The Chicago Cultural Center
The main hub of the Biennial was the Chicago Cultural Center, a five-story Beaux-Arts building located in the heart of downtown Chicago. Formerly home to the city’s public library, the building now functions as a thriving public institution. Frequently called the “People’s Palace,” it regularly hosts cultural events and exhibitions. The Chicago Architecture Biennial utilized all of the Chicago Cultural Center’s galleries and public spaces for exhibitions and newly commissioned installations—the first time that the entire building was dedicated to a single curatorial project.
The Chicago Cultural Center also housed BOLD: Alternative Scenarios for Chicago. Architect Iker Gil of MAS Studio organized the exhibition of Chicago-based architects that showcased new ideas and alternative development scenarios for Chicago. BOLD featured speculative proposals that re-imagined the design potential of the city’s waterways, roadways, vacant lots and public space, as well as new projects that explored the present conditions of the city through film, photography and mapping.
The Chicago Architecture Biennial at the Chicago Cultural Center was open October 3, 2015—January 3, 2016. Admission to the exhibition was free.
