Stride StoriesRunning tour · Chicago
Gold Coast to Old Town
1.9 mi run
How it works. Press start and go. As you reach each place, a narrator tells its story, timed to your pace. Your music drops down while a story plays and comes back after. Tours download to your phone and play without a connection.
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The stories on this route
Chicago Avenue Pumping Station
Look at the pale stone castle facing the Water Tower. This is the Chicago Avenue Pumping Station, finished in 1869 to designs by William W. Boyington. Its walls are rock-faced stone, built to look massive and permanent. But the main roof was made of timber.
Fourth Presbyterian Church
Look at the gray limestone church with its tower, across from the dark Hancock tower. Beside it, a cloister and a green lawn, set back from the sidewalk. This is Fourth Presbyterian Church.
Charnley-Persky House
Look at the low, flat-roofed house on the corner of Astor and Schiller: thin yellowish brick, almost no ornament, and a small wooden balcony over the door. This is the Charnley House, built in the early 1890s for lumberman James Charnley, a friend of Louis Sullivan.
Playboy Mansion
Look at the big brick and limestone townhouse at 1340 North State Parkway. Classical trim, no sign, no plaque. Nothing tells you what went on here.
Archbishop's Residence
Look at the big red-brick house on its lawn, the roofline bristling with chimneys. This is the Archbishop's Residence, one of the oldest buildings in the Astor Street District.
St. Michael's Church
Look for the tall steeple and clock over the Old Town rooftops. That's St. Michael's.
Stories researched October 2026 · every fact checked against a source
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