Tours & Study Days With

John Burns

A Chicago native, John graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with honors and distinction and began his early career teaching language and media at the Chicago Public High School for Metropolitan Studies.

After several years and development of a successful program for Student Produced Television, John became involved in the commercial real estate field in Chicago where he managed a portfolio of office buildings for institutional investors and eventually became the Executive Vice President of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago.

He went on to establish a consultancy advising and representing various clients including the University of Chicago’s Graduate School of Business, the University’s Comer Children’s Hospital, the National Association of Realtors, the Chicago Transit Authority and many private and corporate businesses.  John developed and co taught a class in management & operations of buildings in the Integrated Design & Construction of Buildings course for the University of Illinois’ School of Architecture.

His knowledge and experience of Chicago’s neighborhoods, cultural venues, parks and central business district together with his lifelong interest in architecture led him to become an award-winning docent with the Chicago Architecture Foundation.  Pursuing his interests in teaching and sharing Chicago’s rich history and its architectural and cultural contributions with others, John earned certification (CTG) as a tour guide with the Chicago Tour Professionals Association and separately, as a certified interpreter for the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.

John enjoys researching and giving talks and tours for local historical societies, adult education groups and serving as an elected official (Village Clerk) in his hometown of La Grange, Illinois a local Chicago suburb. His recreational interests include music, cycling and travel.