Built in 1908 by architect Dwight Perkins, Café Brauer is Prairie School architecture at its finest. Originally a boat house, warming shelter, and restaurant run by the Brauer family.
After Prohibition, you couldn't serve alcohol in public parks. A restaurant without booze in Chicago is like a pizza without cheese. The restaurant died. By the 1960s, they were storing lawn mowers in it.
In 1987, they restored it for $4.2 million. Now the Great Hall is one of the most expensive wedding venues in the city.
— From the tour: The Best Free Day in Chicago
