Lecture: An Architectural History of the Franke Reading Room

A talk on the 125-year history of the Franke Reading Room, one of the Art Institute's most distinctive spaces, followed by an open house where visitors can study its architectural features and view items from the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries and Archives. On Saturday, October 17, from 2 to 3 PM in Fullerton Hall, Jill Bugajski, executive director of the museum's Research Center, traces the evolution of the room—originally built in 1901 as an addition to the Michigan Avenue building—and the changes, both public and hidden, across more than a century. After the lecture, Research Center staff will be on hand to chat. Free with museum admission, but registration is required.