Over one hundred thousand visitors from 47 states have toured “Titanic: The Exhibition” since it opened on Feb. 16 at Westfield Old Orchard in Skokie. Because of the overwhelming demand for tickets, the exhibit has been extended through July 7.
Entry times are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Fridays-Sundays. The exhibition is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
The interactive experience begins when each visitor receives a boarding pass corresponding to the name of a passenger on the ship’s maiden and final voyage. Visitors tour recreations of the ship’s interior, including a two-story full-scale recreation of the ship’s Grand Staircase, the millionaires’ suite, a first class cabin, a third class cabin, the boiler room, and more.
There’s also an outdoor view of the Promenade Deck and a Discovery Gallery with details of the ship’s wreckage site. The final stop is a visit to a Tribute Wall, where visitors learn the fate of the passenger who is listed on their boarding pass.
Mark Lach is creative producer of the exhibition for the company that created it, Atlanta-based Imagine Exhibitions, Inc.
“I set the Titanic Exhibition when it first came to Chicago back in 2000 at the Museum of Science and Industry,” Lach said. Over one million people toured that incarnation and it was sold out every day, he reported. It was presented by a different exhibition company then.
“It was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life,” Lach said. “It was during that stay that I went out to the wreck site and got into one of those submersibles and went to the ocean floor. That started me on a journey of taking the Titanic exhibit to many places.”
The current exhibition came to Chicago intact from Los Angeles. Lach’s role this time is serving as a spokesperson for the exhibition, which was originally created to honor the 25th anniversary of James Cameron’s 1997 film, “Titanic.” Props and recreations of costumes from that film are included in the exhibit.
Transferring the exhibit from L.A. to Chicago was a complex process. They had to first locate a space. “We’re in what was the Bloomingdale’s department store,” Lach reported.
Once the spot was chosen, Lach and the others involved in the project had to evaluate how much space they had and how much ceiling height. “Then we started to lay the exhibition out,” he said.
They also had to figure where to place the 385 artifacts on loan from Canadian collector René Bergeron to best tell the story of the ship’s brief history. It includes such things as a postcard sent by a 19-year-old crew member, a piece of the Grand Staircase, a gold swimming medal, and a teacup from first class.
The process of putting together the exhibit took about six months.
Lach noted that following the story of the individual on their boarding pass can be a moving experience for visitors.
“They start to read this passenger’s name, and the class they traveled in, where they were heading, where they were coming from,” Lach said. “But one thing you don’t know is their fate.”
People learn the fate of their passenger out of the 2,200 people who were onboard when they view the Tribute Wall at the end of the exhibit.
“People don’t leave until they find their name,” Lach said. It’s a story of “life being fragile” which seems to resonate with many visitors, Lach said.
Lach indicated that they first used the boarding pass at the Museum of Science and Industry exhibit 24 years ago “and saw how that was the connecting force. Originally, it was just the passenger’s name and the class they traveled in. Adding a little context — who they were, what they were doing — has really become a powerful piece of the experience.”
Many of those details were located on the website Encyclopedia Titanica.
Although it’s not part of the exhibit, Lach’s trip to the bottom of the sea has impacted his connection to the exhibit and helped him answer visitors’ questions.
As the small sub descended, Lach reported, “The bright blue faded to black. For the next two hours, we were in darkness. It gets progressively colder inside the sub.”
When the sub finally touched down, lights on the exterior of the sub turned on. “There was the bow of the titanic,” Lach said. “Incredible.”
Lach concluded that the importance of the exhibit is that people who go through “connect with the story and reflect a little bit about how uncertain life can be. And you walk out with a better appreciation of your loved ones, your friends, and life in general.”
Combination tickets with “Downton Abbey: The Exhibition” across the lobby are available.
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
‘Titanic: The Exhibition’
When: Through July 7
Where: Westfield Old Orchard, 4963 Old Orchard Road, Skokie
Tickets: $29.50-$59; $25.50 seniors and students; $22 ages 4-12
Information: thetitanicexhibition.com
