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YALA Showroom Crawl Visits Five River North Showrooms
On Friday, October 16, members of the Association of Licensed Architects spent the afternoon walking five showrooms in Chicago's River North design district. Between 2:00 and 5:45 PM the group saw lighting, custom doors, bath fixtures, windows and doors, and surfaces, each one presented by the people who answer specification questions on real projects.
ALA Associate Director Tamsan Mora of COBU Architecture Studio and ALA Director Jeffrey Roberts of New World Design Ltd. led the group from stop to stop. The crawl was run by YALA, the ALA committee that plans its own events for young architects, and it was free and open to everyone, ALA member or not.
A showroom visit gives you what a product catalog can't. You can watch a steel-framed door swing, run a hand along a countertop edge, see how a fixture throws light on a wall, and ask the rep about details, finishes and lead times while you stand in front of the product.
The route
The crawl started with check-in at Lightology on West Chicago Avenue, then walked to Glenview Haus on West Erie Street, TOTO Gallery Chicago and Assured Corporation on North Wells Street, and finished at Cosentino City Chicago on West Illinois Street. Every stop is within a short walk of the others, about 35 to 45 minutes at each showroom.
The five showrooms, with addresses and contacts
You can also visit each showroom on your own. Call or write the contact listed to set up a visit for your team or a client.
Lightology
Architectural and decorative lighting on two levels, from linear LED systems and pendants to crystal chandeliers. The first stop and the group's check-in point.
- Showroom
- 215 W. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL 60654
- Website
- lightology.com
- Phone
- 312-944-1000
- Contact
- Anna Padilla, Showroom Assistant Manager
apadilla@lightology.com
Glenview Haus
Custom entry and interior doors, steel-framed glass doors, and cabinetry.
- Showroom
- 303 W. Erie St., Unit 100, Chicago, IL 60654
- Website
- glenviewhaus.com
- Phone
- 312-337-2440
- Contact
- Ivan Zakatey, Business Manager
ivan@glenviewhaus.com
TOTO Gallery Chicago
Plumbing fixtures and bath products from TOTO USA, including working Washlet, Neorest and Tornado Flush displays.
- Showroom
- 500 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60654
- Website
- totousa.com
- Contact
- Hailey Gurvis, Senior Showroom Manager and A&D Consultant
hgurvis@toto.com
Assured Corporation
Architectural windows and doors, with full-size window and door systems set up to walk through.
- Showroom
- 445 N. Wells St., Chicago, IL 60654
- Website
- assuredcorp.com
- Contact
- April Wnenk, Project Coordinator, Marketing
awnenk@assuredcorp.com
Cosentino City Chicago
Surfaces for countertops and cladding, with a sample library for specifying. The final stop, with refreshments.
- Showroom
- 217 W. Illinois St., Chicago, IL 60654
- Website
- cosentino.com/usa
- Contact
- Salvador Lucena Lupo, Chicago City Manager
slucenal@cosentino.com - Contact
- Maricela Suarez, Chicago City Specialist
masuarez@cosentino.com
Thank you to our hosts
Thank you to the teams at Lightology, Glenview Haus, TOTO Gallery Chicago, Assured Corporation and Cosentino City Chicago for opening your doors, preparing for the group and answering every question. ALA is already talking with several of the hosts about more events downtown.
What's next
The next chance to meet ALA in person is the Design Awards Gala on Thursday, November 5, 6:00 to 10:00 PM, at Medinah Country Club, 6N001 Medinah Road, Medinah, Illinois. Every ALA event, including the ones YALA runs, is listed on the ALA events page, and the email sign-up below sends you the next one as soon as it is scheduled.
Questions
What was the YALA Showroom Crawl?
A free afternoon walking tour for ALA members and guests on Friday, October 16, 2026, run by YALA, the ALA committee that plans events for young architects. The group visited five showrooms in Chicago's River North design district between 2:00 and 5:45 PM.
Which showrooms were on the route?
Lightology at 215 W. Chicago Ave., Glenview Haus at 303 W. Erie St., TOTO Gallery Chicago at 500 N. Wells St., Assured Corporation at 445 N. Wells St., and Cosentino City Chicago at 217 W. Illinois St.
Who can join the next YALA event?
YALA events are open to everyone: architects, designers, students and others in the building industry, whether or not they are ALA members. Most are free.
How do I find out about the next showroom crawl?
Watch the ALA events page at licensedarchitect.org/events and sign up for ALA emails at the bottom of any page on licensedarchitect.org.
My company has a showroom. How do we host ALA architects?
Write to ALA@licensedarchitect.org or call 847-382-0630. ALA runs showroom visits, lunch and learns and partner programs that put building product companies in front of licensed architects.
