Today we have a broad palette of colors for buildings. But it wasn’t always that way. You may know that paint color was historically limited, so it is understandable that other materials would have limited colors as well. In fact, material types have in some cases created regional identities. For example, the Chicago common brick.… Read More Cream City

One of my favorite things at the end of the year is looking back at the places I’ve discovered. In particular, it’s fun to see what places and pictures resonated most with you! Here’s a round-up of my top five posts this year. 1. Lincoln’s Law Office: Bringing Ghost Signs Back to Life. This post… Read More Best of 2019

Springfield, Illinois, is a small city but it is Illinois’ state capitol and has the history to go with it. Among its varied historic sites you will find a Lincoln mecca. If you stop through, don’t just stop by the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum (though definitely stop there–it’s great). The hidden gem of a… Read More 5 Reasons to Visit the Lincoln Home Historic Site

Historic colors can be contentious. One of the biggest misnomers about historic preservation regulation is that homeowners will be restricted in paint color. While this is true in some places via local ordinances, it is not true for National Register properties or many local historic districts (including those in Marblehead, MA, and Oak Park, IL).… Read More Early American Houses: Why so Dark?

The Longaberger Company may have gone out of business in 2018 but they left a large reminder of their products just east of Newark, Ohio, in the form of a seven-story version of the Longaberger medium market basket. Not only is the building known as the world’s largest basket, it’s also one of the largest… Read More Sometimes Architecture’s a Picnic (Literally)

The Old State Capitol is firmly rooted in Illinois, with its local, eye-catching limestone, but it has watched scenes of national significance unfold. Built in 1839, the Old State Capitol is across the street from President Lincoln’s law office. It is where President Lincoln gave his “House Divided” speech and headquartered his presidential campaign. After… Read More An Illinois Building that Watched History

The Lincoln Tomb, in Springfield, Illinois, had the unique situation for a tomb of being immediately popular. This was not without problem, on an infrastructure level and on a safety level (two robbers attempted, and luckily failed, to steal Lincoln’s body for ransom in 1876). As a result, the site of the Lincoln Tomb is… Read More The Other Buildings at the Lincoln Tomb

Springfield, Illinois, is perhaps best known for its association with President Abraham Lincoln. It is home to Lincoln’s house, office, and tomb. Its historically significant architecture, however, do not stop there. In 1902, just 41 years after Lincoln was elected president and moved from Springfield to Washington, DC, a woman named Susan Lawrence commissioned Frank… Read More Discovering the Dana Thomas House

Lake Geneva is known, among other things, as “the Newport of the Midwest.” So it should come as no surprise that, like Newport, its historic summer mansions left by the 19th century’s elite are balanced by a public walking trail that encircles the entire lake. Much like Newport’s Cliff Walk, the trail primarily skirts backyards… Read More A Historic Trail Through the Midwest’s Best Backyards: Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

This weekend, a selection Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings joined the Unesco World Heritage List. The listing, named the 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, includes eight buildings across the United States: Unity Temple (Oak Park, IL) Robie House (Chicago, IL) Taliesin (Spring Green, WI) Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House (Madison, WI) Fallingwater (Mill Run, PA) Hollyhock House (Los Angeles,… Read More Frank Lloyd Wright: New UNESCO World Heritage Site