Join the City of Chicago’s First Preservation Expo

In celebration of National Historic Preservation Month, the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) invites all Chicagoans to the 2024 Chicago Preservation Expo, featuring WTTW host and producer Geoffrey Baer. The event will provide resources to help Chicago residents preserve and protect Chicago's historic character.

Saturday, May 18
10 am-2 pm
Keynote Address: 12 pm

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law
Thorne Auditorium
375 E. Chicago Ave.

Drop in anytime during this free event to connect with City staff, community and nonprofit organizations, professional service providers and trades experts at the forefront of historic preservation in Chicago. Learn more about the field of historic preservation and how you can access resources to help start or advance your own preservation projects. Then, attend Geoffrey Baer’s keynote address at 12pm in Northwestern Pritzker Law’s Thorne Auditorium.

Questions? Email DPD@CityofChicago.org.

Geoffrey Baer is an eight-time Emmy-winning public television writer, producer and program host. He has been a fixture on Chicago’s PBS station WTTW for 30 years, best known as the host and writer of WTTW’s popular specials about the architecture and history of Chicago and its suburban areas.  His work includes more than 25 feature-length “television tours” including “Chicago by ‘L’,” “The Chicago River Tour” and “Chicago on Vacation.”  Geoffrey hosted the WTTW series “The Great Chicago Quiz Show” and appeared for years on WTTW’s flagship nightly public affairs program, “Chicago Tonight,” answering viewers’ questions about Chicago architecture and history in a segment called “Ask Geoffrey.” Nationally, he hosted the PBS primetime series “10 that Changed America” about the built environment across the country. He also hosted and co-wrote the PBS primetime special “Weekend in Havana.”

Geoffrey has been a docent for the Chicago Architecture Center since 1987. In addition to his Emmy Awards, he has been honored by the American Institute of Architects Chicago, the Society of Architectural Historians, the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Chicago Headline Club.

Every May, preservation organizations and government agencies celebrate Preservation Month to promote the benefits of historic places. In 1973, the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the U.S. Congress designated May 6-12 as National Preservation Week. In 2005, Preservation Week was extended to the entire month of May.  

Learn more about DPD’s Historic Preservation Division.

Located at 375 E. Chicago Ave., Northwestern Pritzker School of Law is a 12-minute walk from the Chicago Red Line station at Chicago Avenue and State Street and is accessible by the #66 bus.

A nearby parking garage is located at Superior and St. Clair streets.

More detailed transit information is available on Northwestern Pritzker Law’s website.