OUR STAFF
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PATTI SWANSON Founder & Executive Director Patti Swanson is an artist, historian, educator, event planner, and brickophile. Raised near Austin, Texas, Patti came to Chicago to pursue a degree in art history at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She stayed to explore her Midwestern roots, to research the city's rich history, to eat all the food, befriend all the people, and shovel a shitload of snow. She has been giving tours in Chicago since 2012, and strives to make community history inclusive & accessible to everyone. In her care are two cats, several chickens, and a sourdough starter named Susan Yeast Anthony. |
OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
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JULIANA GLASSCO
Board Member Logan Square, historic religious spaces, and preservation |
LEYLA ROYALE
Board Member Andersonville, Uptown, theatres, music, population growth, and historic deaths |
AMY SIMONEAU
Board Member Prairie Avenue lover, Armour Square resident, and spreadsheet wizard |
(MOST OF) OUR COLLABORATORS
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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 |
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LANCE BAKER
Sports, shenanigans, strikes, and controversies |
MANDY CRYPT
Women's history, queer history, & Victoriana |
PAUL DAILING
Political history, corruption, and vintage journalism |
LIZ GARIBAY
Old Town, Chicago, and all things booze & brews |
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ELSA HAARSTAD
Public housing history & vernacular architecture |
MS. BEA
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 |
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DEBBIE LIU
Chinatown, South Loop, and urban planning |
BARRY LOVE
Roscoe Village, genealogy, and the Pencil Factory |
TIM MORAN
Beverly/Morgan Park area & South Side Irish history |
EMILY O'KEEFE DAVENPORT
Hegwitch & literature history |
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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 |
ADAM SELZER
All things cemeteries, serial killers, gangsters, true crime, and ghosts |
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OLIVIA SOBIERAJ
Speakeasy hostess extraordinare & resident Lincoln Park expert |
BLANCA TORRES
Pilsen, education, and community activism |
VITALIY VLADMIROV
Uptown, Edgewater, urban planning, and queer history |
OUR EXTREMELY HELPFUL FRIENDS
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STEPHANIE SIMS
Speakeasy hostess and super volunteer |
LOREN ROSEWSKI
Principal Photographer |
HAYWARD SUGGS
Principal Videographer |
LAURA SCHUETZ
Co-creator, Cultural Geography program |
ELIZABETH NIETO
AUDREY MARQUEZ Albany Park historians & Spanish translators |
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KORENA DILL
Our #1 biggest fan |
SHEIKA LUGTU
Merch Queen |