It’s a pretty wild time to be a historic preservationist, what with burgeoning preservation movements centered on building styles that few folks are sure they really like. (We’re talking PoMo here.) As such, Lisa DiChiera takes us on a tour of all the Chicago buildings on Landmarks Illinois’ 2017 list of most endangered places in the state before they’re gone. Furthermore! Why we need to preserve buildings that aren’t really even very old, the political fortunes of historic preservation in the Age of Trump, the sustainability ethos of preservation, and preservation’s relationship to urban “authenticity” for the back-to-the-city gentrifiers.

Special thanks to recording engineer Tim Joyce.