Dennis’s presentation starts at the 31-minute mark.
Presentation Description:
Historical maps tell all kinds of intriguing stories about Chicago’s origins and development: vanished creeks and woods, big projects never accomplished, forgotten ethnic groups and neighborhoods, mysterious subdivisions, abandoned industrial areas, vice districts and world’s fairs, ghosts of railroad stations, and streetcar lines and freight tunnels, reminders of a constantly changing city.
Learn about the interesting stories seen in various corners of three dozen maps from Chicago’s past from historian and geographer Dennis McClendon. His work has been featured in books such as AIA Guide to Chicago Architecture and The Encyclopedia of Chicago.
Please note: The presenter does not provide a handout for this meeting.
Presenter’s Bio:
Dennis McClendon is a Chicago historian and geographer, who makes his living by drawing maps. His design firm, Chicago CartoGraphics, creates a wide variety of maps for the tourism industry and real estate firms, for books such as the AIA Guide to Chicago Architecture and the Encyclopedia of Chicago, the region’s CTA, and Pace transit maps, as well as most Chicago-area bike maps. He is well known as an expert on the city’s built environment and transportation, quoted regularly on WTTW’s “Ask Geoffrey” and WBEZ’s Curious City. He’s spoken to a wide variety of audiences, including professional conferences, university classes, and colloquiums, Newberry Library programs, architectural lecture series, regional library audiences, and senior centers. A certified Chicago Tour-Guide Professional, he often leads bus, boat, and walking tours of the city’s architecture and the built environment.