Research Center  

September - May

Tuesday through Friday: 1 - 4:30 pm

Saturday: 10 am - 4:30 pm

June - August

Tuesday through Friday: 1-4:30 pm

Please note, we stop paging material at 3:30 pm.

Advance appointments available on Friday mornings from 9:30 a.m. to noon. (From May 28 through August 30, morning appointments also available on Thursdays.)These are for researchers looking through large archival collections, large runs of microfilm, etc. During this time, staff is not available to pull additional materials from the stacks, assist researchers, or make photocopies.

Admission

General: $5/day; $15/year
Members: Free
Students (Grades 1-12): Free

* Children under 6 not admitted.

The Research Center holds the printed material, archives and manuscripts, prints and photographs, architectural drawings, and assorted ephemera of the Chicago History Museum.

Visitors to the Research Center include authors, university and college teachers; independent scholars; photo researchers; members of the press; elementary and secondary school students; undergraduate and graduate students, including PhD candidates; architects; building developers; family and house historians.

The Research Center is a popular destination for History Fair students. Please note that appointments are required for History Fair research.

E-mail us at research@chicagohistory.org

We regret that the Research Center staff can no longer accept research requests by telephone.

Have a question about an object in the Museum? Contact the Collections Department via the Object Research Inquiry Form.

Want to make an artifact donation? Please fill out the Artifact Donation Form which goes to the Curatorial Department.

If you require a detailed or time-critical response, we may suggest that you hire a freelance researcher.