Meet the New AIA Guide to Chicago
Chicago , United States
Get a special insider’s look at the making of the fourth edition of the AIA Guide to Chicago. Editor Laurie Peterson and AIA Chicago Executive Director Jen Masengarb highlight new additions to our city’s definitive architectural guidebook.
The AIA Guide to Chicago is the best portable resource for exploring our breathtaking and dynamic city. The fourth edition, coming eight years after the previous edition, offers entries on transformative new destinations like the Riverwalk, the St. Regis Chicago and The 606, as well as updated descriptions of Willis Tower and other refreshed landmarks. Thirty-four maps and more than 500 photos make it easy to investigate almost 2,000 featured sites. A special insert, new to this edition, showcases the variety of Chicago architecture with over 80 full-color images.
We invite in-person attendees to stick around after the talk for a book signing in the CAC Design Store with Jen and Laurie. The guide will also be available for purchase at a special discounted price.
PROGRAM SPEAKER: JEN MASENGARB
Jen Masengarb, Assoc AIA is the Executive Director of AIA Chicago – the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects. Trained as an architect, her 20+ year career has been devoted to advocating for the profession and meaningfully connecting the public with the built environment around them.
Masengarb joined AIA Chicago in spring 2021 following three years at the Danish Architecture Center (DAC) in Copenhagen. Prior to joining DAC, Jen was the Director of Interpretation and Research at the Chicago Architecture Center (CAC), where she served for 18 years in a variety of roles and as a subject matter expert in architecture with a focus on outreach to the public.
PROGRAM SPEAKER: LAURIE PETERSEN
Laurie Petersen is the editor of the fourth edition of the American Institute of Architects’ AIA Guide to Chicago, the most comprehensive guide to the city’s buildings. She also edited the third edition (2014) and was associate editor of the first two editions (1993, 2004). She is a longtime writer for Chicago Architect magazine, and she lectures about Chicago architecture throughout the metro area. She is a docent who leads tours at Crow Island School in Winnetka and Charnley-Persky House in Chicago.