National Hellenic Museum

This review is for the Hellenic Museum as a wedding venue or an event space. In summary, if you are considering this venue… RUN, don’t walk away. Trust me, you will save yourself many headaches.
The Museum is fairly new and has only recently forayed into private events. The event staff here has absolutely no idea what they are doing — they treated us with extreme disrespect and even disdain. The staff here will be impossible to get a hold off, will never respond to an email and will be out right rude to you when you do manage to get someone on the phone. They will lie to you about what is included in the venue fee– for example, they indicated that chiavari chairs and AV would be included in the rental but refused to spell this out in the contract… shady. They will make up fees that no other venue has — they charge a fee for serving red wine at a wedding… what?! They will take weeks to get the proposal over to you… this is after constant reminders and calls. Dealing with this place was by far the most stressful part of the wedding planning process for me… thank goodness we ended up going with a different venue as I can’t imagine how stressed out I would have been on the big day.
You’ve been warned friends!

I was not expecting the museum to be so kid-​friendly and interactive. I was impressed by all the modern and contemporary aspects of the museum. If you’re in the area, definitely worth checking out.

What an absolute nightmare. We had an event here — $ 85 per person. Everything was a disaster, from the logistics to the service. They have no idea what they’re doing and, worse still, are very rude about it. People were waiting (I do not exaggerate) 45 minutes for a drink at the bar. It was 80 degrees in the room. I politely told a server they should get some more hands back behind the bar, and he just said «Well that’s not my problem.» I asked the manager how we could make things go more smoothly, and he said «I think it’s going just fine.» It was not fine. It was a disaster, and all 300 people in attendance were unhappy.
End of the night comes. There is one room for coat check and two people working it. People waited over an hour for their coats, and the manager had the nerve to scream at people who were waiting in line for being too loud. It was horrible. He called this one girl a b*tch because she accidentally dropped a glove from the second floor to a place that was off-​limits to guests, and she asked if he could get it. And it’s not like he was subtle about it. I heard him myself and I was about twenty feet away.
Horrible, just horrible from the top down. They have absolutely no idea how to put on an event, which overburdens the staff, who apparently seems fit to respond like spoiled children who are deeply inconvenienced when asked to do their jobs. We paid $ 85 each to get in, everyone ended up getting about $ 20 worth of alcohol because of the long wait, and then we all left miserable and mistreated. Go somewhere else. Anywhere else.
If you’re interested in the art itself, it’s not bad, but not special. The exhibit on display was very modern street art — graffiti and such. It was okay. I wouldn’t go out of my way for it, but it was a little interesting.

Greek? Hellenic? I’m not referring to the fraternity or sorority organizations on a college campus, nor am I talking about the Greek diners or pastries. There was some serious learning that Rosa J. bravely dove in on a snowy late Sunday morning. With the help of Groupon (BOGO free deal), that $ 10 was well-​spent for two (2) people (I dragged hubby along as my study buddy).
The young-​man receptionist reminded us that there were three (3) floors to explore. I was glad he mentioned because the third floor plausibly appeared to be an administrative office, but there was an exhibit on the Greek Immigration to America behind the two (2) emergency-​door-​looking entrances.
Anyways, let’s start from the ground floor. This floor featured the Greek monsters, of course with funky names and funky physiques. I took some pictures and the captions were done with my own interpretations, just for your entertainment. Hubby was excited and told lots of stories about the Tree of Life and the Gate of Death. Sorry, honey. The topics you were presenting were kind of heavy for a Sunday morning. I remembered I studied the Greek Mythology in my senior year in high school, but it was back in 2004! Yeah, I studied because I wanted to fill in the correct answers to the questions on the exam. Nevertheless, those statues were amusing and we had a great fun looking at them.
The second floor, on the other hand, featured the Greek street graffiti, painting from some Greek artists, and some information regarding the Greek architecture. The Greek graffiti were inspirational, and I enjoyed seeing the old Greek fashion. They provided some awesome ideas on my next thrift-​shopping trip. Hubby was hands on playing the Greek architecture game. Well, I pass, since Legos and architecture aren’t my forte.
Well, the third floor contains the most «tear-​shedding» exhibit, which was the Greek immigrations to America. Well, people in this country all came from somewhere. If it wasn’t done in your ancestor’s generation, it can possibly be done everyday at all places in America. I’m myself an immigrant, so I get it. The journey isn’t entirely the most fun a person can experience; sometimes the process can be very difficult, and even condescending. Ok, enough of that.
Do I honestly think the museum is worth $ 10/​person to visit? Hubby thinks so, yet I would say it’s worth it with the Groupon deal, if it’s still running. Otherwise, you do offer the student discount, making it $ 8. I’m trying to be intellectual in conjunction of eating lots of food. Thus, I was content with my experience at the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago.
If you travel via public transportation, get off at CTA UIC-​Halsted blue line station and exit from the «Halsted» entrance.

If you’re considering throwing an event or wedding here — read this review and private message. I’m a normal person and not a paid vendor like other reviews.
The staff and management at Hellenic museum will lie, will be unresponsive, and will be arrogant. Even the preferred vendors will tell you to look at Room 1521 or Ignite. I’ll keep my story brief and then include emails.
1. The staff will promise chairs, parking spots, tables, and audio visual equipment in their price. Then when they send the contract it will include none of this. When you ask them to include it (which they said came with the venue), they get defensive and stop responding.
2. Be prepared to wait one week for an email and have your phone calls screened. I first visited the museum in June for an initial walk through. I loved what I saw, but couldn’t get the staff to respond to an email. In August, I went back in to try and book the venue, but was turned away. While there, the staff wrote out everything on paper and we had a handshake agreement. Almost two weeks later after asking every day for a contract, they sent a quote that was $ 1000 more. Why? Because they «forgot» to include parts. I then tried to have a talk about this, but it took another week for them to return a phone call or email.
3. After two months on hiatus and non-​responsiveness, I sent email to the board. I received a nice email from the president, Connie, to talk that Monday. When I called her that Monday she started yelling at me that I was given a discount (even though they up charged by $ 1000). After three minutes of her ranting to me, she lost her breath and asked to call me back in thirty minutes. Two days later after emailing and leaving messages, my fiancé then received a phone call from her assistant that she won’t be calling us and we should find another venue. Now I know that this comes from the top down.
Me and my fiancé have looked at many other venues and the staff here is not ready for weddings. They have no idea what they are doing. The space is great, but unless you want a headache, stay away. Please see emails below.
From: Hellenic Museum
Date: Sat, Oct 18, 2014 at 1:26 PM
Subject: Re: contract and policies & procedures
To: Leaving out my email
Hi X,
The contract is final, I will not ask my legal department to make any more additional changes if you want to move this process along in a speedy fashion.
If this is still unsatisfactory to you then we may not be the best fit as a venue for your wedding if you are unwilling to follow our Museum’s venue guidelines and contract.
To be frankly honest with you (my name), we are giving you a discount on the venue fee and trying to be as accommodating as possible but I will not be pressured into changing a legal and binding contract that has been already signed by many of our other couples.
Please advise how you want to proceed or if you will be giving up the date.
Events Director at Hellenic Museum

For being half Greek, one would think I would just give it a million stars –after all, these are my peeps!
Now don’t get me wrong, it is a beautiful building and the ideas are there, but it definitely lacked substance, and felt more like an art gallery than a museum on the first two floors.
We shot up to the 3^rd floor to see Greek history, and thought the focus would really be on Chicago and Greektown. I also figure (just based on MY family) that Greeks don’t really throw anything out, so there would probably be a ton of stuff to see. It just seemed like something was missing, and we kept looking around wondering if we missed an entire wing. I felt like I wanted more from this floor.
We went off course and went to the fourth floor terrace, and grabbed views of the Chicago skyline, and it was a great day to be outside to enjoy it.
The second floor was really cool, as it depicted the unrest in Greece and the graffiti art. (I only know that information because the girl on the first floor said so.) The music playing was some cool sounding dubstep, and I really wanted to absorb that floor. It felt more like an art gallery, and it didn’t give any backstory that I could read or follow. I have this weird fondness towards street graffiti art, so I wanted to know more, not sure what … but more. Thankfully I was able to read about each of the artists in a leaflet that I grabbed, and learn more about the backstory when I got back home. I think it would be great if all this went up on the wall with the art, so I don’t have to take paper with me.
The first floor had an exhibit about the Greek Monsters, a modern day twist to Greek mythology. This was also cool, but again had more of a modern art feel to it, and if I knew this prior to going, I might have been in the right head space for it.
Overall it was good, it seems like it’s going in the right direction — I would’ve just loved to see more history of Greektown and photos.

An absolute hidden gem located in Greektown! I recently coordinated an event with the help of the museums Director of Special Events– Mina Lee. She was great. Incredibly attentive with answering all the many questions my group had.
We had just an amazing luncheon and can’t wait to have our group back!

Small but interesting. Features a good collection of Greek heritage aroung the country.

This is good venue for an event. It’s newly remodeled. It has a large coat room and the guest spaces are top notch. Good location.

I have really fond memories of the old Hellenic Museum location, even though it was small, a little cramped, and pretty dark. The new building is INCREDIBLE, huge and glassy and airy and light. The location is great, too.
I love the cultural activities they run for the local community; when we were there they were teaching a group of middle/​high-​schoolers Greek dance as well as modern Greek language classes.
The collections and exhibits still need some work, but I’ll give it that they’re just beginning. The Holocaust section at the end of the Greek immigrant experience exhibit is absolutely devastating but very carefully and sensitively handled. It also helps to make the museum’s applicability and relevance extend beyond just the Greek-​American community. They do need more objects and more interactive experiences for visitors to make the $ 10 fee worth it… But once they do, I can’t wait to recommend this museum to friends and family visiting the area!
Looking forward to seeing what the NHM team has in store!

The price was right for a museum that seems to be growing. This place gives good insight on Greek Americans in Chicago and there is also a reading/​research place upstairs. If you have kids show up for the reading time. it is in both Greek and English.

I was disappointed in my trip to the Hellenic Museum. It has a huge, beautiful building, and it’s nearly empty. The first floor exhibit was the most disappointing. Standing posters in the middle of a gigantic, mostly empty room, with some pictures and bits of information do not a museum make. The upper floors had a bit more to offer, but did not have a logical flow or theme in many cases. Most exhibits were merely photographs with a one-​sentence explanation — very little engagement
The museum fell short in both educational and entertainment value. I didn’t leave with new knowledge about Greece or Greek Americans, and by the end, was disappointed that I had spent $ 10 on a few posters and photographs. It’s really a shame because the building is so big and quite beautiful on the inside, it’s just lacking substance.

Don’t go. It’s a gift shop attached to an empty shell. The earlier reviews refer to a traveling exhibit (that WAS TERRIFIC) that no longer graces the museum.
It’s not a museum. It’s a mostly empty building with a few dozen photos and a handful of stuff that seemed mostly donated by the kids/​grandkids of the Greem immigrants to Chicago.
The museum is a poor representation of Greek pride and Chicago.
The building is fine. It’s just mostly empty. Not worth $ 10, and no longer kid friendly nor adult friendly – just plain content free.
There are a lot of donors whose contributions are spelled out on a bunch of plaques. Perhaps they saw the museum before the traveling exhibit left. If my name were on the walls now, I’d be very upset with the current «exhibits».
Spend the $ 10 in one of the Greek restaraunts in GreekTown instead, and use the internet to see a much better collection of Greek heritage. The pictures of the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum — as seen on the Internet — are already more value than you’ll get from attending this place!

I like Greek food, culture, history, and pride. I liked only a single exhibit at the National Hellenic Museum and that one exhibit was not worth the $ 10 I paid to wander around the three levels of the museum. I went there yesterday.
My friend said that yesterday was the opening day for the Greek Gods, but I’m not completely sure that was true. The reason why was because most of the exhibits were interactive and certainly good for children and adults alike… AND about half of those exhibits didn’t work. They would have been really awesome (high tech) if they did work, but they didn’t.
Furthermore, I would have liked to learn more about the Greek Gods than I did. I paused at EVERY exhibit to read but did not find my thirst for knowledge to be satiated. I left wishing that I could buy a story book about the Greek Gods but did not find one in the museum store (I must admit that my search was lazy, at best).
The only exhibit that I absolutely loved was the one that showed a family tree for the Greek Gods, had a little quiz to identify some of them, and then a personality test that matched you to one of them. I got Zeus and was absolutely delighted. My friends got Helen and Cyclops.
Alright, so there are three levels for the Hellenic Museum and the Greek Gods were only on the first floor. The second floor looked like a work in progress. There were handwritten markings on the wall and floor with ideas for what they wanted to do. The items on that floor looked like Greek antiques — but not ancient artifacts. More like stuff that Greek people might have in their attics and then donated to the museum — books, dolls, and stuff like that. I was not a fan of that floor at all.
Lastly, the third floor was a hallway with posters tacked to it. The posters depicted Greek history. As I said before — I like Greek history — so don’t take my evaluation of this exhibit as any disrespect to it. I did not pay to go to a museum to read history from a poster tacked to a wall. That floor was really the icing on the cake.
Each floor got progressively less appealing to me. The first floor had stuff that didn’t work. The second floor seemed like it wasn’t finished and I’m not sure what the point of it was. The third floor was just not cool. I could do that. I could tack posters on my walls at home. I could read Greek history for free on Wikipedia. They could have made that exhibit little more engaging.
I can see the potential of the National Hellenic Museum. It could be wonderful. The exhibits on the first floor were really, really cool and would be awesome if they worked. The second floor might be nice if it were finished (but it’s not and I don’t get what it’s about in it’s current state). The third floor just needs to be overhauled.

I went here with a friend think that since the museum was now open, the museum was finished. That was not the case.
The first floor children’s exhibit was excellent, great interpretation with lots of engaging activities and we even had fun trying out the games.
The second floor exhibit is very sparse and describes what it will look like when it is finished. There were some beautiful pictures of how they intend to project images onto the stairs and how the floors will be tiled but the few artifacts were behind plexiglass with paper descriptions. Also, there were some objects from the recent history of Greek immigrants around Chicago. It was interesting but not sufficiently descriptive for someone who is not steeped in Chicago history to fully appreciate.
The third floor holds a library and a really cool wall where individuals of Greek heritage have shared their stories.
We then went to the roof which has amazing views, some indigenous plants and nothing else. It wasn’t clear if it would eventually have benches or other features.
We had a good time, but it really wasn’t what we expected. I gave this only three stars because I want to see the finished product and was a little surprised that they were not clear that much of the museum was still in progress.

The National Hellenic Museum, while a beautiful piece of architecture in one of my favorite parts of town, is lacking substance on the inside. Now, this doesn’t mean Greek history is lacking substance what so ever — quite the opposite — but the contents of this museum are sparse considering the $ 18 admission for me and my kid/​student to attend.
The downstairs contains a childrens exhibit. While this is very hands on, and modern in the multitude of medium, it does not fully occupy the floor space.
The second floor only contains a preview of the permanent exhibit. In fact, there are marks on the wall which say, «place actual passport here». Frankly, I was let down. There is SO much to learn about Greece, its culture, political system, history, immegration to Chicago, and archeology, but each are underserved by the brief narative of each.
The third floor houses a library, which was closed on my visit.
The fourth floor is a wide open roof top with a sweeping view of the expressway.

This lovely new modern building houses a museum intended to tell the stories of Greek history, Greek immigration to America, and the connections between the two. I’s all still coming together, but it looks like they’re going to hit it out of the park.
The building itself, while very contemporary, pays homage to the natural elements, and is, I believe a LEED certified «green» construction. Much of the space is flooded with light, with dark wood flooring lending a natural intimate feel.
The first floor currently houses a traveling exhibit, Gods, Myths, and Mortals. It seems to be aimed at kids, but I found it pretty engaging myself. It had tons of interactive elements, and also lots of opportunity for physical play (climbing, following a trail that represents The Odyssey, etc.) which kids should dig. I also really liked that the show was liberally augmented with ancient artifacts.
Up the imposing staircase on the second floor is a preview of the coming permanent exhibit. More than just a partial exhibit, In Search of Home peels back the surface of an exhibit to show the process that of making an installation. Curator’s notes explain the thought process involved, visitors can browse the database of artifacts in the permanent collection, or even arrange to share their own stories and family artifacts. I’d encourage you to get out there and see this before the preview period ends and the exhibit goes live.
The third floor houses a research library, and a a facility to record oral histories of Greek Americans, to help preserve the memories for the ages. I didn’t visit the roof deck, as the weather was terrible, but I suspect the view is amazing.
Rounding out the facility is a gift shop, and some areas for assemblies and education. This is a first rate facility, and the $ 10 admission is a bargain compared to the more established museums a couple miles east.
I enthusiastically recommend.

After watching its construction in Greektown, I was excited to see this new museum once it was completed in December 2011. Currently, two exhibits are on view.
Gods, Myths, and Mortals is a temporary exhibit that is really interactive. I can imagine it’s great for families. You can see which Greek gods your personality is most like, show off your karoake skills as you learn about sirens, and interact with panels that show ancient and modern Greek and Greek American contributions. For the kids or kids at heart, there’s a lot more activities like dress-​up and a large Trojan horse that you can climb through. The second exhibit is actually a preview exhibit to their permanent display, which will be completely installed this summer. Some might say what is on display now is simply an unfinished exhibit. However, what the Preview, In Search of Home exhibit is designed like that on purpose. It gives us a rare glimpse into the process of making a museum exhibit. What are the museum curator’s thoughts and inspirations? What are the conservator’s concerns about objects? What type of content is most important to display about the Greek American experience? This exhibit is also great for kids if they are currently dreaming of becoming someone who works in a museum or the arts.
The Museum Store has a lot of educational and unique gifts and a large display for children’s items. The front desk worker said they are still building inventory, but that just gave my wife a reason to come back soon to see what’s new.
Also, if you go, don’t miss the 4^th floor. It’s a terrace with one of the best views of downtown.

One of Chicago’s great local history museums. The permanent exhibit is a fascinating, educational walk through early Greek history starting in Greece and then through their influence in Chicago. The museum is a great chronological journey through their immigration to the United States, traditions, customs, and Chicago heritage. The exhibit features the progression from vegetable and fruit vendors to store owners to diners. The artifacts on display are a neat peak into the life of a Greek immigrant to Chicago from a suitcase that began their journey into the United States to everyday dishes. I learned that the Greeks had a great influence on the confection industry in Chicago. It’s a very well written and interesting exhibit.
The museum has a smaller exhibit devoted to the maps and pottery of the island of Cyprus. It’s also a neat exhibit to learn about a smaller piece of Greek history.
If you’re in Greektown and wondering about the history behind the neighborhood, head to the Hellenic Museum. It possesses a wealth of knowledge about the Greek community in Chicago.

Engaging museum dedicated to Greek and Greek American history and culture. The current feature exhibit is on Greek American foodways and entry into the restaurant business in Chicago, with a smaller permanent exhibit dedicated to immigration, communities, and Greek American contributions.
Our tour group was told that the museum will be (re)opening a huge new space in Greektown — looking forward to visiting upon my return to Chicago!