Open House Chicago Is This Weekend — And Edgewater's Own History Museum Is on the List
By Socialhood News · Edgewater ·
If you've ever walked past the Edgewater Historical Society's little museum tucked at 5358 N. Ashland Ave. and wondered what's inside, this is your weekend to find out — free of charge, no reservation required. Open House Chicago, the annual city-wide architecture and culture event hosted by the Chicago Architecture Center, takes place this Saturday and Sunday, October 17–18, with more than 100 sites across Chicago opening their doors to the public. And this year, Edgewater's own neighborhood history museum is among them.
There are 14 Open House sites in the Andersonville, Edgewater, and Uptown area this year — including the Edgewater History Museum — and the event, hosted by the Chicago Architecture Center, takes place this Saturday and Sunday. This year, 19 new sites have been added to the annual event citywide. For a neighborhood as architecturally and historically layered as Edgewater — with its Bryn Mawr Historic District, its lakefront high-rises along Sheridan Road, and its dense inventory of vintage commercial and residential buildings stretching up Broadway — Open House Chicago is tailor-made.
For Edgewater residents who may not have visited the Historical Society's permanent home, the timing is ideal. The museum is currently running an exhibit titled "Growing Community: Luxembourgers in Edgewater," which traces a fascinating and under-told chapter of the neighborhood's immigrant history. The exhibit highlights the Luxembourger migration to the Edgewater area, including the community's unique economic activities and cultural institutions, and is the result of a partnership between Loyola University Chicago, the Edgewater Historical Society, and the Luxembourg Cultural Society of America. It's the kind of neighborhood-specific scholarship that rarely gets a wide audience — and Open House Chicago is exactly the kind of occasion that draws in curious visitors who might not otherwise walk through the door.
The Edgewater Historical Society has been in an unusually active stretch this fall. The organization is currently running its Autumn Salon series, a set of intimate Thursday evening gatherings tied to its ongoing "Celebrating Edgewater's Theatres" exhibit. The next salon in that series falls on October 22, when Dusty Brown, Artistic Director of Redtwist Theatre, will serve as guest speaker — just days after the Open House weekend.
Other notable Open House Chicago sites nearby this year include Andersonville's Chicago Magic Lounge, hidden behind a fake laundromat in a speakeasy style, and Uptown's brand-new TimeLine Theatre. That lineup reflects the range of the Far North Side's architectural and cultural identity — from vaudeville-era performance spaces to contemporary theater builds to a neighborhood history museum staffed by volunteer historians who have spent decades preserving Edgewater's stories.
Open House Chicago is free and open to all. Most sites operate on a walk-in basis over the two-day weekend, though a handful of higher-demand locations may have timed entry or limited capacity — it's worth checking the Chicago Architecture Center's site at architecture.org/openhousechicago for the full list of Edgewater and Far North Side locations, hours, and any entry details before you head out. The Edgewater Historical Society museum at 5358 N. Ashland Ave. is accessible from the Granville Red Line stop, about a 10-minute walk west. If you're combining it with a meal, the Broadway and Bryn Mawr corridor is right there — a natural cap to an afternoon of neighborhood exploration.
For anyone who wants to go deeper after the Open House weekend, the Edgewater Historical Society's Autumn Salon on October 22 picks up where the museum visit leaves off. Salons run from 6 to 8 p.m. at the EHS museum and are free to attend. Details are at edgewaterhistory.org. Open House Chicago only comes once a year — this Saturday and Sunday is the window.
Sources:
1. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/10/12/heres-what-to-see-in-andersonville-edgewater-and-uptown-during-open-house-chicago/
2. https://www.edgewaterhistory.org/ehs/
3. https://www.architecture.org/openhousechicago