24 Mar bld. 51 museum acquires chicago heritage committee – country’s first preservation group – papers and related ephemera

the chicago heritage committee was a pioneering grassroots architectural preservation group founded in 1960 by thomas stauffer and richard nickel to save adler and sullivan’s garrick theater and frank lloyd wright’s robie house. active until 1968, it was chicago’s first organization dedicated to saving significant buildings.

Formation & Purpose:

key activities: from 1960 to 1968, four newsletters were published to raise awareness, including drawings and records of threatened landmarks.

legacy: the committee helped launch chicago’s preservation movement, paving the way for the permanent commission on chicago landmarks in 1968.

documentation: the largest known collection of the committee’s records, photos, and newsletters are held by the bld. 51 museum archive. the chicago history museum or historical society has additional material.

Robie House Campaign:

Garrick Theater:

Miscellaneous:

images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bld. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2026.