OUR STAFF
PATTI SWANSON Founder & Executive Director Patti Swanson is an architectural historian, educator, preservation enthusiast, and bookmaker living in Chicago. Raised near Austin, Texas, Patti came to Chicago in 2011 to pursue a degree in art history at School of the Art Institute of Chicago and stayed for the city's rich history, friendly people, and balmy winters. She worked as a tour guide for four years in various capacities before starting Chicago for Chicagoans in 2016. Patti strongly believes in making history inclusive & accessible to everyone, and is best described as "Shazam for buildings." |
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ERICA RUGGIERO
Board President McKinley Park, Edgewater, industrial history, transportation expert, and well-versed in historic pollution |
KORENA DILL
Board Member Roscoe Village, bike and running paths, and boundless enthusiasm |
LEYLA ROYALE
Board Member Andersonville, Uptown, theatres, music, population growth, and historic deaths |
JULIANA GLASSCO
Board Member Logan Square, historic religious spaces, and preservation |
OUR COLLABORATORS
ANTHONY ALFARO
West Ridge, Rogers Park, cartography, deltiology |
BEN ARCHER
Ravenswood, financial history, criminals, and more |
AVA BATTOCCHIO
Trains, busses, advertising, and vintage attire |
WENDY BRIGHT
Rogers Park, commerce, and our Milwaukee connection |
PAUL DAILING
Political history, corruption, and vintage journalism |
LIZ GARIBAY
Old Town, Chicago, and all things booze & brews |
MANDY GOLEC
Women's history, queer history, & much, much more |
LIZ GOMEZ
Pilsen, Chicago artists, and civic pride in Chicago |
BEATRICE HARDY
Pullman, black history, and civic pride in Chicago |
MARGARET HICKS
Printer's Row, the Pedway, and badass winter tours |
WALTER KIEFER
Lakeview, insurance maps, and historical sleuthing |
DEBBIE LIU
Chinatown, South Loop, and urban planning |
BARRY LOVE
Roscoe Village, genealogy, and the Pencil Factory |
TIM MORAN
Beverly, Morgan Park, Mt. Greenwood, the South Side Irish, and hyper-local journalism |
ELIZABETH NIETO & AUDREY MARQUEZ
Albany Park community activists & Spanish speakers |
SAM PRESTIGIACOMO
Edgewater, Rogers Park, queer history, ghost stories, and Jewish history |
WILL QUAM
More about Chicago Brick and building materials than you thought possible |
BILL SAVAGE
Rogers Park, the World's Fair, neighborhood taverns, Nelson Algren, and more |
LAURA SCHUETZ
Pilsen, Cultural Geography, historic religious spaces, and preservation |
ADAM SELZER
All things cemeteries, serial killers, gangsters, true crime, and ghosts |
AMY SIMONEAU
Prairie Avenue, Armour Square, and Hyde Park |
BLANCA TORRES
Pilsen, education, and community activism |
VITALIY VLADMIROV
Uptown, Edgewater, urban planning, and queer history |
OUR EXTREMELY HELPFUL FRIENDS
LOREN ROSEWSKI
Principal Photographer |
STEPHANIE SIMS
Volunteer Extraordinaire |
OLIVIA SOBIERAJ
Volunteer Extraordinaire |
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