Building designed by Greek American architect Demetrios Stavrianos was inspired by Greek monasteries built atop tall rock formations at Meteora
CHICAGO (October 4, 2023)—The National Hellenic Museum (NHM) in Chicago is offering free admission to all visitors on Saturday, October 14 and Sunday, October 15, 2023, as an official partner site for the Chicago Architecture Center’s Open House Chicago weekend. NHM is open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on both dates, and admission includes access to the museum’s permanent collection, rooftop deck and current exhibitions throughout the museum: Hellenic Heads by George Petrides, Gather Together: Chicago Street Photography by Diane Alexander White and Legacy, Renewal & Unity: Celebrating 100 Years of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, which includes the special exhibit Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate: Protecting the Future of Faith. The National Hellenic Museum (333 S. Halsted Street, Chicago) is open Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Regular tickets are $10 and include admission to all exhibits, with special discounts available for seniors, students and children. Admission to the museum is always free for NHM Members. For more information on current exhibitions, events and memberships, visit nationalhellenicmuseum.org or call 312-655-1234. The annual Open House Chicago festival is one of the largest events of its kind in the world, offering Chicagoans and visitors the chance to go behind the scenes at more than 170 of the city’s architecturally, culturally and historically significant sites. Originally founded in 1983 and located in Chicago’s Greektown neighborhood since 2011, the National Hellenic Museum shares Greek history, art, culture and the Greek American story. The museum’s contemporary 40,000-square-foot building was designed by Greek American Demetrios Stavrianos, the architect of record at RTKL’s Chicago office. Stavrianos drew inspiration for the museum’s design from the celebrated Greek monasteries built atop tall rock formations at Meteora, which means “suspended in the air.” The main limestone form of NHM is raised one level, leaving a continuous transparent glass façade along the first floor of the museum. Rather than focusing solely on the ancient past of Greece and caricatures of Classical design, the limestone and glass building synthesizes symbolic antecedents of both antiquity and Byzantine Christian architecture. The symbolic heart of the museum is a dramatic, skylit east-to-west staircase that represents the Greek American immigrant experience and cultural ties to Greece. Complementing the structure is a rooftop event space that offers an unconventional and breathtaking perspective of the city skyline. The National Hellenic Museum (NHM) has a mission to share Greek history, art, culture and the Greek American story. NHM preserves the Hellenic legacy and makes this rich heritage relevant today through its extensive collection of more than 10,000 physical artifacts, hundreds of oral histories, exhibitions, educational programs and special events. Originally founded in 1983 and located in Chicago’s historic Greektown neighborhood since 2011, the museum provides lifelong learning for the community and sparks inquiry and discussion about the broader issues in our lives and society. Regular museum hours are Thursday through Sunday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information, visit nationalhellenicmuseum.org or call 312-655-1234.
Photos: National Hellenic Museum