South Side Neighborhoods Tour Questions Answered
One of my favorite of our private tours is the Neighborhoods and Cultural Diversity South Side Tour, because I get to take people to explore some of the South Side neighborhoods where I have lived, worked and studied. Even being a history enthusiast and a Chicago native, I still need to research a question from my tour […]
Best Chicago Books for Smart Holiday Gifts
The best Chicago books always make great holiday gifts. Happily, the Detours staff are voracious readers of Chicago books on history, architecture and culture, so we have recommendations for the best new Chicago books on those very topics. These selections, which delve into the city’s past and present, are just the thing for those who […]
Looking Back at Sears Company Buildings in Chicago
Sears, the landmark Chicago-based retailer, has teetered on the brink of liquidation for months. Apparently, $5 billion from its current chairman’s hedge fund will keep the company afloat (for now). The retail giant impacted Chicago’s history and economy, but we often overlook its impact on our built environment. We decided to explore the Sears company […]
Jackson Park and the Battle Over Historic Preservation
Jackson Park is currently the focal point of a contentious civic debate. The Obama Presidential Center and a new Tiger Woods-branded golf course are about to remake the historic park. Preservationists, most notably Preservation Chicago, and neighborhood community groups have been pushing back against these plans. I attended Preservation Chicago’s announcement of its annual endangered […]
Prairie Avenue Chicago: The City’s First Neighborhood of Mansions
Maybe you’ve heard of the elite Gold Coast neighborhood on the Near North Side, but how about the Historic District of Prairie Avenue? Potter Palmer constructed a million-dollar mansion on the formerly-swampy Lake Shore Drive in 1882, establishing the city’s most affluent neighborhood on the North Side. Still, it wasn’t Chicago’s first affluent neighborhood. Before […]