Open House Chicago is offering a look inside two of Chicago’s major LGBTQ+ organizations this year, giving participants a chance to learn more about the city’s queer community and history.
The Gerber/Hart Library & Archives, 6500 N. Clark St., and Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., will be included for the first time as sites in the architecture and urban exploration festival.
Open House Chicago, happening Oct. 18-19, is a citywide showcase offering free access to more than 200 locations across Chicago, including many not normally open to the public. It’s organized by the Chicago Architecture Center.
Gerber/Hart will be open to visitors on Oct. 18, while the Center on Halsted will accept visitors on Oct. 19.
Adam Rubin, senior director of public engagement for the Chicago Architecture Center, said the inclusion of these LGBTQ+ sites is part of a larger effort to make sure Open House Chicago reflects the diversity of Chicago.
“As we’re growing the festival, we want to make sure that we’re telling the story about diverse communities in Chicago—and not just design and architecture—to be celebrated,” Rubin said. “We want to expand beyond architecture and design to also tell stories about history and cultural communities in Chicago.”
Gerber/Hart Library & Archives
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 18
Gerber/Hart, located in Rogers Park, is the largest independent LGBTQ+ library and archives in the Midwest.
The organization has moved several times since its founding in 1981 but has been at its current location—on the second floor above a Howard Brown Health clinic—since 2012.
Inside, visitors will be able to explore Gerber/Hart’s library, reading room, community room and exhibit space, which is currently showcasing a retrospective look at Windy City Times’ 40 years of history.
What’s special about Gerber/Hart’s participation in Open House Chicago is that staff and volunteers will hourly lead small group tours of its archives and special collections cold storage rooms, which are typically closed to the public.
These 18+ tours will offer an exclusive look at boxes upon boxes of materials related to LGBTQ+ individuals and organizations, including magazines, newspapers, erotica, artwork and posters.
Some highlights include photos of the late Miss Tillie, a drag performer known as “the Dirty Old Lady of Chicago” who performed in the ‘40s; records from Howard Brown Health’s early days in the ‘70s-‘90s; and the famous tongue decoration from Carol’s Speakeasy Lounge.
“Visitors will be able to see materials that typically are only available to researchers who request to see them when they’re at Gerber/Hart,” Dentel said. “These areas are typically just for staff and volunteers, and we’re excited to open them up.”
Jen Dentel, community outreach & strategic partnerships manager for Gerber/Hart, said Open House Chicago is a chance to expose the organization to a wider audience.
“This is about making our history more accessible,” Dentel said. “I think people will get a good sense of how vibrant queer history is in the city, and you just never know who might come on a tour and realize they or somebody they know have materials that Gerber/Hart doesn’t have.”
Center on Halsted
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Oct. 19
Center on Halsted will also open its doors as part of Open House Chicago for the first time.
CEO Joli Robinson called the inclusion “an exciting honor,” adding that it recognizes both the center’s role in the city’s history and “the hard work from donors, volunteers, [and] leadership.”
“It really stands [as] the symbol of resilience and pride here for the city,” Robinson said.
Visitors will be able to join guided tours that showcase the Center on Halsted in action. Programs happening that day include a self-defense class, yoga and mediation, and a PFLAG meetup.
Robinson encouraged visitors to explore building features like its rooftop garden, which is tended to by the center’s volunteer Green Team and produces vegetables for its culinary arts program.
Other highlights include the John Baran Hall and the center’s art galleries, which right now features a small exhibit curated with Gerber/Hart, Robinson said.
The building itself reflects the center’s mission, mixing restored terra cotta and brick façade of a 1924 building with an open glass design that symbolizes visibility.
“It shows that we are no longer hiding our identities,” Robinson said.
She added that being included in Open House affirms the center’s place in Chicago’s cultural narrative.
“This history and culture of our LGBTQ+ community truly is inseparable from the broader history of Chicago, and that’s what I hope people take away from our inclusion in Open House Chicago,” Robinson said.