• Our tour group on the Nichols Bridgeway

• A view of the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park from the Nichols Bridgeway

• Art Institute of Chicago Modern Wing, Renzo Piano, Architect - 2009

• The original entrance to the Chicago Stock Exchange Building, Louis Sullivan, Architect - 1893

• Part of the system that moderates the natural lighting of the exhibit spaces of the Modern Wing

• Griffin Court, entrance to the Modern Wing

• These stairs are Renzo Piano's tribute to Mies van der Rohe

• Translucent shades on the windows protect the art from damaging light.

• Henry Moore, Maquette for UNESCO Reclining Figure - 1957

• Pablo Picasso, The Old Guitarist - 1903-1904

• Pablo Picasso, The Old Guitarist - 1903-1904

• Detail of The Old Guitarist. Note the face of a woman over which Picasso painted. The eyes are just above the back of the Guitarist's neck.

• Closer detail of the over-painted woman's face.

• Pablo Picasso, Mother and Child - 1921

• Pablo Picasso, Mother and Child - 1921

• Richard Serra, Weights and Measures - 1987

• Richard Serra, Weights and Measures - 1987

• Camille Pissarro, Woman and Child at the Well - 1882

• Camille Pissarro, Woman and Child at the Well - 1882

• Édouard Vuillard, Landscape: Window Overlooking the Woods - 1899

• Claude Monet, Vétheuil - 1901

• Claude Monet, Sandvika, Norway - 1895

• Claude Monet, Sandvika, Norway - 1895

• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, At the Moulin Rouge - 1892/95

• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, At the Moulin Rouge - 1892/95

• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Moulin de la Galette - 1889

• Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Moulin de la Galette - 1889

• Vincent van Gogh, The Bedroom - 1889

• Vincent van Gogh, The Bedroom - 1889

• Vincent van Gogh, Terrace and Observation Deck at the Moulin de Blute-Fin, Montmartre - 1887

• Vincent van Gogh, Terrace and Observation Deck at the Moulin de Blute-Fin, Montmartre - 1887

• Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait - 1887

• Vincent van Gogh, Self-Portrait - 1887

• Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte - 1884, 1884-86

• Georges Seurat, A Sunday on La Grande Jatte - 1884, 1884-86

• Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Lucie Berard (Child in White) - 1883

• Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Lucie Berard (Child in White) - 1883

• Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street; Rainy Day - 1877

• Gustave Caillebotte, Paris Street; Rainy Day - 1877

• Claude Monet, Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare - 1877

• Claude Monet, Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare - 1877

• Frank Lloyd Wright, Coonley House art glass

• Frank Lloyd Wright, Jacobs House, Madison, Wisconsin, Graphite on tracing paper - 1937

• Monadnock Building, Northern half, Burnham and Root, Architects - 1884, Southern half, Holabird and Roche, Architects - 1892. Photo source: Wikipedia Commons

• Monadnock Building, Burnham and Root, Architects - 1884

• Joe Monadnock

• Ground floor hallway

• The very thick wall behind the desk (6 feet at ground level) is evidence of the masonry used by Burnham and Root for structural support. Later, Holabird and Roche used steel framing for structural support in the southern half of the building.

• The retail outlets on the ground floor reflect the historic era of the building.

• This was the first use of aluminum for decorative grilles

• This door reminds us of the Carpenter's Room, which we were unable to see because the door was locked.

• Renovated office space

• Renovation in progress

• The freight elevator to the basement wouldn't work, so we took the stairs.

• The load-bearing masonry supports sit on these steel rails that serve to stengthen the concrete raft footings needed to stabilize the building on the marshy land below.

• The basement was a facilty engineer's dream (nightmare?).

• Another masonry pier sitting on a steel rail-reinforced concrete raft.

• The Chicago River

• Chicago's First Lady transported us on the Chicago Architecture Foundation's Architecture River Cruise.

• Approaching the Wrigley Building, Graham, Anderson, Probst, and White, Architects - 1919-25

• Our guide for the cruise

• Reflections in 333 W Wacker Drive, Kohn Pedersen Fox with Perkins & Will, Architects - 1979-1983

• Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower), Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, Architects - 1974. It was once the world's tallest building.

• River City, Bertrand Goldberg Associates, Architects - 1984

• Reid Murdoch Building, George C. Nimmons, Architect - 1913.

• Trude Harmon, Hans Reiss, Richard Saxon, Mary Rycroft, Paul Rycroft, Doug Collins, Kathryn Collins

• Robie House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect - 1910

• On the Robie House carpet

• Floor detail

• Basement

• Basement

• Basement

• Basement

• Basement

• Basement

• Basement

• Cheryl Bachand in her Robie House office

• Isidore H. Heller House, Frank Lloyd Wright, Architect - 1896

• The Heller Maidens, a plaster friese at the top of the house, was created by sculptor Richard Bock.

• The entry from the foyer

• A vestibule off the foyer

• View into Living Room from foyer

• Living Room

• Living Room fireplace

• Living Room

• Fireplace surround detail

• Fireplace surround detail

• View from Living Room into foyer

• Dining Room

• Dining Room

• Dining Room

• Kitchen

• Kitchen

• Kitchen

• Railing on the main stairway

• Approach to main stairway

• Stairway post detail

• Main stairway

• Stairway post detail

• View down the main stairway from the second floor

• Art glass windows next to the main stairway

• Art glass window detail

• Master Bedroom

• Master Bath

• Mary Rycroft, Paul Rycroft, Trude Harmon, Patti Bigelow, Cheryl Bachand, Kathryn Collins, Doug Collins, Richard Saxon, Hans Reiss