OUR VOLUNTEER 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. |
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ANTHONY ALFARO Assistant Events Manager Anthony Alfaro was born and raised in Chicago's West Ridge neighborhood. After years of attending our events and leading North side neighborhood tours, Anthony joined our tiny-but-mighty volunteer administrative staff in 2022! When he's not exploring Midwestern backroads looking for thrifted treasures, professing his love for Woodstock, or sifting through Sanborn maps, you can probably find him at a local bar downing vintage cocktails and waxing poetic about Marshall Fields. 
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OLIVIA SOBIERAJ Marketing Manager Olivia Sobieraj grew up hearing stories of various Chicago buildings and projects from her architect mom, Jacki. After graduating from Indiana University in 2016 with a degree in Marketing and French, Olivia began studying Chicago history in her spare time and eagerly regaling her family and friends with tales of the city. When not at her day job, where she focuses on Brand and Marketing for a Big 4 firm, Olivia enjoys learning about architectural preservation and equitable access to resources. Olivia has worked with Chicago for Chicagoans since 2018 in various positions, from unofficial French/English translator, to volunteer lecture coordinator, and now as a certified tour guide. In her humble opinion, there is nothing more joyful than to share a good story about her home with friends! |
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 Hyde Park, Armour Square, Ravenswood, scholar of the best playgrounds in town |
(MOST OF) OUR COLLABORATORS
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BEN ARCHER
Ravenswood, financial history, criminal history |
AVA BATTOCCHIO
Trains, busses, advertising, and vintage attire |
WENDY BRIGHT
Rogers Park, commerce, and our Milwaukee connection |
LANCE BAKER
Acting history, shenanigans, strikes, and controversies |
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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 |
ELSA HAARSTAD
Public housing history & vernacular architecture |
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MS. BEA
Pullman, black history, and civic pride in Chicago |
MARGARET HICKS
Printer's Row, the Pedway, and badass winter tours |
WALTER KIEFER
Lakeview, trains, planes, ships, & industrial history |
DEBBIE LIU
Chinatown, South Loop, and urban planning |
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BARRY LOVE
Roscoe Village, Edgewater, newspaper archive and genealogy fiend |
TIM MORAN
Beverly/Morgan Park area, local news buff, South Side Irish history |
EMMA NIPPE
Northsider, residential architecture lover, and safe streets advocate |
EMILY O'KEEFE DAVENPORT
Hegewisch resident, literature history aficionado |
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SAM PRESTIGIACOMO
Edgewater, queer & Jewish history, ghosts and pirates |
WILL QUAM
More about Chicago Brick and building materials than you thought possible |
GIOVINA ROMANDINE
Portage Park enthusiast & local event planner |
MARIA AVILA RISOLUTE
West Town, Albany Park, music venues, and more |
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ARMEL SAGBOHAN
Architecture, design, community planning, and Pullman |
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 |
BLANCA TORRES
Pilsen, education, and community activism |
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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 |