Elizabeth Blasius
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blaservations.bsky.social
Elizabeth Blasius
@blaservations.bsky.social
800 followers 160 following 94 posts
Architectural historian, writer and critic. Co-founder @presfutures. Old, new and future can coexist. She/her
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blaservations.bsky.social
Tickets are still available for this Thursday's talk, Past & Present Preservation: Women in Architecture & Preservation, co-presented by Edith Farnsworth House, Society of Architectural Historians and taking place at the Charnley-Persky House!

See you there!

www.eventbrite.com/e/past-prese...
Past & Present Preservation: Women in Architecture & Preservation
Co-Sponsored event by SAH, The Edith Farnsworth House, and The Charnley-Persky House featuring women in architecture & preservation
www.eventbrite.com
January 20, 2026 at 3:33 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
mckiesdjlounge.bsky.social
Jackson Park elevated line train above 63rd Street looking east from about Woodlawn Ave. Every single structure in this view no longer exists..
January 3, 2026 at 10:18 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
mckiesdjlounge.bsky.social
Interestingly, none of them (even the operating engineer positions) are union.
blockclubchi.bsky.social Block Club Chicago @blockclubchi.bsky.social · 19d
The Obama Center is now hiring for 150 full-time jobs. blockclubchi.co/4ju2dkI
January 6, 2026 at 9:01 PM
blaservations.bsky.social
My monthly column in MAS Context returns with a review of Bruce Goff: Material Worlds, now open at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Bruce Goff’s Fabulous (and Bedazzled) Material Worlds
The first major exhibit showcasing architect Bruce Goff’s work in thirty years, Bruce Goff: Material Worlds invites a new look at Goff’s work of…
mascontext.com
December 26, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ruralindexing.bsky.social
Fire escape
Springboro, PA
December 10, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ruralindexing.bsky.social
No trespassing
Sledge, MS
December 12, 2025 at 1:55 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ruralindexing.bsky.social
Two-story outhouse
Gays, IL
December 16, 2025 at 2:55 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
posts-cards.bsky.social
pulled the production file at the newberry library for this palm tavern postcard for @mckiesdjlounge.bsky.social; i guess the best way to share the contents is a thread?

(the palm tavern was a legendary bronzeville bar and music venue: mascontext.com/observations...)
order envelope with details: april 8th, 1946, order for 25,000 postcards, with coloring instructions color linen 1946 postcard of the palm tavern with the bar on top and tables and the seating area below, "When in Chicago, it's Palm Tavern" verso of the postcard
December 14, 2025 at 6:07 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ericallixrogers.com
TFW your local chamber of commerce doesn't practice what they preach on snow clearance at their own commercial properties.
Photo looking down a mostly cleared sidewalk with snow on both sides, towards an uncleared stretch that is full of snow. Photo of a note zip-tied to a construction fence that reads: This building is owned by the South Shore Chamber of Commerce. For over a week, they did not shovel their sidewalk. Neighbors filed 311 complaints and contacted the Chamber and Alderman directly, informing them of the issue and asking for it to be cleared. On December 3rd, just 2 blocks from here, a community member was killed by a CTA bus after slipping ice. Out of concern for the safety of our community, neighbors took matters into their own hands and cleared this sidewalk. If you would like to communication to the South Shore Chamber of Commerce & 5th Ward leadership that you would like them to do better in the future, please reach out to the below individuals (with contact info for South Shore Chamber, southshorechamberinc.org, and 5th Ward Ald Desmon Yancy). Screenshot from an email that reads: Snow & Sidewalk Safety Reminder!! South Shore just received over eight inches of snow, and some sidewalks and corners along our commercial corridors are still not fully cleared. As a reminder, Chicago law requires adjacent property owners, tenants, or managers to keep sidewalks safe and passable 7 days a week" (followed by additional info on snow clearing requirements, penalties, etc.)
December 9, 2025 at 10:13 PM
blaservations.bsky.social
If the building of 30 North LaSalle and the demolition of the Stock Exchange are inextricably linked in representing a significant moment in the development of the preservation movement in Chicago, than the landmarking of 30 North LaSalle represents a significant moment in its deterioration.
leebey1.bsky.social Lee Bey @leebey1.bsky.social · Dec 5
Today's follow-up to last week's column. "The idea of landmarking the 30 N. LaSalle hit a sore spot with some preservationists (and this architecture critic) because the unrelentingly drab tower replaced Adler & Sullivan's far superior 1894 building."
Loop tower that replaced historic Chicago Stock Exchange Building wins preliminary landmark status
The idea of landmarking the building at 30 N. LaSalle St. hit a sore spot with some preservationists (and this architecture critic), because the drab tower replaced a far superior structure.
chicago.suntimes.com
December 5, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ruralindexing.bsky.social
Betty Boop
St. Thomas, ND
December 3, 2025 at 11:10 PM
blaservations.bsky.social
I look forward to these awards every year from @langealexandra.bsky.social @cmonstah.bsky.social and @mlamster.bsky.social!
December 4, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ericallixrogers.com
Some news of interest to local architecture nerds and preservationists in Chicago!
savewrightflwbc.bsky.social Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy @savewrightflwbc.bsky.social · Dec 1
The Walser House foreclosure process ended today. It is now bank-owned, removing a major legal obstacle to getting this 1903 Wright design into the hands of a steward who will preserve it. buff.ly/sEfstYA
December 1, 2025 at 6:58 PM
blaservations.bsky.social
Landmarking 30 North LaSalle Street would be more cynical than ironic:
(thread incoming)
Loop skyscraper that replaced Louis Sullivan masterpiece heads toward landmark protection
In an ironic twist, the Commission on Chicago Landmarks next month will weigh granting preliminary landmark status for 30 N. LaSalle St. for which Sullivan's masterpiece was sacrificed. It could pave ...
chicago.suntimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
mckiesdjlounge.bsky.social
Read here about (I may be biased) the greatest cultural loss in Chicago in 50+ years.

Some photos from Gerri's album - Quincy Jones, Flip Wilson and Jimmy Smith
November 25, 2025 at 10:16 PM
blaservations.bsky.social
For MAS Context, I investigated what happened to Gerri's Palm Tavern, a legendary Bronzeville venue established in 1933 that survived World Wars, urban renewal, disinvestment, and urban attrition, but ended up a victim of aldermanic prerogative, and an ill conceived development plan.
What Happened to Gerri’s Palm Tavern?
Gerri Oliver stewarded Chicago’s Palm Tavern, a storied Bronzeville venue rooted in the Jim Crow era, for nearly seventy years until a convergence of…
mascontext.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
zachmortice.bsky.social
Real dream-team situation going on over here. @katewagner.wehwalt.net / @anjulierao.bsky.social / @nyreviewofarch.bsky.social www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/12/c...
New Chicago Review of Architecture wants younger voices weighing in on the city’s built environment
An offshoot of the New York Review of Architecture, the magazine will feature “erudite, humorous and hyperlocal writing.”
www.chicagotribune.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ruralindexing.bsky.social
Cafe
Alexis, IL
November 7, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ruralindexing.bsky.social
Marge’s
Durand, WI
November 7, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ruralindexing.bsky.social
Rock shop
Benson, AZ
November 8, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ruralindexing.bsky.social
River Front Opry House
Cave-In-Rock, IL
November 10, 2025 at 2:35 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ladytophamcatt.bsky.social
Timeline cleanse courtesy Graceland Cemetery yesterday, looking more gorgeous than any cemetery has a right to look
Color photo taken on one side of a large pond. On the other side, underneath a moody sky, are several large trees in various states of change for fall, along with an enormous mausoleum in the style of a Greek temple. The placid waters of the pond reflect both the temple and the riotous colors of the trees. Color photo of a pyramid shaped mausoleum standing between two trees quickly losing their yellow leaves. Various smaller monuments are arrayed in the background. Color photo of a weathered Art Deco mausoleum. Fallen leaves are spread across the grass surrounding it, and in the far background, a pond glows orange, reflecting the changing trees around it. To the right is a wooden bridge leading off to a small island, orange and red bushes and trees surrounding it. Color photo of a brilliant orange tree in a cemetery, the ground underneath it littered with spent leaves. The background is a kaleidoscope of color from other trees also changing clothes for fall, a small pink tree drawing the eye despite its small size.
November 10, 2025 at 5:19 AM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
blaservations.bsky.social
Preservation Futures is looking forward to opening up our office this coming Wednesday, October 29th from 4pm-6pm as a part of the Chicago Architecture Biennial's series of studio and office tours!

Register here:
chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org/program/stud...
October 27, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ruralindexing.bsky.social
Pizza King
Winamac, IN
October 18, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Reposted by Elizabeth Blasius
ruralindexing.bsky.social
Rust
Lakeview, OH
October 19, 2025 at 7:50 PM