Program Archive
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We are in the process of migrating our full archive of program listings, podcasts and presentations to our new site. The following is a selection of past programs. The full archive dating back to 2008 will be accessible here in Spring 2010. Thank you for your patience!
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Missed a program? Live too far away to see it in person? Came to an event and want to hear it again? Select digital podcasts and visual presentations are available for you to experience at your leisure.
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Listen to selected past Chicago Architecture Foundation programs by visiting Chicago Amplified, Chicago Public Radio's web-based audio archive of public programs held throughout the Chicago region.
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Paddling down the Chicago River
courtesy Kayak Chicago
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August 5
Architectural Kayak Tour
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Experience Chicago's magnificent architecture from a unique vantage point as you paddle down the Chicago River in a flat water kayak. Architect and kayak enthusiast Joel Berman leads the group from North Avenue to the Loop and back, discussing how the city grew from a small, back-country outpost into one of the world’s most important crossroads in less than 100 years. Along the way, he’ll provide an overview of the many buildings designed by some of America's greatest architects.
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Restored Tiffany Dome, Preston Bradley Hall, Chicago Cultural Center photo: Greg Murphey Studios/Wight & Company
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June 30
Celebration of Light: Restoration of the Chicago Cultural Center’s Tiffany Dome
Ken Osmun, Group President of Construction, Wight & Company; Thomas Vukovich, City Architect, City of Chicago
The documentary by Wight & Company and Left Brain/Right Brain Productions provides an inside look at the restoration of one of Chicago’s world-renowned landmarks. At 38 feet in diameter and with more than 30,000 pieces of glass in 241 sections, it is the largest Tiffany dome in the world.
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June 23
Film Screening: Beyond the Motor City
Beyond the Motor City, a new documentary directed by acclaimed filmmaker Aaron Woolf (King Corn), takes a broad look at our country’s transportation history through the lens of the experience of Detroit, a city once renowned for its auto manufacturing and now notorious for its extreme deterioration. In a journey that takes us into the neighborhoods of Detroit and then beyond to Spain, California, and our nation’s capital, Beyond the Motor City urges us to ask how we might finally push America’s transportation system into the 21st century.
Beyond the Motor City is part of Blueprint America, a national, multi-platform initiative examining the state of America's transportation infrastructure. Blueprint America was created and produced by Thirteen for WNET.ORG and supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and the Surdna Foundation.
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In partnership with

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June 23
Julius Shulman: Chicago Mid-Century Modernism
Gary Gand, author and Vice President of Chicago Bauhaus and Beyond
In 2006, Chicago Bauhaus and Beyond, a non-profit organization that celebrates and promotes 20th-century modern architecture and design, contacted legendary photographer Julius Shulman to record Chicago’s modernist residential architectural heritage. Gand discusses Shulman’s final book project before his death in 2009, which documents modern masterpieces by Edward Dart, Bertrand Goldberg, Paul Schweikher, Edward Humric, Harry Weese, and others.
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Sixth floor reception area with installation by artist Spencer Finch, Kirkland & Ellis
courtesy Tom Rossiter
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June 22
Kirkland & Ellis
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The global headquarters of law firm Kirkland & Ellis recently relocated to 300 North LaSalle, occupying 28 floors of this 60-story tower. The offices, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, exhibit a minimalist aesthetic and take full advantage of both their riverfront setting and abundant natural light. The design is enhanced by a dramatic new art collection, which was in large part commissioned by Kirkland & Ellis, and contains works by both established and emerging artists. Kevin Evanich and Doug McLemore of Kirkland & Ellis and Linda Warren of Linda Warren Gallery lead members on a tour of the offices and the art collection.
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Bruce Graham
photo: Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP/Stuart Rodgers
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June 16
Remembering Bruce Graham
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A leading architect for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Bruce Graham transformed Chicago's skyline, designing some of the city's most famous skyscrapers. His most visible legacy is the 100-story Hancock Center, completed in 1970, and the 110-story Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower), the world’s tallest building when it was completed in 1974. He also played a major role in designing the Inland Steel Building (1958), Three First National Plaza (1981), and the 1986 expansion of McCormick Place. In this memorial tribute, our distinguished panelists reflect on the legacy of one of Chicago’s most important architects.
Panelists:
Lucien Lagrange, AIA, Principal, Lucien Lagrange Architects
Franz Schulze, Hollender Professor of Art Emeritus, Lake Forest College
Richard F. Tomlinson II, FAIA, Managing Partner, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
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June 16
A Parisienne Discovers Chicago: Impressions of the City and the World’s Columbian Exposition Mary Beth Raycraft, Senior Lecturer in French, Vanderbilt University Madame Léon Grandin recounts her surprising discoveries during a cross-cultural journey through fin-de-siècle Paris, New York, and Chicago. This illustrated lecture will highlight the young parisienne’s reactions to social and cultural life in Chicago at the time of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition and the unexpected consequences of her travels.
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June 14
Architecture and Policy in the Netherlands
Cilly Jansen and Indira van ’t Klooster of the Amsterdam-based organization Architectuur Lokaal discuss the national architecture policy of the Netherlands, and related subjects, such as infrastructure, new urbanism, landscape design and planning, preservation, housing and public space, public-private partnership programs, and project development.
Architectuur Lokaal is the independent national center of expertise and information devoted to commissioning building development in the Netherlands. The foundation acts as bridge-builder between parties involved in the building process and can be consulted about matters relating to architecture policy, spatial quality policy, and building commissioning. Additionally, it develops programs to advance client expertise in the area of architecture policy.
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In partnership with
Consulate General
of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
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ReBuilding Exchange
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June 12
ReBuilding Exchange Tour and Workshop
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The ReBuilding Exchange diverts building materials from the waste stream and makes them accessible to the public for reuse at a low cost, protecting community health, creating jobs, and saving resources. Salvaged through sustainable deconstruction practices, the wide range of materials available at the ReBuilding Exchange can be incorporated directly into rehab projects or repurposed for other uses.
Tour the facility and see a presentation illustrating how materials from the ReBuilding Exchange have been incorporated into home improvement projects.
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Presented in partnership with
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June 10
At Home: The British Invasion
Learn about current design trends from the famed Fab Seven–Britain’s top interior designers. Members of the British Interior Design Group will share stories of celebrity clients—including Tina Turner, Sean Connery, and others—but you don’t have to be rich and famous to participate. Bring your questions and fabric swatches: panelists will field design challenges from the audience and show you how good interior design is accessible to everyone.
Special guests: James Charles, James Charles Design Simon Hamilton, Simon Hamilton & Associates Karin Verzariu, Key Interiors Julia Wong, Julia Wong Designs
Moderated by Laura Patterson, HGTV producer/director, House Hunters and House Hunters International |
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At Home is a year-long program series that guides and inspires people to make the best choices in the design and care of their homes.
Presented by
Media Sponsor
Furnishings provided by

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June 9Developing Plans of Chicago Samuel Roche and Aric Lasher, authors
Plans of Chicago, the inaugural publication of the Chicago-based Architects Research Foundation, uses the 1909 Plan of Chicago as a precedent for reconnecting Chicago’s center to outlying suburbs. The authors discuss their development of an urban planning approach for Chicago based on principles derived from projects by Frederick Law Olmsted, Frank Lloyd Wright, landscape architect Jens Jensen, and Bauhaus city planner Ludwig Hilberseimer.
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R. W. Glasner Studio (detail) courtesy Cityfiles Press
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June 5
R. W. Glasner Studio: Edgar Miller’s Masterpiece |
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Chicago artist Edgar Miller created exquisitely crafted handmade homes in the 1920s and ’30s chock full of exceptional stained-glass windows, frescoes, murals, mosaics, and woodcarvings. Richard Cahan and Michael Williams, co-authors of Edgar Miller and the Handmade Home, lead CAF members on an exclusive tour of the Glasner studio, which is generally regarded as Miller’s greatest work. Built as a "party house" for the industrialist Rudolph Glasner, the unit incorporates many design motifs, from Art Deco to English Tudor, all of them linked by common themes and the single hand that created them. |
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Rendering of proposed dormitory for Roosevelt University, Chicago
courtesy: VOA Associates Incorporated
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June 2
The Development of a Vertical Campus–The expansion of Roosevelt University, Chicago
Lesley Slavitt, Vice President for Government Relations, Roosevelt University; Christopher Groesbeck, AIA, Principal, VOA Associates Incorporated; Jeffrey Hrubec, AIA, Senior Vice President, VOA Associates Incorporated; Michael Siegel, Associate Principal, VOA Associates Incorporated
VOA Associates Incorporated is designing a state-of-the-art building for Roosevelt University, which will house classrooms, laboratories, a student recreation center, and residence suites for more than 600 students. The 469-foot-tall building will also be constructed as a "green" building and showcase a glass exterior on three sides, drawing in natural light and cutting energy costs. This project demonstrates Roosevelt’s role as a leader in both higher education and revitalization of the urban environment.
Presented in partnership with
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Columbia College Chicago Media Production Center courtesy Thomas Nowak, Studio Manager, Photography Department at Columbia College Chicago | |
June 1
Studio Gang’s Columbia College Chicago Media Production Center |
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Margaret Cavenagh, project architect, Studio Gang Architects, and Alicia Berg, Vice President of Campus Environment at Columbia College Chicago, lead a tour of the Media Production Center (MPC), the college’s first new-construction building in its 120-year history. The 35,500-square-foot facility provides adaptable, state-of-the-art facilities including two film production soundstages, a motion-capture studio, digital labs, animating suites, a fabrication shop, and classrooms. The MPC is designed to provide an innovative learning environment that fosters visual storytelling and cross-disciplinary collaboration, and inspires a new way of teaching media production. |
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Taliesin West
photo: Paolo Sanza
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May 26
A Look at Frank Lloyd Wright's Organic Principles in the Context of Today's Sustainable Initiatives Lira Luis, AIA, RIBA, LEED®AP, Taliesin Fellow and graduate of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, Principal Architect at Atelier Lira Luis LLC
Wright's Taliesin has become regarded as a living laboratory for sustainable design. The pairing of the native landscape with Wright’s organic architecture provides the perfect setting for studying the relationship between the natural and built environment. Luis discusses living in Taliesin shelters, highlighting the “learning-by-doing” methodology and how this strategy can be applied to achieving sustainable benchmarks in LEED.
Presented in partnership with
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Plaza de Armas, Havana (2009)
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Tuesday, May 25, 6-7:15pm
Preserving the Magic and Poetry of Havana
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Havana, a Caribbean Metropolis with strong European influence, was spared the damage caused by global urban renewal and overdevelopment during the second half of the 20th century. The unique and appealing spirit of Old Havana, listed in 1982 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, stems not only from the well-known quality of its music and rhythms, its vibrant street life, and its friendly ambience, but also from its built environment that is currently preserved with great pride. Cuban architect and planner Julio César Pérez Hernández addresses the issues of historic preservation in Old Havana that aspire to give the old city its past splendor and make it a unique place to live.
Professor Julio César Pérez Hernández, a practicing architect and urban planner, is an adjunct professor at the School of Architecture in Havana. He is the recipient of several international and national awards and his work has been published in the New York Times, Arquitectura Cuba and Arquitectura y Urbanismo. He is a Harvard University Loeb Fellow, President of the Cuban Chapters of C.E.U. and I.N.T.B.A.U., and the author of a major book about Cuba—Inside Cuba, published by Taschen in 2006.
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Historic Pullman row housing
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May 22
Early Industrial Planned Communities: Marktown and Pullman
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Join architect and preservationist Edward I. Torrez for a tour of two early industrial planned communities: Historic Pullman, on Chicago’s South Side, and the lesser-known Marktown, in East Chicago, Indiana. In 1880, George Pullman hired architect Solon Beman to design the first model industrial town for his Palace Car Company. Twelve miles away and nearly thirty years later, Chicago industrialist Clayton Mark acquired the services of Chicago architect Howard Van Doren Shaw to design a model worker village for his newly built steel mill. This tour will consider the history of the two towns, with an emphasis on their architecture, and the preservation issues facing both communities today.
Edward I. Torrez, AIA, LEED AP, is a registered architect and a principal at BauerLatoza Studio Ltd. Mr. Torrez has been specializing in Historic Preservation, Adaptive Reuse, Rehabilitation, Interior Renovation and Urban Planning projects for over 20 years. He has managed award-winning projects such as the Manhattan Building Restoration, Pullman School Restoration, and Old Market House State Historic Site in Galena, Illinois.
Hear Edward Torrez discuss Marktown in a WBEZ interview with Richard Steele
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West Humboldt Branch Library
courtesy: BauerLatoza Studio
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May 19
Chicago's Sustainable Branch Libraries
Basil Souder, AIA Lohan Anderson; Michael Elsen, ASLA, LEED AP BauerLatoza Studio
Lohan Anderson is leading a team including BauerLatoza Studio to design the building, site, and landscape for two new prototype libraries for the Chicago Public Library and the Public Building Commission of Chicago. Fully utilizing the potential of the design team LEED charette, the designs will provide positive sustainable design examples for their neighborhoods and the entire region.
Presented in partnership with
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Le Corbusier, Eileen Grey House
photo: Mary Brush
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May 13
The Restoration of Modern: The Buildings of Le Corbusier Pierre-Antoine Gatier, Chief Architect of Historic Monuments and General Inspector of Historic Monuments for portions of France
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Gatier is a member of the committee of experts for the protection of the works of Le Corbusier at the Foundation Le Corbusier, and includes Le Corbusier’s Maison la Roche in Paris among his responsibilities. He also oversees French-owned historic buildings in a number of countries outside France and led a French assistance team to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. Gatier shares his insight about preservation in France, with an emphasis on the conservation of Le Corbusier designs.
This event is co-sponsored by Historic Resources KC, the American Architectural Foundation, and Richard Morris Hunt Fellowship alumni

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Gordon Gill
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May 12
Transforming Systems Gordon Gill, AIA, Design Partner, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Gill of Chicago’s Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture discusses systems and strategies for reducing energy consumption and carbon within and between buildings and, ultimately, between city blocks. These concepts, which are part of the firm’s Chicago Decarbonization Plan, help articulate a transformative approach that integrates architecture, engineering, and urban planning to address energy and carbon management.
Presented in partnership with
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156 W Superior courtesy The Miller/Hull Partnership | |
May 11
The Contemporaine and 156 West Superior
Tour leaders: Curt Behnke, Senior Project Designer, Perkins + Will; and Mark Peters, Principal, Studio Dwell Architects |
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Don’t miss this rare opportunity to tour two residential buildings in the heart of River North. Our first stop is the penthouse unit of the Contemporaine, designed by Ralph Johnson of Perkins + Will. A modern sculpture built entirely of glass, steel, and concrete, it has been widely celebrated as a major departure from the typical Chicago high-rise. Our second stop is the innovative steel-and-glass tower at 156 W. Superior. This stunning mid-rise designed by Seattle-based Miller/Hull Partnership showcases an innovative exposed structural system.
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Chicago Riverwalk rendering
courtesy: Skidmore, Owings and Merrill LLP
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May 5
Chicago Riverwalk Richard Wilson, AICP, Urban Design Practice Leader, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP; Michelle Woods, Riverwalk Project Manager, Chicago Department of Transportation
Once completed, the Chicago Riverwalk will become a unique pedestrian waterfront that will be universally accessible and accommodate passive and active recreation. Join Wilson and Woods for an overview of the planning and development of new amenities along the Main Branch, which will result in a new civic focal point and green amenity for the city of Chicago.
Presented in partnership with
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Proposed Daniel Burnham Memorial courtesy David Woodhouse Architects
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May 1
Lakefront Walking Tour with Architect David Woodhouse
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Put on your walking shoes and join David Woodhouse, FAIA, President, David Woodhouse Architects, for a tour of several of his firm’s projects along Chicago’s lakefront. We will visit the DuSable Harbor Building, the visitor pavilions flanking Buckingham Fountain, and the front lawn of the Field Museum, where Woodhouse will describe his proposal for the Daniel Burnham Memorial. For those with unbounded energy, we’ll continue on to Burnham Harbor Park, where we’ll learn about his project for Gold Star Police Memorial Park.
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April 28
Soldier Field and the Hopes of Chicago
Liam T.A. Ford, Chicago Tribune reporter
The cultural significance of Chicago’s lakefront stadium goes well beyond the design of the original arena. Soldier Field and its place in Chicago history show how Chicagoans—and their less-than-reform-minded politicians—adopted the City Beautiful spirit of the Burnham Plan. Ford, who led the Chicago Tribune’s reporting on Soldier Field’s remaking, discusses the stadium’s complex history.
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April 27
Curator's Tour: Moholy: An Education of the Senses
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Join curator Carol Ehlers for a tour of Moholy: An Education of the Senses at the Loyola University Museum of Art, which presents photographs, films, paintings, books, and prints by László Moholy-Nagy—Modernism’s great pedagogical visionary, artist, and designer. Moholy came to Chicago to promote a progressive, experimental, and hands-on approach to art-making based on the philosophy of the Bauhaus. This exhibition allows visitors to experience his transformative vision.
Image at left: László Moholy-Nagy, Ellen Frank, 1929, gelatin silver print, Courtesy of George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film, Rochester, NY, © 2009 Artists Rights Society (ARS) New York/ VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
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Union Stockyard Gate
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April 24
Across Chicago's South Side Neighborhoods with Dominic Pacyga
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Join historian Dominic Pacyga to discover the rich variety of cultures that comprise our “City of Neighborhoods.” This six-hour bus tour will take you through some of the city's most famous and notorious neighborhoods with an eye on their historical past as well as the present. Starting in the Loop, the tour will travel south to Prairie Avenue, Bronzeville, Bridgeport, Back of the Yards, North Kenwood and beyond. We will stop for lunch at Francesca’s on Taylor Street.
Dominic Pacyga received his Ph.D. in history from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1981 and currently teaches American History at Columbia College Chicago. He has authored, or co-authored, five books concerning Chicago 's history, including Polish Immigrants and Industrial Chicago; Chicago: City of Neighborhoods, with Ellen Skerrett; Chicago: A Historical Guide to the Neighborhoods, with Glen Holt; Chicago's Southeast Side, with Rod Sellers, and Chicago: A Biography.
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April 21
The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond
David Swan, Chicago architect and author
Although Irving K. and Allen B. Pond—brothers and partners—are lesser-known architects compared with their contemporary Frank Lloyd Wright, they also built modern architecture that met the needs of late 19th and early 20th century Chicagoans. Join Swan as he presents graphic material that has not been seen for more than a century.
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Mural in Pilsen
photo: Anne Evans
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April 18
Pilsen by Bus and Foot
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Discover the neighborhood that has been home to many immigrants over a
170-year period. Each influx of new residents has left this community
with architecture and art that reflect the aspirations of those who
have come to live here. As a special member-only benefit, we will learn
about the work of the Resurrection Project, a community-based
organization. Lunch at a local restaurant combined with a discussion of
Pilsen’s mural history is included.
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| courtesy NHS/Historic Chicago Greystone Initiative
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April 17
The Care & Maintenance of Your Historic Masonry Home
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From greystones to bungalows, Chicago neighborhoods are defined by brick and stone buildings. However, many homeowners are uncertain of how to best preserve, maintain, and repair their historic masonry homes. Presented by Mario Machnicki, president and founder of Marion Restoration, this workshop will cover: common masonry deterioration problems; identifying priority repairs; best practices for cleaning, repointing, and masonry repairs; and establishing a scope of work for repair projects. With over 30 years experience, Mr. Machnicki has been featured in This Old House and the Chicago Tribune. | Presented in partnership with
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300 East Randolph from NE
photo: James Steinkamp, Steinkamp Photography
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April 14
300 East Randolph Vertical Completion
Joe Dolinar, Partner, Goettsch Partners; Lou Rossetti, Senior Project Manager, Walsh Construction; Jim D’Amico, Vice President, The John Buck Company
Chicagoans have watched the expansion of 300 East Randolph since 2006, as builders have nearly doubled the size of the massive building, adding 24 new floors to the original 33 stories. Learn about the challenges of this project, as well as the innovative features of the building’s original design that made the expansion possible.
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Main Hall, Driehaus Museum
photo: Steve Hall, Hedrich Blessing |
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April 7
Preserving the Past/Creating a Future: The Restoration of Chicago’s Marble Palace
David Bagnall, Director, The Richard H. Driehaus Museum
The Driehaus Museum immerses visitors in one of the grandest residential buildings of 19th century Chicago, the Gilded Age home of banker Samuel Mayo Nickerson. Once known as Chicago’s Marble Palace, the building was restored between 2003 and 2008 by Chicago philanthropist Richard H. Driehaus. Bagnall discusses the history and restoration of this historic landmark.
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| courtesy NHS/Historic Chicago Greystone Initiative
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April 3
Smart Building: Tips for Prioritizing Home Improvements, Choosing Contractors, and Minimizing Costly Surprises
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From priority repairs to increasing a home's "curb appeal", rehab season is fast approaching in Chicago. For many homeowners, this is also a time of anxiety and questions: What improvements should I make first? What are smart investments in a down market? Do I need a building permit? How do I find the right contractor?
Join Matt Cole and Cynthia Stewart of Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago as they share some smart tips for prioritizing projects, choosing contractors, and minimizing the chance of costly surprises. This workshop will focus on planning home improvements, developing a scope of work, finding and evaluating contractors, selecting bids, monitoring ongoing repairs, and troubleshooting potential problems.
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Presented in partnership with
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March 31
Walter Frazier: Frazier, Raftery, Orr & Fairbank Architects, Houses of Chicago’s North Shore, 1924–1970
Arthur Miller, archivist and Librarian for Special Collections, Lake Forest College; Kim Coventry, book producer and consultant
Miller and Coventry discuss the work of Walter Frazier, who designed stylish classic residences, clubs, and hotels, many on Chicago’s North Shore. His unique designs are significant for the unity of their fashionable exteriors, garden settings, and handsome interiors. A newly discovered firm photo archive brings the story of this work to colorful life.
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| courtesy NHS/Historic Chicago Greystone Initiative
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March 27
Greystone Preservation Workshop
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Like no other building type, greystones define the look and character of Chicago’s turn of the century neighborhoods. Many greystone owners have questions about how to best improve their homes while also preserving the architectural features that make them unique. To help address these questions, Neighborhood Housing Services (NHS), the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA) have developed a new Greystone Design Guidelines Booklet offering practical “Do and Don’t” guidance for planning your greystone rehabilitation projects. Please join Matt Cole from NHS, Chris Morris from the National Trust, and Anthony Rubano from IHPA for a workshop on using the design guidelines, as well as other historic preservation tools available to homeowners interested in rehab. |
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Presented in partnership with
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Joffrey Tower
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March 25
Joffrey Tower |
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Join us for this unique visit to Joffrey Tower (Booth Hansen Associates, 2008), home of The Joffrey Ballet. John Kurtz, Facility Manager of The Joffrey Ballet, will take us on an insider's tour of the state-of-the art rehearsal studios, black-box theater, costume room, and other rarely-seen facilities. We may also enjoy a sneak-peek at the dancers during their daily rehearsal (based on the company's availability). | |

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| Peter Kindel’s drawing (north view) of the proposed parkland and beach on the eastern edge of the old US Steel property (79th – 92nd) |
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March 24
Last Four Miles: Completing Chicago’s Lakefront Parks
Peter J. Kindel, AIA, ASLA, Director of Urban Design, Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture
Friends of the Parks launched the Last Four Miles Initiative to develop plans for closing the gaps in public access to lakefront parks on the south lakefront between Calumet Park and 71st Street; and on the north lakefront between Hollywood and the Evanston border. Kindel presents a plan for completing Chicago’s lakefront parks.
Presented in partnership with

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| courtesy NHS/Historic Chicago Greystone Initiative
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March 20
Greening Your Vintage Home
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Join Matt Cole of Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago (NHS) for a workshop on practical, affordable ways to green your vintage home. The workshop will highlight strategies for making homes more energy efficient, improving indoor air quality, and conserving resources. Matt will also discuss the mix of financial, technical, and historic preservation programming offered by NHS and other organizations.
A key goal of this workshop is to demonstrate how thoughtful improvements can enhance the performance and comfort of a vintage home, while preserving the materials and architectural details that make it unique.
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photo: ArcelorMittal
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March 17
Chicago: City of Steel
Damien Flynn, Vice President, Strategy and Integration, ArcelorMittal FCA
From the downtown skyscrapers to the Northwest Indiana mills, Chicago has a unique relationship with steel. Discover the role of steel in the city’s architectural and industrial history and hear how the steel industry is evolving to support the aspirations of Chicago and the creativity of its architects and engineers.
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Daniel Burnham Memorial
Rendering courtesy David Woodhouse Architects |
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March 10
The Daniel Burnham Memorial by David Woodhouse Architects
David Woodhouse, FAIA, President, David Woodhouse Architects
As part of the Burnham Plan Centennial, the Burnham Memorial Committee invited 20 international designers to submit concepts for a memorial honoring Daniel Burnham and his 1909 Plan of Chicago. David Woodhouse, FAIA will present his winning design, which will be built in front of the Field Museum.
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| March 3Edgar Miller and the Handmade Home
Richard Cahan and Michael Williams, authors
Miller was a Chicago artist and chief creator of the North Side artists' colony that evolved into Old Town. He also collaborated with architect Andrew Rebori on the façade of the Fisher Apartments and created glass-relief panels for the Diana Court. Cahan and Williams discuss Miller’s architectural works of art and offer a rare look into the homes he created.
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St. Boniface Church photo: Andy Marfia
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February 24
The 2010 Chicago 7 Most Endangered…
Jonathan Fine, Executive Director, Preservation Chicago
Each year in January, Preservation Chicago announces its list of most endangered buildings—the “Chicago 7”—in an effort to raise public awareness of the threats facing some of our city’s most at-risk architectural treasures. The list may include single buildings, unique neighborhoods, or even theme nominations such as last year’s entry, the “old-fashioned wooden window.”
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Oakland Landmark District, Chicago photo: Vincent L. Michael
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February 17
Community Activism and the Rise of Historic Districts
Vincent L. Michael, PhD, John H. Bryan Chair of Historic Preservation, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Michael's study of the history of historic districts in Chicago, New York, and throughout the U.S. offers new insights into historic preservation. In this lecture, Michael illustrates how community activists transformed preservation from an antiquarian, art historical concern into a planning tool used by neighborhoods to craft a sort of democracy of the built environment.
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Feburary 11
Exploring Chicago's History
A lecture by Dominic A. Pacyga
Pacyga discusses the history and character of Chicago in this illustrated lecture based on his new book, Chicago: A Biography, which traces the city’s storied past, from the explorations of Joliet and Marquette in 1673 to the new wave of urban pioneers today.
Born and raised in Back of the Yards on Chicago’s southwest side, Pacyga spent his college years working at the Union Stock Yards. Chicago, therefore, gives voice not only to the city’s great industrialists, reformers, and politicians, but also to the city’s steelyard workers and kill floor operators. And their stories come alive through an extensive selection of evocative illustrations culled from major institutional archives, local historical societies, and the author’s personal collection.
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February 10
The Skyscraper and the Modern City: Chicago and New York
Gail Fenske, professor of architecture, School of Architecture, Art & Historic Preservation, Roger Williams University; Joanna Merwood-Salisbury, assistant professor, Parsons The New School for Design
Merwood-Salisbury and Fenske discuss their new books, Chicago 1890: The Skyscraper and the Modern City and The Skyscraper and the City: The Woolworth Building and the Making of Modern New York. The authors use iconic early skyscrapers as lenses through which to view the distinctive cultures of Chicago and New York at the turn of the twentieth century.
Presented in partnership with the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts
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| February 6
Chicago Lakefront Bus Tour
TOUR LEADERS
Michael Chrzastowski, Ph.D., Senior Coastal Geologist, Illinois State Geological Survey
Eleanor Roemer, Friends of the Parks
The 1909 publication of the Plan of Chicago provided a vision for the development of the Chicago lakefront as a shore devoted to public access, recreation, and aesthetics. What this tour will investigate is how the present lakeshore and its construction history compares with what Daniel Burnham and Edward Bennett proposed, and what aspects of their vision were either practical or impractical based on coastal geology, coastal processes, and coastal engineering.
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The University of Chicago won a 2008 Patron of the Year award for its South Campus Chiller Plant, designed by Murphy/Jahn photo: Doug Snower
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February 3
2009 Patron of the Year Awards: An Overview of Those Who Brought Great Architecture to Chicago
Unique among architecture awards, the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Patron of the Year awards honor business and civic leaders who, by commissioning and financing buildings, significantly contribute to Chicago’s built environment. Hear jury members and winners of the 2009 awards discuss the relationship between clients and designers as they partner to create exciting, new architecture in Chicago.
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February 2
For Better or For Worse: Architects in Love
Does love spark creativity? Does romance make great architecture? Get ready for Valentine’s Day at the Chicago Architecture Foundation with a tour deep into the heart of design partnership. Three prominent Chicago architectural couples reveal the joys and sorrows of working under Cupid’s wing.
Moderated by AIA Chicago’s Executive Director, Zurich Esposito
PARTICIPANTS:
Stanley Tigerman and Margaret McCurry of Tigerman McCurry Architects
Martin Felsen and Sarah Dunn of UrbanLab
Joe Valerio of Valerio Dewalt Train Associates and Linda Searl of Searl Lamaster Howe Architects

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Northwest incinerator
photo: Robert Bruegmann
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January 27
Great Chicago Planning Disasters
Robert Bruegmann, PhD, Professor
of Art History, Architecture and Urban Planning, University
of Illinois at Chicago
Most urban planning works pretty much as intended, however, in some cases it misses the target or even backfires. In this lecture, Bruegmann looks at some of these Chicagoland planning "mistakes" including the Crosstown Freeway, South Side urban renewal, the State Street mall, the Zion nuclear power plant, and the Northwest municipal waste incinerator.
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Yannell Residence
photo: Christopher Barrett
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January 20
Greening New and Old:
Two Chicago Examples of Sustainable Design
Jonathan Boyer, Principal, Farr Associates
This presentation explores two groundbreaking projects: The Yannell Net Zero Energy Residence and the Shaw Technology and Learning Center (STLC). The Yannell Residence is a newly constructed home producing more energy than it consumes, while STLC is the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the historic Sears power plant into a sustainable high school.
In partnership with: 
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January 13
Blueprint for Disaster: The Unraveling of Chicago Public Housing
D. Bradford Hunt, Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Social Science, Roosevelt University
What went wrong with public housing in Chicago? To answer this complicated question, Hunt traces public housing’s history in Chicago from its New Deal roots through current mayor Richard M. Daley’s Plan for Transformation. In the process, he chronicles the Chicago Housing Authority’s own transformation from the city’s most progressive government agency to its largest slumlord.
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January 6
The Jewel of the Gold Coast: Mrs. Potter Palmer's Chicago
Sally Sexton Kalmbach, Chicago historian
Discover the rich architectural history of Chicago's magnificent Gold Coast while tracing the footsteps of famous society matron and leading lady of the World's Columbian Exposition—Mrs. Potter Palmer. Kalmbach shares stories of this fascinating neighborhood at the height of its fame, highlighting many of the houses that played host to pivotal events in 19th century Chicago.
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