Blair Kamin
@kaminblair.bsky.social
Fortunate husband. Proud dad. Former Chicago Tribune architecture critic. Pulitzer, Polk winner. 2013 Nieman. Books: “Why Architecture Matters,” “Terror and Wonder,” “Who Is the City For?,” “Gates of Harvard Yard,” “Amherst College: The Campus Guide.”
St. Regis Chicago from McClurg Court.
August 13, 2025 at 11:17 PM
St. Regis Chicago from McClurg Court.
Back from Ireland, where they know how to make stone walls sing.
June 18, 2025 at 11:27 PM
Back from Ireland, where they know how to make stone walls sing.
A peek at the Thompson Center’s new curtain wall.
May 18, 2025 at 3:40 PM
A peek at the Thompson Center’s new curtain wall.
Congratulations, Alexandra Lange!
May 5, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Congratulations, Alexandra Lange!
Eternity in lacy concrete: Baha’i Temple, Wilmette, Illinois.
May 3, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Eternity in lacy concrete: Baha’i Temple, Wilmette, Illinois.
Vulgarian at the gates.
April 15, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Vulgarian at the gates.
1/2 Amid the sad Sun-Times buyouts, there’s a piece of good news: Lee Bey will become the full-time architecture critic for the newspaper. Lee announced this news on his Facebook page. This will be the first time in 4 years that a Chicago paper has had a full-time architecture critic…
March 21, 2025 at 1:35 PM
1/2 Amid the sad Sun-Times buyouts, there’s a piece of good news: Lee Bey will become the full-time architecture critic for the newspaper. Lee announced this news on his Facebook page. This will be the first time in 4 years that a Chicago paper has had a full-time architecture critic…
A fine morning to see Millennium Park and the Bean from an elevated perch (aka, the dentist’s office).
March 6, 2025 at 4:37 PM
A fine morning to see Millennium Park and the Bean from an elevated perch (aka, the dentist’s office).
New curtain wall starting to appear at the Thompson Center/Google office.
March 6, 2025 at 2:57 PM
New curtain wall starting to appear at the Thompson Center/Google office.
My favorite new bumper sticker
March 2, 2025 at 2:01 AM
My favorite new bumper sticker
Great to see Chicagoans taking to our Federal Center plaza to protest Musk Madness.
February 27, 2025 at 7:31 PM
Great to see Chicagoans taking to our Federal Center plaza to protest Musk Madness.
Thanks to Openlands for this honor.
February 17, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Thanks to Openlands for this honor.
Thompson Center: Bare bones.
February 9, 2025 at 12:39 AM
Thompson Center: Bare bones.
Looking forward to being at the Cliff Dwellers Book Club’s discussion tomorrow of “Who Is the City For?” @leebey1.bsky.social, the book’s photographer and the architecture critic for @Suntimes and WABC-7, will be there, too.
January 17, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Looking forward to being at the Cliff Dwellers Book Club’s discussion tomorrow of “Who Is the City For?” @leebey1.bsky.social, the book’s photographer and the architecture critic for @Suntimes and WABC-7, will be there, too.
As France celebrates the magnificent restoration of Notre-Dame, we should not forget the ongoing restoration of Chartres. It, too, has removed centuries of grime and soot from the cathedral’s soaring nave—a transformation some critics have attacked. Curious what they think now.
December 7, 2024 at 4:27 PM
As France celebrates the magnificent restoration of Notre-Dame, we should not forget the ongoing restoration of Chartres. It, too, has removed centuries of grime and soot from the cathedral’s soaring nave—a transformation some critics have attacked. Curious what they think now.
A few shots of the under-construction museum tower at the Obama Presidential Center, taken today. Reserving judgment until the center opens in 2026.
December 5, 2024 at 11:03 PM
A few shots of the under-construction museum tower at the Obama Presidential Center, taken today. Reserving judgment until the center opens in 2026.
Ceiling detail. Where am I?
November 26, 2024 at 2:57 PM
Ceiling detail. Where am I?
Heavenly light in Rome.
November 24, 2024 at 9:52 PM
Heavenly light in Rome.
True in English, true in Spanish. Critics need to know their territory. www.cubaxcuba.com/blog/algunas...
November 23, 2024 at 6:19 PM
True in English, true in Spanish. Critics need to know their territory. www.cubaxcuba.com/blog/algunas...
The beauty of brick in light.
November 23, 2024 at 3:54 PM
The beauty of brick in light.
Happy 2nd birthday to “Who Is the City For?” It was a pleasure to work on this book with @leebey1.bsky.social.
November 22, 2024 at 1:23 PM
Happy 2nd birthday to “Who Is the City For?” It was a pleasure to work on this book with @leebey1.bsky.social.
People always ask: What are your favorite buildings? This is certainly one of them.
November 20, 2024 at 3:47 PM
People always ask: What are your favorite buildings? This is certainly one of them.
The most influential second-place design in history: The trim vertical look of Eliel Saarinen’s Chicago Tribune Tower proposal shaped skylines from San Francisco to Houston to Chicago to Manhattan.
November 19, 2024 at 8:06 PM
The most influential second-place design in history: The trim vertical look of Eliel Saarinen’s Chicago Tribune Tower proposal shaped skylines from San Francisco to Houston to Chicago to Manhattan.
Honeycomb in wood: Jeanne Gang’s pavilion at the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo.
November 19, 2024 at 3:22 PM
Honeycomb in wood: Jeanne Gang’s pavilion at the Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo.