Mies van der Rohe Society/Glessner House Museum South Side Tour and RedBall Project visit IIT

Chicago, IL — August 7, 2008 —

IIT's Mies van der Rohe Society and the Glessner House Museum offer guests a chance to learn more about the city with a tour of three centuries of Chicago South Side architecture from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, September 20, beginning at the Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Ave., Chicago, and ending on IIT's Main Campus at 33rd and State St., Chicago.

This event is aimed especially at Chicago area residents who are interested in learning about the architectural heritage of their neighborhood. The tour visits twelve historic sites, including the Prairie Avenue Historical District and IIT's Main Campus, which were both designated among the 150 Great Places in Illinois by the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Illinois, as well as the following locations:

Glessner House / Clarke House - 1800 S. Prairie Ave
2nd Presbyterian Church - 1936 S Michigan Ave
Chess Records - 2120 S Michigan Ave
Quinn Chapel - 2401 S Wabash Ave
Motor Row Historic District
New Bronzeville / McCormick Portal
King Drive Walk of Fame
Griffin Funeral Home - 3232 S King Dr
Roloson Houses - 3213-19 S Calumet Ave
Prairie Giles Calumet Historic District
Pilgrim Baptist Church - 3300 S Indiana Ave
IIT – McCormick Tribune Campus Center - 33rd & State St

Tour participants will explore IIT's world-renowned Main Campus and help the university celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Rem Koolhaas-designed McCormick Tribune Campus Center and the Helmut Jahn-designed Jeanne and John Rowe Village. The event will conclude at IIT with a hot dog luncheon and family activities including a bean bag toss and a scavenger hunt, followed by a panel discussion about the upcoming development of the campus and the area around it.

This is a free event and families are welcome. For more information, please visit www.mies.iit.edu. Reservations are recommended and may be made by contacting 312.567.5025 or miesmembership@iit.edu.

Also on Saturday, September 20, IIT campus guests can enjoy the RedBall Project Chicago from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. as it visits the McCormick Tribune Campus Center (MTCC). The RedBall Project Chicago, sponsored by Target, will migrate from September 1 – 25 throughout Chicago's unique architectural landscape and history – each location carefully considered by the artist, Kurt Perschke. Compressed into each site, the 15-foot inflatable sphere changes its own shape as well as the space it inhabits, directly reflecting the viewer's experience of metropolitan density. To follow the RedBall Project's migration in Chicago and beyond, visit www.redballproject.com. The RedBall Project Chicago is a special project of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs' Public Art Program. For more information, please visit www.CityofChicago.org/PublicArt or call 312.744.6630.

Illinois Institute of Technology, also known as Illinois Tech, is a private, technology-focused, research university offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering, science, architecture, business, design, human sciences, applied technology, and law. One of 16 institutions that comprise the Association of Independent Technological Universities (AITU), Illinois Tech offers exceptional preparation for professions that require technological sophistication, an innovative mindset, and an entrepreneurial spirit.