McCormick Place Rooftop Farm at Open House Chicago

Vegetables can grow in the most unexpected places, including the roof of the McCormick Place West Building. Architects planned a green roof to mitigate the environmental impact of the building and went a step further by creating a charming terrace event space with skyline views. In 2013, the Chicago Botanic Garden's Windy City Harvest program transformed the roof into the largest farm-to-fork rooftop garden in the Midwest. More than 8,000 pounds of produce are grown each year across the 0.75-acre rooftop. There are hundreds of crops varietals plus beehives and heirloom fruit trees. Though this is just a fraction of the food served to visitors to McCormick Place and the growing McCormick Square neighborhood, it reduces the need to transport produce to the convention center. The rooftop farm is located on the 5th floor of the McCormick Place West Building. Guests will move through the space at their own pace and staff will be available to answer questions.