Teaching History Through Architecture
Begun in Spring 1997
Faculty members of the City Design Center and the Chicago Imagebase
project are continuing their collaboration with the Chicago Teachers’
Center of Northeastern Illinois University on the Teaching History through
Architecture Project. The objective is to develop an engaging and interactive
Internet-based learning model using the history of architecture in the
students’ communities as its subject matter. The need for this model
is apparent. George Hemmens: “It is a constant surprise to see how
little the typical public school curriculum deals with the built environment.
On the other hand, when they get a chance, there is nothing more interesting
to students than dealing with their own house or the ones around them
- drawing them, interviewing neighbors and relatives, doing research on
the building history.” Funded since 1997 by the National Endowment
for the Humanities, the Teaching History Through Architecture project
addresses the need to develop and identify websites to assist middle school
teachers in the Chicago Public Schools to develop curriculum related to
Chicago’s built environment.
The project recently expanded its core of teachers with new funds from
the U. S. Department of Education Gear Up Initiative. Middle school teachers
from eleven schools representing ten neighborhoods are involved. In 1999,
the City Design Center hosted two groups of teachers, orienting them to
the Teaching History Through Architecture Project’s mission and works
in progress and helping them to brainstorm specific ways to engage in
curriculum and website development. Currently, the Teachers’ Center
is developing digital resources that support both school-based work in
the Fall 2000 and serve as a resource for a three week Summer Academy
that includes Chicago public middle school students. Melinda Morrisey,
program associate for the Chicago Teacher’s Center, stressed the
importance of this program: “This growing partnership is exposing
teachers to City Design Center’s community based work in participatory
planning, providing them with new ways to address students inquiry into
the built environment. This is particularly useful for teachers in neighborhoods
undergoing great change, usually due to gentrification. This coming year
we are looking forward to accessing digital materials being compiled by
CDC which will be invaluable in supporting student research.”
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Map of Chicago with project location
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City Design Center Affiliated Faculty and Staff
Current
Robert Bruegmann, Professor, Department of Art History
Alex Stern, Associate Director, Adjunct Associate Professor School of
Architecture, Technology Coordinator College of Architecture and the Arts
Former
Diane Farley, former Program Coordinator, City Design Center
George Hemmens, former Professor, College of Urban Planning and Policy,
and former Co-Director, City Design Center
Chicago Teachers' Center Staff
Melinda Morrissey, Program Associate, Chicago Teachers’ Center
David Sperling, Program Associate, Chicago Teachers’ Center
Collaborating Organizations
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Teachers’ Center, Northeastern Illinois University
Funding
National Endowment for the Humanities
U.S. Department of Education Gear Up Initiative
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