Landmarks Illinois, the state's "leading voice for historic preservation" for the past 40 years, has released its annual list of the top 10 most endangered historic places in Illinois. According to the group, this year's list includes sites that are threatened not just by deterioration, but by government entities and the "continuing foreclosure crisis." more ›

We are deeply committed to historic preservation - but you know what's even better than touring beautiful old buildings? Touring beautiful old buildings and then drinking beer. The Chicago Architecture Foundation, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Landmarks Illinois, is pairing walking tours of the loop with stops at different downtown pubs. "Preservation and Pubs" will showcase the issues surrounding historic preservation, and will include buildings "both familiar and unnoticed." There are three different routes, and each tour lasts an hour. The "west route" ends at the Sky-Ride Lounge, the "south route" ends at Kasey's and the "north route" ends at Cardozo's Pub. After the tour, participants will have an opportunity to grab a few beers and talk about the tour, the particular pub and its history, and the work of Landmarks Illinois. more ›

Landmarks Illinois is hosting a historic pub crawl of Bridgeport taverns this evening. Walking tours are great ways to discover new neighborhoods and walking around Bridgeport did wonders for me when I first moved to the neighborhood eleven years ago. So did visiting some of the taverns like Shinnick's, Bernice's Tavern (pictured), Schaller's Pump, Catcher's, Maria's and Mitchell's Tap (the bar formerly known as Puffer's). If Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, then a pub crawl through one of the oldest is a fine way to spend a Friday evening. more ›

On Jan. 31, when we heard that the city’s landmarks ordinance was in peril, we started digging into the 300-plus-page filing. Turns out that while developer and city residents Albert Hanna and Carol Mrowka may have a point about the constitutionality of the ordinance, their actions might be undoing much more than they ever expected. Citywide, more than 9,000 property owners are affected by some part of the ordinance as it stands. Some see it as a burden, and fight the districting of their properties. Others use the ordinance to their advantage, and put the various tax breaks to good use. more ›

Landmarks Illinois, "the state’s leading voice for historic preservation," released the 2008 edition of their Endangered Landmarks list today and, keeping with the same counting rules as the Big 10, the Top 10 list actually features 11 buildings. The last-second, list-expanding addition? Wrigley Field. The addition was made in response to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority's interest in purchasing, and subsequently renovating, the stadium. In total, the city of Chicago has four buildings on the list: the Chicago Daily News Building (400-442 W. Madison St.), the Germania Club & Village Theatre (1536-1550 N. Clark St.), the Michigan Avenue Streetwall (Michigan Avenue, from Randolph St. to 11th St.), and the aforementioned Home of the Cubs (1060 W. Addison St.). In case you're counting, that's two buildings on the list owned by the omnipresent Sam Zell: the Chicago Daily News Building and Wrigley. more ›