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 and more. Illustrated by more than 100 gorgeous photographs, this history will leave you looking at the humble brick with wonder.
Will Quam is an architecture photographer and historian. He has been described as “Chicago’s premiere brick expert” by Geoffrey Baer of PBS Chicago and through his project Brick of Chicago he has led more than 10,000 Chicagoans and tourists on brick walking tours of the city. His book Fire and Clay: How Brick Reveals the Hidden History of Chicago was published by the University of Chicago Press in 2026.
This program will be recorded and a link will be sent to all registrants. The link will remain live for seven days following the program.
$16 per person / $13 for members
All ticket sales final, no refunds or exchanges.