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Chicago's most beautiful houses of worship face off

Vote your favorites through our 16-site bracket to crown Chicago's most picturesque place of worship.

Culture

This month&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Axios Chicago tournament" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/27/best-living-chicago-celebrity-murray-pope-oprah-cusack-obama" data-vars-content-id="17e46c77-73fa-41c5-8ff2-d84bbe247d57" data-vars-headline="Chicago&#x27;s most beautiful houses of worship face off" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/27/best-living-chicago-celebrity-murray-pope-oprah-cusack-obama" target="_self">Axios Chicago tournament</a> is about the best-looking houses of worship in the Chicago area.Between the lines: We&#x27;re not talking faith. We&#x27;re talking architecture.

Trump's Indiana storm declaration puts Illinois FEMA aid in spotlight

Is Illinois getting the shaft on federal storm aid due to politics?

Climate

President Trump&#x27;s rapid emergency declaration for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="storm-ravaged Indiana" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2026/08/17/indiana-launches-emergency-assistance-housing-vouchers-for-flood-victims" data-vars-content-id="5db2749c-7612-4556-901a-5f0771ddb6f5" data-vars-headline="Trump&#x27;s Indiana storm declaration puts Illinois FEMA aid in spotlight" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/indianapolis/2026/08/17/indiana-launches-emergency-assistance-housing-vouchers-for-flood-victims" target="_self">storm-ravaged Indiana</a> is renewing Democratic concerns about partisanship in federal disaster aid.Why it matters: Thousands of Illinoisans are dealing with <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="damaged or lost property" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/08/12/illinois-derecho-tornado-indiana-south-suburbs-trees-power-flooding" data-vars-content-id="5db2749c-7612-4556-901a-5f0771ddb6f5" data-vars-headline="Trump&#x27;s Indiana storm declaration puts Illinois FEMA aid in spotlight" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/08/12/illinois-derecho-tornado-indiana-south-suburbs-trees-power-flooding" target="_self">damaged or lost property</a> from the same derecho that produced eight tornadoes, power outages and flooding on both sides of the state line.

New Chicago murals honor Caleb Williams, Stacey King and John Prine

The murals honor two Chicago legends and one trying to cement his legacy in real time.

Things to Do

Three new murals have sprung up in Chicago recently, celebrating two legends — and one young star building his legacy in real time. Why it matters: Chicago has long turned blank walls into tributes to icons.

New rules could complicate Chicago condo sales

Sellers may need to pay closer attention to their building's finances, reserves and repair plans.

Real Estate

Some condo owners could find it harder to sell their units under tougher new <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/12/trump-fannie-mae-freddie-mac" data-vars-content-id="f46acb3f-6acf-44d1-a5e1-cc21e59ab058" data-vars-headline="New rules could complicate Chicago condo sales" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/12/trump-fannie-mae-freddie-mac" target="_self">Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac </a>lending standards.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The rules" data-vars-click-url="https://guide.freddiemac.com/app/guide/bulletin/2026-C" data-vars-content-id="f46acb3f-6acf-44d1-a5e1-cc21e59ab058" data-vars-headline="New rules could complicate Chicago condo sales" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://guide.freddiemac.com/app/guide/bulletin/2026-C" target="_blank">The rules</a> put new pressure on condo associations to stay on top of repairs and financial reserves, making sellers more dependent on the building&#x27;s overall appeal — not just their condo&#x27;s — to sell.

Chicago artist Amanda Williams honors "other Washingtons"

A new Washington Park installation invites Chicagoans to honor overlooked neighbors alongside history.

Chicago artist Amanda Williams has turned a 122-year-old monument on the city&#x27;s South Side into a fresh, community-driven conversation about who gets to be remembered.The big picture: As part of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Chicago Monuments Project" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/07/24/eugene-williams-memorial-bike-tour-chicago-race-riot-1919-commemoration" data-vars-content-id="6ef6a208-8ad6-4cb8-bc2c-f008b0fc424c" data-vars-headline="Chicago artist Amanda Williams honors &quot;other Washingtons&quot;" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/07/24/eugene-williams-memorial-bike-tour-chicago-race-riot-1919-commemoration" target="_self">Chicago Monuments Project</a>, Williams asked the public: &quot;Who is your favorite Washington?&quot; to gather the names and stories of everyday people who should be commemorated alongside the George Washington monument in Washington Park.

Quiz: Can you name these Chicago sports stars who returned to their teams?

Try and get a perfect score on this quiz about second chances.

History

Patrick Kane&#x27;s return to the Blackhawks is one of the biggest homecomings in Chicago sports history.Yes, but: He&#x27;s far from the first superstar to leave town and come back.

Chicago retraces King's historic Marquette Park march

Civil rights leaders, original marchers and Mayor Brandon Johnson will honor King's 1966 Chicago march.

Chicago officials and civil rights leaders will recreate <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Martin Luther King Jr.&#x27;s" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/01/15/where-to-celebrate-and-honor-mlk-in-chicago-this-weekend" data-vars-content-id="79659a59-a81e-4c92-b621-471df6b6dd6c" data-vars-headline="Chicago retraces King&#x27;s historic Marquette Park march" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/01/15/where-to-celebrate-and-honor-mlk-in-chicago-this-weekend" target="_self">Martin Luther King Jr.&#x27;s</a> historic 1966 march through Marquette Park on Saturday.Why it matters: The Chicago Freedom Movement March was part of King&#x27;s campaign to expose <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="blatant segregation" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2022/02/17/chicago-redlining-then-and-now" data-vars-content-id="79659a59-a81e-4c92-b621-471df6b6dd6c" data-vars-headline="Chicago retraces King&#x27;s historic Marquette Park march" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2022/02/17/chicago-redlining-then-and-now" target="_self">blatant segregation</a> in the North, especially in Chicago, and led to more awareness of unfair housing practices.

Then and now: A 1940 photo of Van Buren and Dearborn in Chicago

A historic photo reveals streetcars and a popular restaurant from 85 years ago.

This week&#x27;s &quot;<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="History Mystery" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/06/30/giant-pabst-blue-ribbon-sign-1943-randolph-michigan-illinois-railroad" data-vars-content-id="bafb1871-5fd6-426e-96a6-a1d9db566a15" data-vars-headline="Then and now: A 1940 photo of Van Buren and Dearborn in Chicago" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/06/30/giant-pabst-blue-ribbon-sign-1943-randolph-michigan-illinois-railroad" target="_self">History Mystery</a>&quot; features a 1940 photo of Chicago&#x27;s Loop that looks like a painting that belongs in a museum.The (archival) picture: The photo shows a streetcar stopped at the intersection of Dearborn and Van Buren, right under the &quot;L&quot; tracks.

Chicago unveils permanent memorials for 1919 Race Riot

A new memorial and bike tour commemorate Eugene Williams and the 37 other victims of the 1919 violence.

More than a century after the start of the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="1919 Chicago Race Riot" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2022/07/27/remembering-1919-race-riots" data-vars-content-id="cb3c8d79-39ca-4562-b096-4bad4e6e9d4f" data-vars-headline="Chicago unveils permanent memorials for 1919 Race Riot" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2022/07/27/remembering-1919-race-riots" target="_self">1919 Chicago Race Riot</a>, the city is commemorating all 38 people killed during one of its worst episodes of racial violence.The big picture: As part of the city&#x27;s ongoing effort to show a more truthful history of race, segregation and inequity in its public monuments, it has completed the installation of permanent markers for each of the people killed during the unrest.

Chicago's "phantom building" gets new life

After sitting mostly vacant for decades, the restored Gold Coast building welcomes residents this fall.

A <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Gold Coast " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/15/1954-photo-gold-coast-adolphs-agostinos-carmines-rush-street" data-vars-content-id="a9762bb1-3f14-4064-9157-6c99e067e0de" data-vars-headline="Chicago&#x27;s &quot;phantom building&quot; gets new life" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/10/15/1954-photo-gold-coast-adolphs-agostinos-carmines-rush-street" target="_self">Gold Coast </a>condo building long known as the &quot;phantom building&quot; is getting new life after sitting mostly vacant for decades. Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Historic buildings" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/03/04/chicago-endangered-historic-buildings-2025" data-vars-content-id="a9762bb1-3f14-4064-9157-6c99e067e0de" data-vars-headline="Chicago&#x27;s &quot;phantom building&quot; gets new life" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/03/04/chicago-endangered-historic-buildings-2025" target="_self">Historic buildings</a> in Chicago&#x27;s highly sought-after neighborhoods, especially vacant ones, often succumb to the wrecking ball to make way for single-family homes. But the 45,000-sq. ft. residential building called <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="The Dearborn" data-vars-click-url="https://www.goldcoastrealty-chicago.com/the-dearborn-condos-1447-n-dearborn-st-gold-coast.php" data-vars-content-id="a9762bb1-3f14-4064-9157-6c99e067e0de" data-vars-headline="Chicago&#x27;s &quot;phantom building&quot; gets new life" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.goldcoastrealty-chicago.com/the-dearborn-condos-1447-n-dearborn-st-gold-coast.php" target="_blank">The Dearborn</a> has managed to avoid that fate and is starting a new chapter.

Rainbow Cone celebrates 100 years but keeps iconic recipe

The South Side institution marks its centennial with museum exhibits, pop-ups and the same iconic sliced cone.

Food and Drink

Chicago&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Original Rainbow Cone" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2024/05/15/taste-test-new-rainbow-cone-flavors-not-new" data-vars-content-id="a6d7d486-6558-4e6b-bda8-4adeac8ec964" data-vars-headline="Rainbow Cone celebrates 100 years but keeps iconic recipe" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2024/05/15/taste-test-new-rainbow-cone-flavors-not-new" target="_self">Original Rainbow Cone</a> is 100 this year, but it&#x27;s staying dedicated to its recipe.Flashback: Joe and Katherine Sapp opened <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Rainbow Cone" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/03/19/chicago-original-rainbow-cone-ice-cream-slice-surprise" data-vars-content-id="a6d7d486-6558-4e6b-bda8-4adeac8ec964" data-vars-headline="Rainbow Cone celebrates 100 years but keeps iconic recipe" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/phoenix/2026/03/19/chicago-original-rainbow-cone-ice-cream-slice-surprise" target="_self">Rainbow Cone</a> at 92nd and Western in Beverly in 1926, serving their signature five-layer ice cream treat of chocolate, strawberry, Palmer House, pistachio and orange sherbet.<ul><li>Always sliced, not scooped.</li></ul>

Chicago lakes quiz: How well do you know our local waters?

From Lake Michigan to Lake Zurich, answer 10 questions on our waterways.

Chicago developers see a future at the old Union Stockyards

The meatpacking district that built Chicago is betting on warehouses and diverse industries instead of cattle.

Business

The Union Stockyards once made Chicago &quot;hog butcher for the world.&quot; More than 50 years after they closed, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="developers " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/development" data-vars-content-id="1b97a088-19c3-42cf-881e-97a9fc54496a" data-vars-headline="Chicago developers see a future at the old Union Stockyards" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/development" target="_self">developers </a>are modernizing the area.Why it matters: While other industrial parts of the city, like <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Fulton Market " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/04/14/fulton-market-mendocino-prasino-do-rite-pizza-lobo-labriola" data-vars-content-id="1b97a088-19c3-42cf-881e-97a9fc54496a" data-vars-headline="Chicago developers see a future at the old Union Stockyards" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/04/14/fulton-market-mendocino-prasino-do-rite-pizza-lobo-labriola" target="_self">Fulton Market </a>and the West Loop, have boomed with development in recent decades, the Stockyards have remained basically stagnant. Chicago developers The Missner Group are hoping to change that by banking on the area&#x27;s proximity to the Loop, Dan Ryan expressway and labor force.