We kick off the first installment of our Black Voices Book Club series with a new biography on a Black woman whose legend looms large in Chicago. And it’s written by Michelle Duster, her great-granddaughter.
chicago history
Jan 19, 2021 |
A museum honoring the “father of modern Chicago blues” is headed to North Kenwood. Family members of the late musician Muddy Waters tell us what’s in store for the MOJO Museum.
Dec 30, 2020 |
From the pandemic to protests to the power of nature, 2020 has been a year for the history books. We take a look back at the year that was — warts and all.
Dec 17, 2020 |
When it comes to designing buildings, form may follow function, but that doesn’t mean function has to be without form. Geoffrey Baer joins us with the story of the O’Brien Water Reclamation Plant and other ornamented utility buildings.
Dec 14, 2020 |
Renaming 17 miles of Lake Shore Drive for Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, Chicago’s first permanent non-Indigenous settler, would be a massive undertaking without precedent in the city’s history, city officials told aldermen Friday.
Dec 13, 2020 |
The owner of Gerri’s Palm Tavern appeared in a few WTTW features over the years, including a 1987 special about 47th Street called “Precious Memories.” We revisit that conversation.
Dec 10, 2020 |
Geoffrey Baer has the story of a famous wagon supply company once based in Chicago.
Dec 1, 2020 |
A rancorous debate that stretched for more than 18 months ended Tuesday with a unanimous vote of the City Council’s Zoning Committee to reject an effort to landmark more than 900 buildings and murals in Pilsen.
Nov 19, 2020 |
Taking in the city’s expanse via drone, the special explores Chicago’s famous grid system, its industrial legacy, and the natural areas that weave through the dense urban jungle.
Nov 12, 2020 |
Angles, curves, one ways and dead ends. Chicago’s street system has long been a source of pride for the city’s residents. Geoffrey Baer has more on the history and quirks of the city’s street system.
Blacks in Green buys home, plans to create international heritage pilgrim site
The former Woodlawn home of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, is now in the hands of the nonprofit Blacks in Green. Founder Naomi Davis shares the group’s vision for the historic site.
Nov 8, 2020 |
A shoe store on the city’s South Side is celebrating 50 years as the only independent Black-owned shoe retailer in the country. We go for a visit.
Oct 28, 2020 |
For more than a year, documentary filmmaker Steve James and his collaborators fanned out across Chicago at a pivotal moment. James tells us about the resulting five-part series that premieres this week on NatGeo and Hulu.
Oct 27, 2020 |
A tucked-away street on the city's South Side is a time capsule from the days before the neighborhood was even part of Chicago. Geoffrey Baer explains.
Oct 18, 2020 |
Is the HBO horror series on your binge-watching list? Architecture critic and author Lee Bey unpacks the hidden history of the new show.
Oct 15, 2020 |
Geoffrey Baer takes a look at the redesigned event in the latest Ask Geoffrey.
