Historic Preservation in Chicago

The Arthur B. Heurtley House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, in Oak Park, Illinois, the subject of an ASLA Annual Meeting field session image: Alexandra Hay
The Arthur B. Heurtley House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, in Oak Park, Illinois–the subject of an ASLA Annual Meeting field session
image: Alexandra Hay

I look forward to seeing all our members and new colleagues in Chicago for the 2015 ASLA Annual Meeting and EXPO, and I hope you will attend the Historic Preservation Professional Practice Network (HP PPN) meeting on Saturday, November 7 from 12:45 to 2:15pm. We will be sharing the new initiatives that the leadership group has been working on, and we hope to hear about the work of members as well.

Storytelling Your Project. Please consider submitting a brief paragraph describing one or more of your current or recent projects. We will a few submissions and ask that you prepare 3 images and present these in a brief 3-minute story to the members at the HP PPN meeting in Chicago. Submit your paragraph to Alexandra Hay, Professional Practice Coordinator at ASLA, by this Friday, October 23.

Share Your Perspectives in Chicago!

‘Perspectives,’ the theme of the Annual Meeting, is particularly relevant to our PPN’s collective work in cultural resources and historic preservation, providing multiple tours and sessions on landscapes of contrast and comparison. Please join colleagues and friends in Chicago for discussions and dialogue on current issues and ideas in our design and planning for historic places.

Many field sessions and events explore Chicago’s rich history and cultural development from ‘Paris on the Prairie’ to the ‘Second City.’ Education sessions offer insight into a range of relevant topics: cultural authenticity, maintenance and funding strategies, past successes that inform future needs, and more.

Events: Meet colleagues, connect with old friends, and make new acquaintances at these events. Let’s get the word out—historic landscapes and cultural resources are current and fundamental to landscape architecture and ASLA.

TCLF’s Lake Forest: Prelude to Modernism
Friday, November 6, 9:30am to 6:30pm
Reception: 4:30 to 6:30pm

SITES™ Workshop
Friday, November 6, 1:00 to 5:00pm

PPN Networking Reception
Friday, November 6, 5:30 to 7:30pm

Opening General Session: The Making of 10 Parks that Changed America
Saturday, November 7, 8:00 to 9:00am

Historic Preservation PPN Meeting
Saturday, November 7, 12:45 to 2:15pm

EXPO Reception featuring the Alumni Tailgate
Saturday, November 7, 4:30 to 6:00pm

ASLA/LAND8 Event
Sunday, November 8, 9:00pm to 1:00am

Women in Landscape Architecture Walk
Monday, November 9, 7:00 to 8:30am

Field Sessions: Chicago’s cultural history is revealed in its infrastructure and surrounding neighborhoods. These field sessions offer ideas and opportunities for dialogue on layering contemporary needs and design with historically significant places. Sign up, explore, and engage!

FS-003 – Between Loop and Lake: Great Downtown Chicago Landscapes (SOLD OUT)
FS-006 – Chicago by Boat: Industry, Community, and Urban Transformation
FS-007 – Vibrant Open Spaces in Chicago’s Cultural Neighborhoods
FS-009 – Oak Park’s Engaging Streets and Recreational Spaces
FS-015 – Walking the 606 (SOLD OUT)
FS-016 – Walking the Riverwalk: Connecting People to the Chicago River

Education Sessions: Cultural and historic influences, connections between built and extant sites, and ideas of integrating the new and old are all relevant to cultural landscapes. Some of these education sessions are clearly historic preservation, and others are interesting for how they inform our practice. All seem worthy of discussion and inquiry.

FRI-B08 – Cuba Calling: Landscape Architecture in an Open Cuba
FRI-C06 – The Landscape of Gentrification
FRI-D01 – Raw Las Vegas: Stripping Away Fantasy to Expose Authentic Identity
FRI-D10 – Landscape, Public Space, and Identity: The Present Future Condition
SAT-A01 – Beyond Burnham: Reinventing Three Iconic Landscapes for Chicago’s Next Millennium
SAT-B09 – The Devil Is in the Details: Documenting and Delivering a Legacy Project
MON-A01 – Designing for Cultural Identity: Chicago Case Studies
MON-B08 – Public Parks and Private Partners: United They Stand?
*MON-B09 – Centennial Lessons: The National Park Service and Forest Preserves of Cook County
MON-C04 – Green Stormwater Infrastructure Redefines the Post-Industrial Urban Landscape
*MON-C07 – Historicism in Garden Design: Preservation, Pragmatism or Pastiche?
*MON-D03 – Legacy Cities: Applying Landscape Metrics to Guide Rightsizing Decision

*Listed within Historic Preservation/Restoration topic area

Historic-related Places Worth a Visit: Chicago has a comprehensive public-transit system. Many of these places are accessible within 30 to 45 minutes.

City:

Suburban:

by Tina Bishop, ASLA, Historic Preservation PPN Chair

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