Work
Redefining the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal
Illinois
More than a century after the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal was opened to reverse the flow of the Chicago River away from Lake Michigan, Preservation Futures is working with a diverse group of advocates to redefine the 28-mile waterway to more broadly support human, ecological, and economic health.
Don Tosi Survey
Chicago Area
Don Tosi was a student of the legendary architect Bruce Goff and builder of his Landmark Ford House in Aurora, Illinois. Later in his career, he built prodigiously through the western part of the Chicago area in a prairie-modern style adapted to suit the needs of his clients settling in the expanding suburbs.
Black Panther Party Heritage Trail in Illinois
Illinois
Working with the Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party (HPS), Preservation Futures is helping to tell the story of the Party's work throughout the state by connecting sites where, more often than not, no physical trace exists.
Yes And...
Columbus, IN
Preservation Futures were curatorial partners for Yes And, the fifth cycle of Exhibit Columbus. A program of the nonprofit organization Landmark Columbus Foundation, Exhibit Columbus is an internationally recognized two-year cycle of community, architecture, art, and design exhibitions and events.
I-80 Des Plaines River Bridge Community Plan
Joliet, IL
The I-80 Des Plaines River Bridge Community Plan is a partnership between the City of Joliet and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to address community improvements in the neighborhoods surrounding the I-80 Des Plaines River Bridge.
Chesapeake Mapping Initiative
Chesapeake Bay Watershed
The Chesapeake Mapping Initiative is intended to ensure that places important to Black Americans are better represented in historic preservation and land conservation priorities in the Chesapeake Bay region, and ultimately that more of these places are recognized and protected.
Joliet Area African American Historic Context Study
Joliet, IL
Preservation Futures is working with the city of Joliet, IL, on a historic context study that documents the history and culture of the Joliet area Black community.
Hammy Wammy
Chicago, IL
For this high-style studio and gallery for 80s Deco Limited, we worked to develop a meticulously researched and sourced collection of interiors from the 1980s and 90s.
Ward Chapel AME Church of Cairo
Cairo, IL
The Ward Chapel A.M.E. Church of Cairo played a significant role in the history of enslaved people's search for freedom through the underground railroad, and in the American Civil Rights movement.
Will County Courthouse
Joliet, IL
The Will County Courthouse is the first Brutalist building in the State of Illinois to be nominated to the National Register of Historic Places.
Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ
Chicago, IL
Preservation Futures worked to establish the national significance of Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ as part of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument established by President Biden in 2023.
Be Careful, I Always Am
Chicago, IL
Inspired by the call and response of a guardian and their ward, Be Careful, I Always Am highlights the necessity of care and safety in the architected environment.
The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley House
Chicago, IL
The story of Emmett Till’s murder in Money, Mississippi, in 1955 and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley's forgiveness of his killers, intimately links Chicago and its Black community to the Civil Rights Movement.
Beacon House
Chicago, IL
For this renovation of an 1890s Chicago house, we partnered with Keefer Dunn Architects and 80s Deco Limited to interpret the long history and prepare for a longer future for the home.
East Side Tap
Chicago, IL
The East Side Tap is a new bar located in a historic Schlitz Tied House on Chicago’s East Side. Preservation Futuress successfully listed the Tap on the National Register of Historic Places in 2022.
Midcentury Chicagoland Survey
Naperville, IL
Made up of unique Mid Century Modern homes constructed in the 1950s, the Moser Highlands are Naperville’s first complete subdivision.
James R Thompson Center
Chicago, IL
Opened in 1985 as a state office building in Chicago, the 17-story postmodern tower was sold to private developers in 2022. Preservation Futures nominated the building to the National Register of Historic Places in 2021, and though it was determined eligible for listing by the National Park Service, the nomination was rejected due to owner objection.