The Rookery Building

If you are into architecture and art, this is a good trip to make, and the tour is well worth it. You get to see the work of 4 architects: John Root, Frank Lloyd Wright, William Drummond, and Annette Byrne, through the original vision and several modernizations and restorations.

Great job preserving a Chicago landmark… and Frank LLoyd Wright Foundation along with Brooks Brothers can make a great couple of hours

This is for the Light Court Guided Rookery Tour.
Absolutely gorgeous, although I was a little disappointed with how little we got to see on the tour. However, because there are opportunities to see more on different tours, I have decided not to lower my rating. just know going into it that you’re not going past the second floor.
The tour is short (half hour), but very informative. With fees, it only costs $ 7.53 per person, so it’s definitely worth it. You tour the downstairs (can enter this part for free but won’t get additional information provided by tour), outside briefly, and then go upstairs to look at the staircase. If you’re going to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, be forewarned that he was responsible for renovating and brightening up the Light Court, but not for designing the entire building. Burnham and Root were the original designers, and it has undergone several renovations since then, one of them involving FLW’s work. I love the glass roof and all of the details. The light fixtures and marble are breathtaking.
If you’re interested in architecture and are in the area, definitely worth exploring. I would’ve loved to have seen Burnham and Root’s library, but it wasn’t included in this tour (only available on Wednesdays).

I booked tickets online over a month ago for the Light Rookery tour. Well, we came early to pick up our tickets from the gift shop. The building inside is gorgeous and took a lot of photos. We ran down the street to pick up some lunch before our tour. The 30 minute tour was actually quite good and wished it went longer. Unfortunately, you don’t go beyond further than the first 2 floors. The spiral staircase was wonderful to get a photo shot but that’s about it. I think everyone agreed it would have been better to take the elevator. Oh well, this is an absolute must for any Frank Lloyd Wright fan and also Burnham & Root.

Didn’t get to do a tour but went in the lobby and looked around. Do so if you can. The lobby is a Frank Lloyd Wright design within a Burnham and Root building. It’s not going to blow you away but it’s free and impressive.

It is not open to the public. Do not waste your time. Came here and the security treated like if though we were thieves or something. We quickly realized that we were not welcome from the multiple signs. So we were reading the historical information poster on the wall and the security kept on staring and following us like we were going to bolt through. haha

Just attended a wedding here and it was absolutely stunning. As a historic building with amazing architecture, it was a wow factor!

I just had my wedding at the Rookery and it was absolutely beautiful! Just a few tips for anyone looking to get married here. The venue is not that large. We had 120 and I think it was a perfect fit. We were told more could fit in there, but it wouldn’t make for a very large dancefloor. Keep in mind when you book the venue that you need to add in the cost to get draping done at least on the bottom floor. We did just the bottom and top of the staircase and that was plenty. There are two caterers to choose from. I would recommend Jewell. We went with the other and were not very happy with their service, unfortunately. The venue is so unique and beautiful and our guests couldn’t stop talking about it. We felt very lucky to have our wedding in such a gorgeous historical setting!

If you are an art major, or architect major, you’ll appreciate The Rookery Building. From the outside, it looks like just a regular building, but once you step inside, it’s a masterpiece of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
If you ever saw the grand entrance in that Titanic movie, the Rookery Building reminds me a bit like it with the staircase, glass clear stained windows on the rooftop, and the materials being used. It’s hard to explain just because I am not that artistic, but to think that this was probably designed after the great chicago fire, it’s undeniable that Frank Lloyd Wright was a artistic guru.
To bad I wasn’t able to walk up the staircase as patrol monitored everything, so my pictures didn’t come out as great as I could not take what I wanted. Maybe it opens on the weekend or after work? I came during my lunch break.

No offense to the rookery but it was just overrated. My friend wanted to stop by to see it so we went and there was really nothing to see. If you are an architecture major studying Frank Lloyd wright then you might appreciate it. If you are a hipster with a camera bigger than your head, again, you might [pretend to] appreciate it. If you are a bridezilla looking for a gaudy wedding venue, you will appreciate it. Any normally person with something better to do should just skip it over because it is really not worth visiting.
Its free btw. You just walk in, you have to stay in the lobby, you look around at some gaudy gold intricate details, pretend you accidentally stumbled in here so you are less embarrassed, then you leave and wonder why you went out of your way to come here.

My wife wanted to see «The Rookery» while we were in Chicago… I had no idea what that meant, but I went along anyway.
Apparently, it’s one of Chicago’s best examples of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. It’s a rather off-​the-​books tourist spot; no signs, no crowds, no admission fees. You just gotta look for the address, walk inside just past the elevators into the main lobby area. There’s not really anything to do here… it’s just about admiring the architecture.
That being said, there is definitely a lot to admire about the architecture! The attention to details is something you never, ever see in today’s buildings. Everything was stylized with some elaborate designs that would add billions to the cost of today’s big-​city buildings.
It’s really more of a self-​guided thing, and it’s just a lobby. I don’t think you can freely wander around the upper levels of the building unless you are there for business. There are a couple posters off to the side of the lobby that give you some history behind the building and the restoration of it. But hey, if you are in the area and have 30 minutes to spend, why not check it out? Remember, it’s FREE!
Cool fact: They used the building exterior as «Duncan’s Toy Chest» in Home Alone 2!

I LOVE architecture and have loved Chicago for the past 20yrs or so because of the incomparable architecture there.
The Rookery is one of my favorite buildings in the city.
The highlights to remember about this historic building:
*Designed by the great architects Root and Burnham.
*The gorgeous lobby was renovated by the infamous Frank Lloyd Wright.
*The light court and the staircase are incomparable!
A must-​see in Chicago. Skip the weenies and the pizza gouging and visit Chicago’s many hidden architectural gems.

I love Frank Lloyd Wright and architecture in general, and I had seen beautiful pictures of the light court in this building, so I knew I had to go see the Rookery, a Chicago historic landmark located in the Loop. Originally designed and built by Daniel Burnham and John Root, the Rookery is a magnificent building inside and out.
The red exterior of the building includes Moorish, Romanesque, Venetian, Arabian, and Byzantine influences. Considered one of the early skyscrapers, the 11-​story Rookery is now dwarfed by neighboring buildings. At the time it was built (right after the Great Chicago Fire), it was a revolutionary building because it was one of the first buildings built with a steel interior frame and masonry exterior walls.
And to get nerdy on you for a few minutes, here are a few little other factoids on the Rookery. The name supposedly originated with the crows that lived in the previous structure’s walls, paralleling the politicians who roosted there each day, hence the Rookery. It’s considered the oldest standing high rise in Chicago. The Rookery’s light fixtures were originally equipped for both gas and electricity. It once housed Chicago’s first public library, and at another time served as a safe deposit building and still contains safe deposit boxes.
The central light court is the most beautiful part of this building and was designed to greet visitors and leave them with a sense of awe. And awe-​inspiring it is. The wrought and cast iron frame creates a light, airy, bird-​cage-​like feel that even today’s interior office tenants can enjoy. The light court is also where most of Wright’s renovation work can be seen. He replaced all the light fixtures with his signature circle within a square geometric pieces. In the lobby, Wright covered nearly every inch of the original decorative panels and railings with incised and gilded marble to lighten up the space.
Another magnificent feature of the building is Root’s iron staircase that winds down from the top floor to the second floor and projects into the light well. When you look up into the stairwell, the intricate, repeating patterns and the spiraling nature of the steps is a breathtaking sight.
The Chicago Architecture Foundation gives an hour tour at noon two Thursdays a month for $ 10. If you can fit this in during your lunch break, I’d recommend it. If you don’t want to pay, you can go inside and check out the lobby and light court area for free but won’t be allowed to go up the stairs. The two good reasons to go on a tour is that you can go up to see the famous winding iron staircase and light well, and if you’re a history buff, on the CAF tour, you can go to the 11^th floor and see the private Burnham library, where famous minds planned the World’s Columbian Exposition.

What a perfect place for two architects to get married! I could not have been happier with our Rookery wedding. The space is very old schoo Chicago, grand and elegant, but also really intimate– exactly the feeling we wanted to achieve at our wedding. We had about 115 guests in attendance, which seemed to be an ideal number for this space. It felt full without feeling claustrophobic. We were told that the space could accommodate up to 190 people, but if you’re looking at a guest count of 150+ I would be skeptical about this space. I am sure it would work, but not sure it would be comfortable.
We held both the ceremony and reception here and it worked perfectly– the ceremony was held in the main atrium (and I came down that giant staircase– scary, but amazing!), the guests were ushered upstairs for cocktails on the mezzanine level while the staff flipped the main level for the reception, and then the guests came back down for dinner and dancing. A perfect wedding in a perfect venue!

Frank Lloyd Wright.
Free.
Downtown Chicago.
Free.
Historic Landmark.
Free.
Impressive degree of detail from the tourguides.
Free.

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Frank Lloyd Wright maintained an office in this building, back in the day and did some remodeling work on it as well when he was young.
It was originally designed by Daniel Burnham, Burnham and Root — who basically built Chicago.
I went to an event here the other night. Sipping champagne in an architectural treasure? Yes, please.

The Rookery is one of most amazing architectural structures in the city. A hidden gem in the «Grand Canyon» of the financial district, LaSalle Street. Years of restoration, a unique structure, of history and strength, in architecture.
The Rookery is so magnificently designed with such awe and grandeur. The heavy stone archways with white carrara marble that covers the walls and ceilings, greet visitors in the entrance ways. The Rookery was built with cast iron columns and has wrought iron spandel beams to support it structure. One of the most famous photos of the building is the balustrade. The views of the Light Court are stunning.
I have certainly had the privilege of working in the Rookery several years ago. I have grown the love, appreciate and admire the beauty of this architecture in the city of big shoulders. The Rookery is on the National Register of Historic Places. Many people in the architectural society has considered this one of Chicago’s masterpieces.
The Rookery was designed by Burnham and Root and then redesigned by Frank Lloyd Wright including the Light Court. The Rookery was referred to as the site of the post-​fire City Hall. The name lends its history to the crows and pigeons that use to inhabit the building. Rooks were ultimately added to the architectural structure of the building in remembrance of the «squawking corrupt politicians», also one of the reasons Chicago was called the Windy City, «long winded politicians».
The Rookery hosts private events, especially weddings and fund raising galas. This historical amazement of wonder should be on every tour guide stop in Chicago.

MUST READ if planning an EVENT here!
Beware of Mr. Belvedere cleaning house.
It is unfortunate that my review would be much higher if not for one arrogant, pompous individual that should go back to the bloody island he came from. To my understanding the person running the show at this historic Chicago landmark hired a Brit (apparently a friend of his) to consult on the catering operation. This man needs to be kicked in the face by a donkey. This place is a pretty interesting venue for a wedding. The service was decent and the food matched the service. If the Brit goes back home, then this place may be worth looking into, otherwise there are WAY too many other exceptional venues downtown Chicago.
And my review stays a 1 star until I get a personal apology from the man who should be kicked by a donkey. However I prefer leaving this a one star review because that man is ridiculous.
I would love to do a USA vs England charity boxing event with him at one corner and myself at the other so I can teach him some American Manners. Who’s with me?

Gorgeous!
I did the 30 minute tour for this building. Our tour guide Pat provided a lot of interesting information about the history of the building and the details that were added and changed throughout the Rookery’s history. I have only been in Chicago for a few days but I feel confident in saying that this has been one of the highlights of my trip.
On Mondays and Fridays they give a 30 minute tour of the building for free. You can’t beat that. If you come on Wednesday, they do a 45 minute tour that includes all the stuff of the free tour plus you get to go up to the Burnham Library on the 11^th floor. That tour costs $ 10 – still fantastic.

Ce n’est pas l’immeuble lui-​même, vieux building austère datant de 1888 avec ses pierres saillantes de couleur bordeaux sombre.
Non, c’est son atrium, le hall d’entrée, qu’il faut absolument voir
Cet ajout de Frank Lloyd Wright est un monstre de luminosité aérienne, avec un escalier ezst des verrières proprement magiques. Un vrai bain d’architecture intérieure qu’il faut voir aux heures d’ouverture des banques, car ce sont nos amis de BNP Paribas qui l’occupent !

I’ve been decorating in this unique building for over 10 years… Everytime I enter this space I still feel a sense of awe… The interior is a contrast to the exterior. What is heavy and dark on the outside encloses a space that’s light and airy almost spirtual on the inside… Frank Lloyd Wright renovated the interior, and it’s a rare example of his commercial work of that era.
There are so may unique venues in Chicago but this is one of my favorite… though it takes my staff 6 hours to set up the temporary fabric draping for weddings when they get hungry Potbelly is right there to take a break and get something to eat!
Did you also know this was one of the first «Green Buildings’ in Chicago… with their method of construction and how the architects employed a combination of designs to maximize light and air in this early office building. Love it!!! …can’t believe there aren’t more wedding there!