Kovler Family lobby

CHICAGO@40: The Band and its City

December 4, 2007 through January 11, 2009
Chicago is one of the most successful U.S. pop/rock and roll bands of all time. To honor their 40th anniversary, museum curators teamed up with the band to create this commemorative installation. The display includes objects and materials drawn from the band's archive, recording their remarkable history.

KPMG and Paul and Katherine Snyder Community gallery

Burnham 2.0:
A Patchwork Plan for the High-Speed Rail City

November 8, 2008 through April 26, 2009
The year 2009 marks the centennial of Daniel Burnham’s landmark 1909 Plan of Chicago. In this exhibition, entries for a design competition inspired by the plan envision Chicago as a hub for high-speed rail and demonstrate the lasting impact of Burnham’s work. Don’t miss this glimpse of the city of the future.

Presented at Macy's on State, 111 N. State Street

How State Became Great

Opens January 17, 2009

Every city has one street that emerges as its center, and in Chicago, it is undeniably State Street. Discover the 140-year history of the nine blocks between Lake Street and Congress Parkway, and traced the street's transformation from a gritty thoroughfare to an elegant shopping district.

Bessie Green-Field Warshawsky Gallery

Lincoln Treasures

Opens February 12, 2009

This family-friendly exhibition commemorates the accomplished life and tragic death of Abraham Lincoln. You'll see many of the Museum's prized Lincoln artifacts, including his pocket watch, desk, piano, and the bed in which he died.

Gettysburg Address

April 1, 2009 through May 3,2009

On view in the exhibition Lincoln Treasures, see Lincoln's handwritten speech that moved the nation toward understanding the reasons behind the country's bloodiest war. Four months after the end of the Battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln delivered his brief but powerful speech at the battle site for the dedication of the soldiers' cemetery. See one of the five handwritten copies of the speech, on loan from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield.

Online exhibition

Lincoln at 200

Launches February 12, 2009

This online exhibition investigates Lincoln’s political philosophy and how it guided him—and the nation—through the Civil War. Built in collaboration with the Newberry Library, "Lincoln at 200" will feature more than 200 images from the Museum’s collection.