Architectural Artifacts

What a treasure trove! When I stepped into Architectural Artifacts I literally gasped with shock and delight. This place is an absolute playground for anyone who loves antiques, fine architectural remnants, and vintage furniture. I was impressed and thrilled to find details from buildings by many famous Chicago architects here. Though I left with only a book and a small pressed aluminum Art Deco grill, I enjoyed my hours pawing through the treasures at Architectural Artifacts and look forward to coming back again!

Nice way to spend an afternoon. Clean, organized, friendly staff. This isn’t a place for kids. Leave them at home. High end items that break. I guess it’s a wedding venue, too. Parking was easy on the weekend.

This place was a really nice find for my BF and I. It’s full of great antiques to finish out your house with. It IS a little pricey for some things, but most things (tables etc) are fairly priced. It felt like a museum inside here! Lot’s of great fun things to see!

This is a fun place to check out if you’re into early 20^th century memorabilia and in the North Chicago area. It’s a museum and a store — everything is real expensive, though. The location is an old warehouse and offers 3 levels of shopping and 1 level that can be reserved for events. You have to browse through all of the «treasures», but you might actually find something that will part you with a large quantity of cash — make sure you set aside enough time to go through the entire place. Enjoy!

We just had our November 7^th wedding at Architectural Artifacts and it was amazing. The space is beautiful and so unique. Our guests raved about it. They let you incorporate various artifacts from around the store into your event, which is really cool and they also leave the store open for your guests to browse around (some of our guests even bought stuff!). Our pictures are very unique because of all the old stuff that we got to pose with and our photographer was obsessed with the lighting in some of the upstairs rooms. Everyone has been raving about this cool space!

I love this place! We had a dear cousin from Texas visiting us this week, and she enjoyed Architectural Artifacts probably more than anything else we did during her stay. The location is extremely interesting and impressive, unlike anywhere else you typically would browse for antiques. Visiting the store is a truly fun experience, and the displays are highly entertaining.
Some of the finds are shockingly elaborate and expensive, which really is part of the entertainment value. But, there also are some reasonably-​priced items available to purchase. The last time we built a new house, we purchased our fireplace mantels from Architectural Artifacts a year in advance and designed the fireplaces to fit the antique mantels. They are absolutely gorgeous and are some of my favorite features of our new house.
I have always appreciated that the staff at Architectural Artifacts allow you to roam and explore freely without bothering you. But, when I asked for some special assistance during this most recent visit, they were very helpful and accommodating. Even the guy running the freight elevator for us was knowledgeable about the history of the piece we were looking at and was friendly and informative. There is always someone at the front desk, so you can find help if want it. But, the shopping experience is very relaxed and enjoyable.
Over the years, we have dealt with Stuart several times, and he has always been very pleasant and reasonable to deal with. He’s nice, personable and friendly. The fact that Stuart loves dogs and his store is dog-​friendly always has been a huge, huge plus for us. The location is a long drive from our home, so it’s nice to be able to enjoy a day’s excursion with our dog included in the outing. If you’re looking for something specific, you may be frustrated that the inventory changes all the time. Go for the entertainment, and you’ll probably come home with a surprise piece that you weren’t even thinking of buying.

This review is for the shopping aspect of the business, not the event space.
The building itself is huge and has several floors full of stuff you probably won’t find anywhere else (unless you routinely shop at stores that have massive boxes full of doll parts, and in that case, I might have some questions for you).
I would have loved to purchase the moving staircase ($ 19,000) or the Moroccan-​inspired throne ($ 24,000…but would have made a great dog bed), but I just didn’t have the money on me at the time. Which brings me to my real opinion on this place: all of these artifacts are incredible, but who on earth has the money for them?! I can see going here if you’ve got a big remodeling budget or you’re looking for the perfect, interesting piece to add to your home, but if you just want some home décor, don’t expect to redecorate from here.

On the date of our first anniversary… would do it just the same all over again! Let the pictures speak for themselves — amazing space (in the daylight or after sun sets), professional staff, great sound (Ryan Noteworthy from Style Matters), OUTSTANDING personalized meal, cocktails and beer selection (this was critical and he nailed it, Steve McDonagh from HeartyBoys), gorgeous flowers (Larkspur), all-​the-​way-​from-​upstate NY heartfelt Photography (Michelle Turek Photography), classy and preppy invitations and save the date beer coasters (Kara from Magnificent Milestones), and last but not least, the earthy and vintage tables and settings (Laura at Table Scapes).
The night was perfect. Just perfect. It didn’t have to be, but it was.

We got married at Architecture Artifacts in February 2015 and have nothing but wonderful things to say about it.
We were initially drawn to the space because we felt it was a happy medium between a hotel and a loft space. We liked that it was unique and different but that you also had room to customize it using their artifacts (vs a loft space that is completely barren). We had a lot of fun making ‘staging areas’ for the wedding — we pulled a mantel from upstairs and positioned chairs around it like a fireplace, we used the foosball table for entertainment and had a table with random nick-​knacks and big block letters. The staff was really accommodating and helpful as we picked pieces and moved them to the downstairs area.
We did have a ‘smaller’ wedding (~100 people) so at first was concerned that the dining room space would feel too big — since it can hold hundreds of people. But the night of the wedding, it felt really intimate. We created a staging area along one wall and strategically placed the dessert table to the side to help break up the space. At no point did I feel like we were dwarfed by the space. And we got so many comments from guests about how cool it was — people loved being able to walk around during cocktail hour and how the ceremony space was converted into the dance floor.
We had both our ceremony and reception there and it was such a seamless transition between the two. We also took all of our pictures there and they turned out amazing. The space has such character and there are so many fun, unique things to use as the backdrop — it worked out so well to not drive around the city and loved the creativeness of the pictures — not your standard backdrop.
As you can see, we have nothing but great things to say about the venue. I would highly recommend for a wedding or other events.

We used AA for our wedding reception in Jan of this year. We would rate the venue a 4 but the staff a 3.
The venue: A fantastic and neat place to get married. The space was continually getting painted and redone from the time we signed the initial contract until the week before but it all turned out and worked out for our reception. It was great.
The staff we worked with who ‘handled’ the events left a bit to be desired. It was a common case of over-​promising and under-​delivering. The coordinator missed our coat check and offered no resolution. Additionally, had children and a dog running around before we complained and got it under control.
Overall, the space was great but be prepared to do more of the event/​space management the day of your event. We would recommend a day of coordinator to help with the pitfalls of the staff.

I am FLOORED with disgust about an experience I just had on a trip out with my seniors (I’m an Activities Director for a Senior Living community) at Architectural Artifacts, Inc. I need to share this because I need you to know that I will never give them my business, nor recommend them to anyone interested in ever buying things from them, nor renting their space for weddings and/​or events. I arranged a trip out today for 7 of my «oldies» to see the beautiful space, and take a little mini tour of the awesome antiques and artifacts. I called the owner, Stuart, weeks ago to let him know we would be coming today. He was short and rude on the phone as it was, but told me it would be no big deal, that they do «tours» of their building all the time, They were open all day…10−5pm, etc. I asked if I needed to book a time, or make special arrangements, and he told me to just call and remind him. So, my assistant did that very thing this morning, and upon arrival– I jumped out of the bus, went into the space to access the accessibility (as we have wheelchairs/​walkers), and to let the owner (Stuart) know we were here/​coming in. With the rudest, abruptest, jerkiest attitude – he tells me that I quote «Never made an appointment, that this is ‘NOT HOW WE do business’, and that he remembers that I called a month ago and never showed up. (That absolutely never, ever happened. I had called a month prior to set up a tour, but he told me they were doing construction, and thus it would be better to try back in a month) I told him he was incorrect, that I called him a week ago to confirm the trip (as I plan these things in advance – duh), and that he told me we could just come in. He continues to tell me, that I’m wrong, and that I was unprofessional, and acts so annoyed that I would bring in 7 freaking senior citizens in the middle of the day, to a place that is completely empty, during normal, posted/​advertised business hours, to take 30 minutes and look at their inventory of overpriced, glorified antiques. I am so appalled and offended by this blatant act of ageism, that I ask him if we should leave – «. Keep in mind that I am standing inside a business, open during normal, posted, business hours, and I shouldn’t have had to ask permission to bring in «customers» (elderly or otherwise) to their establishment. He says «I mean, it’s too late, you’re here, I GUESS you can come, this time. But in the future, this is NOT how WE DO BUSINESS» he says, for the 15^th time. I walk outside to get my residents out of the van, and under my breath with disgust say «thank you… wow. amazing.»…to which he stands up and aggressively says «what-​did-​you-​SAY!». I tell him I said «thank you» and he says «NO YOU DIDNT! WHAT DID YOU SAY?». Really? You’re gonna talk to me like, as a customer? Furthermore, the building is only wheelchair accessible on two floors, leaving three floors unable to be accessed for handicap and elderly. I will never, ever, ever promote or support this business, and I highly recommend all of you follow suit. I do not tolerate ageism, and considering the main products this company sells is ANTIQUE, AGED goods, you think they would feel the same.
I give one star to support the woman/​associate (?) who helped us after we were inside, and helped me get one of the handicapped residents down the 1^st floor lift.

I got married at Architectural Artifacts almost two years ago in March, and choosing this as our venue (along with the decision to say yes, of course!) was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
My now-​husband and I decided to set our wedding date a mere six months after we got engaged, so we were definitely under some pressure to find a venue, and fast. One weekend, we were scheduled to visit three other potential venues and on a whim (on the terrific advice of our wedding planner), we stopped in at AA on the way to our first appointment. Within minutes, we knew this was the place — and we cancelled our other appointments immediately.
This place is just incredible. That’s all I can say. If you’re looking for a unique venue that will blow your guests away and do most of the decorating work for you, do yourself a favor and go check it out. We were worried about the fee at first since we were on a budget, but the cost savings on flowers and décor due to the opportunity to use the artifacts to suit our needs was what did it for us.
We had no problems with the staff, they seemed accommodating and helpful — but as I mentioned, we also had the world’s best wedding planner (Lori from LOLA Productions) in advance and on the day of, which made our experience absolutely perfect.
Walking down the catwalk to the stairs at the top of the atrium was the most awesomely dramatic ceremony entrance for a bride, and there was plenty of room to disappear during the cocktail hour for some private time — we were able to overlook the fun from the second floor, which was really cool. Dancing in the center atrium with spotlights was a blast and led to great action pics, and we got to set up the furniture in little pods throughout the reception area so guests could mingle.
Our guests raved, during and after the event, and at least three of my friends looked into having their events here after attending our wedding. My relatives in Michigan specifically asked to come back next time they visit to explore more!
I think photos tell it all, so I’ll keep this short (ok, that might not be accurate), but I will say that I couldn’t have been happier with our experience — or with the gorgeous photos to memorialize the event. Best day of my life, in no small part due to this amazing place.

My husband and I got engaged in May 2013. In June, we began looking for reception venues. We found Architectural Artifacts and just loved it! We loved the uniqueness of the venue and all that it had to offer with the ability of wedding guests to peruse the merchandise. So, we booked right away for September 20, 2014. It was a little shocking at how booked they were over a year away, but we learned that is the business. When we were in range for the wedding, we came and did a walk through with the caterers and then we came in again and selected the artifacts that we wanted to incorporate into our reception.
Our reception was set to start at 6. On the day of at 2 PM, I get a call from Jamie, our contact at AA (my bridesmaids are in their dresses. Our hair and makeup are done and we are in the limo on the way to the chapel). She asks a couple of questions– the first being, «when are you getting married?» My response: «That would be today– in an hour.» Then, she realizes, «We’ve double booked.» In an outstandingly poor example of customer service, she proceeds to blame me, saying that I wrote ‘September 20, 2015′ on all of my correspondence. I hang up and look up my correspondence with her. Everything– including the contract– says 2014. Jamie calls me back and proceeds to insist that I wrote 2015. I send her the contract that I have on file. She sends me an email I had sent her 7 days prior with 9÷20÷15 on it, saying «the cupcakes will be delivered on Saturday between 2 and 4 PM. I doubt she double booked a whole other wedding in 7 days based on that e-​mail.
After that, I wasn’t completely privy to what happened because I was busy getting married. But my understanding is that Architectural Artifacts called around to other venues and found one that was thankfully available (they had a cancellation) — The Ravenswood Event Center. Thankfully, the owner the AA took full responsibility and paid for everything having to do with the reception. He paid for the caterer, the new space, the DJ, and completely refunded us our money. He also wrote a nice e-​mail profusely apologizing for the huge mistake.
In the end, everything worked out. Our new reception was beautiful and came together just in time due to the hard work of our friends and catering company, Jewell Events Catering. It was very nice that AA compensated us for their mistake and certainly a relief that we ended up saving so much money. But in the end, I cannot recommend AA as a wedding venue. The behavior of Jamie was just so unacceptable and I don’t understand how she didn’t realize there was a double booking until the day of the event– 2 PM no less. This is especially surprising because we had been there twice in the 2 weeks leading up to the event. I’m sure the other couple was too. Also, she had been talking to our vendors. That is either true negligence or ignorance. No explanation has been provided for how this happened and at this point, I don’t think I even care to know. It is my hope that this doesn’t happen to any other wedding because it was a pretty awful three hours when I thought I didn’t have a wedding reception. But thankfully, we were fully compensated for the mistake.

I could spend all day walking around and looking at all of the great things they have. Perfect for people that have a home they really want to add character to their home or business.
A must visit if you are in the area but give yourself at least an hour to walk around.

WOWWY WOW WOW
This place is unbelievable and ridiculous in a really good way.
It is huge and has so much to check out and look at. We have been searching out antique stores for the past few months and have always left a little underwhelmed from what we saw. This place will not disappoint you.
I found this place on line and through Unilocal.I checked them out on line and noticed that they had some pretty cool stuff but it was just the tip of the iceberg. I first sent them an email asking about an item. They responded back in a couple of hours with an answer. I had more questions about what I was looking for and since I live pretty far Northwest of the city I asked if it was worth me driving into the city to look at their stuff. She said yes it was. Boy was that an under statement. If you are looking for unique historical artifacts from all over the world then this is the place to see.
From the moment that we walked in, we were in awe. You walk in and you notice the size and the fact that there is so many things in each of these rooms to view. I think that we may have even found the Ark of the Covenant in here.
We have been looking for a church pew to place in our foyer. We asked the staff and they said that they have several to choose from and that they are located throughout the entire building. She gave us a quick tip to start in this room and then work your way across the bridge and then work your way down to the lower level. We did what she said and it worked out perfectly. We checked out all the pews and were able to pick the one that we liked. Cha-​ching.
Bottom line:
You can find some really high end recovered items, antiques and artifacts in here. You will not be disappointed.
All and all, we loved this place and it was well worth the trip.

I am reviewing this as an interior decorating destination not as a wedding venue.
To say this place is a wonderland for anyone looking for a unique piece to compliment or add to their décor, would be an understatement. A 3 story warehouse filled to the brim with everything from old spools of thread and sewing machines to fireplace mantels to classic cars (yes you read that correctly) and all for sale.
Looking for an iron gate used on an elevator in Peru? Check. How about a wooden pew from a church in Argentina? Got it. A full set up including freezer, counter and benches from an ice cream (or should I say gelato) shop in Italy? It’s here.
Neon signs, suits of armor, old toys, religious items, machine shop parts, you name it. They seem to travel the world to find some of the most unique items you could ever lay eyes on.
They do have a website but it does not do this place justice. Go in person — it’s well worth the trip.

We just had our November 23 wedding at AA, & it was the perfect choice for us. It’s different, so definitely not for everyone’s taste & I would say you probably have to be a little easygoing about some things, but I believe it’s worth it. (Ie. they are a store, so if you see something there that you want to include in your wedding décor, it may not necessarily be there for your wedding date. But you will likely find something just as cool.)
The space is incredibly dramatic when you walk to the top of the stairs & see this huge atrium, & it is so beautiful at night when lit up (we used candles). Our guests (especially the handful of kids we had) had a blast walking around the store portion during cocktail hour, & our caterer (Jordan’s Food of Distinction) even sent a couple of waiters up there with trays of appetizers. They eventually turn the store lights way down or off to ‘focus’ everyone down on the bottom level for dinner & dancing.
The space also affords you cool things, like a dramatic bridal party & bride & groom entrance on the stairs, & we tossed the bouquet & garter from the suspension bridge. We were also allowed to use artifacts from the store to use as centerpieces on the tables (which cut our floral bill WAY down — we just put a couple of bud vases & votives on each dinner table, with some artifacts).
Alex & Iris are both sweethearts to work with, & while it can be overwhelming to figure out how to decorate & manage everything in such a big space, they were incredibly helpful, pitched in, & did so with a smile. We live a couple of blocks away & would pop in during store hours to look at things when we had an idea or wanted to take measurements or ask a question, & if we ever annoyed Alex by doing that, she certainly never showed it! She seemed to get our style & was helpful (but not pushy or overbearing AT ALL) in helping us with decorating ideas or to select pieces for the tables or around the staircase. We were on a hug-​goodbye basis by the time our wedding rolled around. My parents also later told me that Iris checked in with them at the reception to make sure everything went well & make sure they were happy.
If I am ever part of orchestrating a big event again, or could make a recommendation to someone with eclectic & bold taste, I would be sure to send them here.

I hate that I have to write this review but figured you all should know about it.
Jamie was absolutely incredible about showing us the space. We really loved it and the photos of other weddings there made it look even more incredible. She seemed so professional at first that we really wanted to go there just to work with her.
In the end we went with another venue. But what was most surprising is this: I called Jamie to thank her for showing us the space and giving us her time and all the info, and the *moment* I said «we decided on another venue» she hung up on me! The call didn’t drop – I literally heard the landline phone click! To give her the benefit of the doubt I assumed it was a mistake so I immediately called back. No one picked up. I called an hour later and left a voicemail with a return phone number saying I still wanted to thank her and speak with her, and it’s been a week and she has never called me back.
Who hangs up on someone who potentially would have spent $ 30,000 at your establishment?!

Interesting place for a wedding — an old but well organized warehouse. Be aware there are lots of stairs and levels if any of your wedding guests are not spry.
Food was good and we enjoyed the ceremony but when all it said and done, you are sitting in a warehouse for a wedding. However, in the colder months you can’t enjoy great gardens or scenery anyway.
I liked seeing all the different artifacts and the sense of history that is here. However, there are few explanations and very expensive prices. I am not sure there was anything here I could buy but I liked looking at them.
Plus, the parking was free, close and plentiful.

The older I get the more I love weddings even if I do get a little teary eyed as the years go by. Plus, brides seem to find cooler and cooler places to have their weddings and this was a top choice! It was fun and different without being one of those super expensive destination weddings. (I still don’t get the concept — «I am getting married so I get to pick your vacation destination, budget and dates, plus, a present please, prish!»)
This is such a unique place. There were all the fun regular wedding things like a bar, guests, ceremony, food, dancing and more drinks but it was done in the middle of a museum type store. I am not a big drinker or dancer so I loved looking at all the quirky things they had for sale, well, for sale if you are really really rich. I am not so it was like a museum for me!
The bride entering down the stairs was so dramatic, the huge lower level flowed seamlessly from ceremony to lounge to sit down dinner and then dancing. Plus parking was a breeze! I enjoyed it so much that I hope all brides to be come here and look around and decide to have their wedding here rather than have their guests drop a couple of thousand dollars to see them tie the knot in some tropical locale. I will happily attend your wedding here and get you a very nice gift!
Mazel tov!