Book Chronicles '150 Years, 150 Places' in Evanston

By Hannah Lutz

After clocking in almost 600 hours on Design Evanston’s latest project, Jack Weiss said he was happy to complete Evanston: 150 Years, 150 Places, a book he put together with four other Design Evanston officers. 

The most recent book Weiss could find on Evanston architecture, Evanston: A Pictorial History, was published in 1989 by Barbara J. Buchbinder Green. 

“There had been nothing since then, so we thought the time was perfect,” said Weiss, who is president of the nonprofit that advocates for good design in Evanston.

When the Evanston 150 committee called for project ideas to celebrate the city’s sesquicentennial anniversary two years ago, members of Design Evanston, decided to create a book of Evanston’s most impressive architecture. 

The committee did not accept the idea as one of its “Ten Big Ideas” to celebrate the anniversary, but the Design Evanston contributors felt that it was important enough to complete anyway.

“The buildings embody our history, from the homes of famous people to the development of architectural styles to social change, cultural change, racial issues,” said Design Evanston director Heidrun Hoppe. “All of those things are kind of embodied in the buildings that we see all around us every day.” 

Members of Design Evanston accepted building nominations from the community for their self-published book, but tried to limit the number of buildings that had been demolished, to make the book as contemporary as possible. 

Design Evanston published the book with the twin goals of preserving the past and inspiring future generations. 

“It’s twofold. One is we go back and see this history,” Hoppe said. “Second, … [it] will make us more mindful of what we create for the future, knowing that that will also tell a story for future generations.” 

Design Evanston is selling the book at the city clerk’s desk at the Lorraine Morton Civic Center, at First Bank and Trust, at the Downtown Evanston headquarters and at the Evanston History Center. The group has already sold out of hardcover copies, but the paperback version is still available for $15.