Parking

Old St. Patrick's Parking:

There is a parking garage with free parking at 223 S. Desplaines. Make sure to press the ticket for Old St. Pat's and not general parking.

University Club of Chicago Parking:

Valet Parking is available with the door attendant at standard rates.

Self Parking is available at the following garages:

We highly recommend booking your parking in advance for a cheaper rate: https://www.millenniumgarages.com/rates/

Grant Park East Garage located at Columbus Drive and Michigan Ave

Grant Park North Garage located at Madison St and Michigan Ave

Grant Park South Garage located at Jackson St and Michigan Ave

Will there be meal options for guests with dietary restrictions?

Yes, please note any dietary restrictions on your RSVP.

What should I do between the ceremony and cocktail hour?

Feel free to stop home or at your hotel room, otherwise there are many fun options nearby the reception location:

The University Club will have a cash bar open for our group on the first floor beginning at 4:30 until the cocktail hour begins.

There are also many bars and restaurants nearby the reception such as:

Cindy's Rooftop Bar

The Game Room in the Chicago Athletic Association

The Gage

Millennium Park is also across the street from the University Club if you prefer to spend some time outside walking around and seeing the sites and views of the city skyline.

History of Old St. Patrick's Church

Since its founding by Irish immigrants on Easter morning in 1846, Old St. Patrick’s has been interwoven in the life and history of the City of Chicago. Founded in 1846 as the first English-speaking parish in the city, the current church building was designed in a Romanesque style by two of Chicago’s earliest practicing architects: Augustus Bauer and Asher Carter.

Old St. Patrick’s is one of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Its survival makes it the oldest public building in the City of Chicago.

Inspired by the Celtic art exhibit at the Columbian Expostition of 1893 and the Book of Kells in Ireland, Thomas A. O’Shaughnessy designed, constructed, and personally installed the 15 beautiful stained-glass windows of Old St. Patrick’s between 1912 and 1922. The 12 side windows were inspired by the Celtic designs of Ireland’s Book of Kells. The final triptych windows, done in an art nouveau style and installed in the eastern facade of the church, are the “Faith, Hope & Charity” windows, also known as the Terrence MacSwiney Memorial Triptych. In 1977, Old St. Patrick’s was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History of the University Club of Chicago

The University Club was founded in 1887 to foster an appreciation of literature and the arts and to create an environment where guests and all future members could draw upon the sustaining values of a common educational experience.

The Club first rented rooms in the Henning Speed building at 125 N. Dearborn Street and later purchased 116 N. Dearborn Street which provided accommodations for members during the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. In 1906, the present property became available and the Club made plans to move to its final (and current) home at 76 E. Monroe Street, just as Michigan Avenue was becoming a major cultural hub for Chicago.

As vanguards of the Chicago School of Architecture, members and architects William Holabird and Martin Roche presented designs for the new Clubhouse. Although the members had been expecting designs in the style of the adjacent Gage buildings, which Holabird and Roche also designed, the pair returned with a shocking Gothic "skyscraper." Their design became the first of its kind, and the completed building was occupied by the membership on April 3, 1909.