From the Archives: Grand Plans for Laflin Building

This is an exciting find, as I had heard rumor that the Laflin Building was always intended to be a wing of a larger facility. Our institutional records showed that, despite several efforts to expand the building, none of these efforts came to fruition. These recently discovered architectural drawings show that there were indeed plans for a much larger building, and that the existing structure was just a wing of a grand vision.

The Matthew Laflin Memorial Building was the Academy’s second permanent museum building in Chicago–the first building being destroyed in the 1871 Great Chicago Fire. The Laflin Building bears the name of Matthew Laflin (1803-1897), a Chicago businessman, who donated 75% of the funds to build the structure. Situated at the confluence of Armitage Avenue and Clark Street in Lincoln Park, the museum’s doors opened to visitors in 1894. It has that neoclassical look of the late 1890s, with arched windows and grand columns.

Here, the Academy shared its collections through exhibits and programs. Staff hosted public programs, including film screenings, lectures, bird walks in Lincoln Park, and local nature-focused field trips. For just over 100 years, the Academy presided at this location, vacating the building in 1995 during a transitional period before the Nature Museum building opened in October 1999. It still stands today and houses the administrative offices of our neighbors, the Lincoln Park Zoo.