Chicago Cultural Center began life as the city's first permanent public library in 1897, designed by Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, the firm responsible for the Art Institute. It still says "Chicago Public Library" above the door, an identity crisis nobody seems in a hurry to resolve.

Step inside and the real draw reveals itself: a 38-foot Tiffany stained glass dome in Preston Bradley Hall, made from over 30,000 pieces of Favrile glass, mother of pearl and colored stone, each cut in the shape of a fish scale. Color graduates from pale yellows at the base to deep saturated hues at the crown, ringed by the zodiac.

Free classical concerts take place beneath it every Wednesday, named after Dame Myra Hess, who organized 1,700 lunchtime concerts for Londoners during the Blitz. VoiceMap's tours trace the building's journey from reading room to arts venue, situating it within Chicago's gilded-age ambitions.