Oh, the places you'll go

History geeks and design connoisseurs will have a blast during the annual Great Chicago Places and Spaces weekend, Saturday 19 and Sunday 20, which features more than 200 free tours of the Loop and historic neighborhoods. But to us, the coolest thing is that we can get into the places that are, for the rest of the year, closed off to John Q. Public. Check out these hidden highlights.

The Cliff Dwellers private club
When they hung out at the Cliff Dwellers club atop Symphony Center, Daniel Burnham, Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright could look down on the little people—literally. The club has since moved one building north (200 S Michigan Ave), but it still owns a gorgeous art collection amassed over its 100-year history.

The highlight The space has an open-air terrace that offers “breathtaking views of Millennium Park and the lakefront,” says club manager Don Santelli. Saturday 19

The Chicago Temple
Those who really want to get high in the city should make a beeline for the Chicago Temple (77 W Washington St), which has a chapel that’s positioned 400 feet above street level. The spot is the “highest point of worship above ground level in the world,” boasts Phil Blackwell, senior pastor at the First United Methodist Church at the Chicago Temple, which was  founded in 1831.

The highlight This spot (cleverly dubbed “the Chapel in the Sky”) gives a gorgeous view of the city through its beautiful stained-glass windows. And when you peek out, remember this: When the Chicago Temple was built in 1922, it was the tallest building in the city. Saturday 19, Sunday 20

HOW GREEN IT IS No, this isn’t landscaping in Grant Park—it’s the rooftop garden at City Hall, one of the seldom-seen sights in the Loop open to the public during the GCPS festival.

City Hall
They say that you can’t fight city hall; we’re not going to tell you any different. But you can walk all over it during the Inside City Hall tour (121 N LaSalle St) being led by architect Tom Vukovich. This trip through Holabird & Root’s monumental 1911 building includes stops at the City Council chamber and the seldom-seen mayor’s office.

The highlight The tour concludes at the green roof that the city’s always bragging about. Completed in 2001, the garden supposedly minimizes the “urban heat island effect,” replacing a heat-absorbing black tar roof with lush greenery that conserves energy and improves air quality—or so the press releases say. Sunday 20

Hidden CTA gems
Believe it or not, Graham Garfield, manager of transportation in CTA rail operations, says there are things worth seeing at several Loop underground stations. 

The highlight Garfield will discuss Blue Line renovations, as well as ’40s-era interiors like the Monroe Red Line station. Incredible as it seems, El stations once had restrooms, enclosed phone booths and water fountains. No, we can’t imagine, either. Sunday 20

Michigan Avenue facades
When you’re toting your Chanel bag down the Michigan Avenue, you’re walking  beneath some gorgeous architecture. So says preservation expert Mary Brush, who will discuss the facades on the “wall of buildings” facing this famed street. 

The highlight If you bring binoculars, you’ll be able to see the lions covering the ornate cornice of Daniel Burnham’s Peoples Gas Company building (122 S Michigan Ave), and the Holabird & Root–designed University Club (76 E Monroe St). Saturday 19

Fine Arts Building
A self-guided tour of the Fine Arts Building (410 S Michigan Ave) offers a rare glimpse into artists’ studios and a Venetian-style atrium that, says Glenn Doering, a member of the building’s Tenant Council, is like a “secret garden in the middle of downtown.”
The highlight The atrium features a mosaic-tile floor, a fountain and murals painted by some of the building’s tenants in the early 20th century. Saturday 19

All tours are free. For tickets for event-day tours, register at event headquarters (224 S Michigan Ave) on the day of the tour. Registration begins at 7:30am. Visit greatchicagoplaces.us for more information.