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Chicago by Segway? It’s All About Architecture

Three new guided tours offer a look at the past and embrace the future.

Lisa Le Fevre -- Interior Design, 3/29/2005 12:00:00 AM

As legend has it, Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked down a lantern in her barn, starting the infamous 1871 fire which burned downtown Chicago down to the ground. Tragic as it was, the Great Chicago Fire opened the way for architectural and aesthetic innovation, which helped the city become the top design and touring destination it is today. For the Chicago Architectural Foundation, this modern fact was recently translated into three additional architectural tours, bringing the group’s grand total to a whopping 80.

Founded in 1966, the Chicago Architectural Foundation strives to educate and promote public awareness of Chicago's built environment with the “highest standards.” According to Jason Neises, director of Tour and Volunteers Services for the organization, sticking to these standards ensures that Chicago remains "the number-one destination for architectural landmarks."

Among its many offerings, the foundation’s new tours feature a guided photo-opportunity of Millennium Park, bus tours of Lincoln and West Parks and the Boulevards, and a Lakefront tour courtesy of the ultra-modern Segway--an electric scooter which can be driven in pedestrian areas.

The new tours were born of simple market demand. The Loop Photography: Millennium Park Tour, for example, was inspired by interest piqued by the new sculpture park. Guides, who Neises calls “incredible boosters of the city,” are trained with a photographer's eye.

The idea for the Lincoln and West Parks and Boulevards Bus Tour came from one volunteer’s adoration of the "necklace of parks that links Chicago's boulevards system." A ride on this bus is a throwback to the era visionaries such as William LeBaron Jenney, Swain Nelson, O.C. Simonds, Jens Jensen, and Alfred Caldwell had their hands on Chicago’s architectural landscapes.

The Lakefront by Segway tour couples advancements in architecture with those of modern technology, offering a lesson on Michigan Avenue's architectural history, as well as a hands-on driving tutorial for the Segway Human Transporter. This clean form of alternative transportation is evidence of Chicago’s dedication to an environmentally-friendly future.

"We think of our tours as educational experiences,” says Neises, who adds that the foundation’s tours are meant to impart on visitors historical knowledge as well as fond memories of an excursion enjoyed.