house.
See all the Open House Chicago buildings here
1. Brewster Apartments: 2800 N. Pine Grove Ave.
Start your tour at the Brewster Apartments, where rumor has it Charlie Chaplin, Illinois Gov. John Peter Altgeld and Al Capone contemporary Dion O'Banion lived. The building, which was completed in 1893, still features a manually-operated caged elevator that guests will be able to take to the upper floor atrium.
2. Elks National Memorial: 2750 N. Lakeview Ave.
The fenced-in domed memorial on the western edge of Lincoln Park was completed in 1926 at a cost of $2.5 million and was originally dedicated as a tribute to more than 1,000 members of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks who died in World War I. The building has been described as one of the most magnificent war memorials in the world.
3. Second Church of Christ, Scientist: 2700 N. Pine Grove Ave.
The Beaux-Arts structure was patterned after Solon S. Beman's Merchant Tailors' building from the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 and was completed in 1901.
4. St. Clement Church: 642 W. Deming Place
The church, which was completed in 1918, draws on influences from the Byzantine-Italian Romanesque tradition and includes a mural of the Tree of Life that replicates a 12th Century mosaic in the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome.
5. National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini: 2520 N. Lakeview Ave.
The National Shrine was originally part of Lincoln Park's Columbus Hospital, and was spared when the hospital was torn down in 2002. The shrine is now surrounded by the luxury condominium building, Lincoln Park 2550. The chapel features gold mosaics, carrera marble, frescoes and Florentine stained glass.
6. Lincoln Park Conservatory: 2391 N. Stockton Drive
During the open house, the conservatory offers a tour of the production greenhouses, which are normally closed to the public. The conservatory was constructed between 1890 and 1895 and operates palm, fern, orchid and show houses.
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