Chicago's Most Iconic Film Locations

Chicago's Most Iconic Film Locations

Eagle-eyed film buffs will already know that Chicago, with its staggering skyline and imposing architecture, is the urban-American location of choice for many directors. Relive your favourite silver screen scenes with this walking tour of Chicago’s top historic sites.

Comfy kicks on and Nikon at the ready... Starting at The Peninsula, head south on North Rush St until you hit the riverside, then swing a right under Trump Tower, only coming up to traffic level to cross the iron-corseted Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Bridge. Pause here to look at the rows of glistening downtown skyscrapers, among them some of the city’s most famous, before continuing on North State St and swivelling right on West Randolph.

Two blocks west, on the corner with North LaSalle, tower the Corinthian columns of classical revival landmark Chicago City Hall, home to the mayor and seat of the local government. The climactic scene in John Landis’ The Blues Brothers (1980) sees Jake (John Belushi) and Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) rush inside this stately structure, followed by a comical troupe of police, SWAT teams, firefighters, and national guardsmen.

Just four more blocks south on LaSalle, and across the Jackson Boulevard bascule bridge (with more pretty river views), you’ll find yourself face to facade with Union Station, Chicago’s only remaining intercity rail terminal. This Beaux-Arts monument, built during the ‘American Renaissance’ in the 1920s, is all the more impressive when you step inside. Its ornate Great Hall waiting room features vaulted skylights, original wooden benches and two grand staircases, which you’ll recognise from Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables (1987) as the backdrop for the pram bouncing down the steps in the midst of a bloody shootout. 

Exiting onto South Canal St, you can’t miss the austere Gotham-esque Old Main Post Office, sitting just one block south. This until-recently derelict landmark is where Christopher Nolan filmed the opening scenes of The Dark Knight, in which the Joker (Heath Ledger) and his masked clowns rob the ‘Gotham National Bank’. Thanks to a multi-million dollar facelift, the old sorting terminal, which was abandoned in 1966, now houses big companies like Uber and Walgreens.

Finally, nostalgic Gen X-ers can recreate scenes from 80s cult teen classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986) at Chicago’s most beloved sporting asset Wrigley Field. Although you won’t be able to see the Cubs in action until the 2020 season fires off in March, you can explore the historic facility with an official 90min behind-the-scenes offseason tour. Go Cubs, go!

Chicago City Hall / 121 N LaSalle St / +1 312 744 5000 / chicagounionstation.com

Old Post Office  / 433 W Van Buren St / post433.com

Wrigley Field  / 1060 W Addison St / +1 773 404 2827 / mlb.com