Latest Reporting
Recent reporting on preservation, redevelopment, demolition, public decisions, and the places changing across the region.
Watchlist Blog
The record of 622 Graceland Avenue retains a history of mail, federal services and local journalism after demolition began in June 2026.
The record of 622 Graceland Avenue retains a history of mail, federal services and local journalism after demolition began in June 2026.
Watchlist Blog
The former C.B. & Q. roundhouse connects Aurora’s railroad landscape with the later work of rehabilitation and public reuse.
The former C.B. & Q. roundhouse connects Aurora’s railroad landscape with the later work of rehabilitation and public reuse.
Watchlist Blog
The former library’s restoration makes architectural evidence part of Waukegan’s public history, alongside the objects and archives inside.
The former library’s restoration makes architectural evidence part of Waukegan’s public history, alongside the objects and archives inside.
Watchlist Blog
Harry Weese’s municipal building offers a suburban history of government expressed through modest scale, shared space and material choices.
Harry Weese’s municipal building offers a suburban history of government expressed through modest scale, shared space and material choices.
Watchlist Blog
Pittsburgh’s market neighborhood preserves clues to the rail yards, warehouses and transactions that shaped its streets.
Pittsburgh’s market neighborhood preserves clues to the rail yards, warehouses and transactions that shaped its streets.
Watchlist Blog
On Mount Washington, Chatham Village connects garden planning with the ownership and maintenance of a residential landscape.
On Mount Washington, Chatham Village connects garden planning with the ownership and maintenance of a residential landscape.
Location Posts
Public place records with maps, source notes, historical context, current status, and related reading.
Research Record
Updated 2026
An airfield’s evolution shows how regional development depends on connected systems, from aircraft aprons to drainage and air traffic control.
Research Record
Updated 2026
A postmodern state office building tests how a corporate conversion can sustain an urban gathering place.
Research Record
Updated 2026
Amtrak’s proposed Midwest Maintenance Facility brings federal rail investment, a changed industrial use, and neighborhood concerns into the same narrow corridor.
Research Record
Updated 2026
A September 2026 ballpark concept places baseball on Amtrak’s current riverfront yard, linking a possible move by the White Sox to a separate rail...
Research Record
Updated 2026
The museum’s Strip District building began in the commercial ice trade, linking today’s cultural institution to an earlier network of rail shipments, storage, and...
Research Record
Updated 2026
The incline’s two stations preserve a working connection between the river level and Mount Washington, with a history of neighborhood transport and community rescue.