Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
One Near West Side mansion, 1889 — the seed that grew into 500 settlement houses across America by 1920.
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Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr opened Hull House to serve newly arrived European immigrants, modeling it on Toynbee Hall, a 1884 social-reform center in London's East End. By 1911 the complex had reached 13 buildings. UIC's 1960s construction cleared nearly all of it — the two survivors carry that whole arc of history.
What to look for
- The original Hull mansion — one of two survivors of what grew to 13 buildings, now a National Historic Landmark since 1965
- The community dining hall, physically relocated 200 yards from its original position to save it from demolition
- The Toynbee Hall connection: exhibits explaining how an East End London settlement house directly shaped Addams's model
On the Near West Side, adjacent to the University of Illinois Chicago campus — the museum occupies the two remaining buildings of the original complex.
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum is one of 37 sights worth the detour in Chicago, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Chicago pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Chicago
- Willis TowerIt held the world's tallest title for nearly 25 years after opening in 1973 — and the Skydeck is still the highest observation deck in the United States.
- Art Institute of ChicagoFour paintings you've seen your whole life — Nighthawks, La Grande Jatte, The Old Guitarist, American Gothic — hang in the same building.
- John Hancock Center (875 N Michigan Ave)A moving platform pivots you 30 degrees outward over the Magnificent Mile — 1,128 feet of nothing beneath your feet.
- Aon CenterWhen it opened in 1973 as "Big Stan," this 83-floor tower was the fourth-tallest building on Earth — and clad entirely in marble.
- United CenterThe Bulls hardwood floor is literally assembled over the Blackhawks ice and taken apart game by game — two teams, one frozen surface, shared by puzzle.
- Soldier FieldThe NFL's oldest stadium lost its National Historic Landmark status because of the renovation meant to save it.