When Chicago burned down in 1871, it was rebuilt as a city of brick, mostly using bricks made from the clay right underneath the young city's feet. But as much as we may think of a brick as a simple rectangle that holds our buildings up, it is actually so much more--it is an object of design, each brick a brushstroke in the canvas of a building. Journey across Chicago and architecture history and learn how fashion in brick changes just as much as fashion in clothing, from monolithic temples covered in solid red bricks to English cottages bedecked with bark-textured multicolored bricks to sleek towers clad in rich, iron-flecked bricks. Presented by Will Quam, author of Fire and Clay: How Bricks Reveal the Hidden History of Chicago (University of Chicago Press, 2026). Copies will be available for purchase and signing courtesy of The Book Stall.

Register if you'd like a reminder prior to the event. You can also opt to receive a text message reminder. A recording of the program will be available on the library's YouTube channel within a few days and will be emailed to all registrants.

About the presenter: An architecture photographer and historian, Will Quam has been described as “Chicago’s premier brick expert” by Geoffrey Baer of PBS Chicago. Through his project Brick of Chicago, Mr. Quam has led more than 10,000 Chicagoans and tourists on brick walking tours of the city. His tours have been voted the second best tour in Chicago by the Chicago Reader, and his work has been featured in such outlets as the Chicago Tribune, Bloomberg CityLab, NPR’s Marketplace, Block Club Chicago, and Preservation magazine.