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Blair Kamin

@kaminblair.bsky.social
565 followers 42 following 132 posts

Fortunate husband. Proud dad. Former Chicago Tribune architecture critic. Pulitzer, Polk winner. 2013 Nieman. Books: “Why Architecture Matters,” “Terror and Wonder,” “Who Is the City For?,” “Gates of Harvard Yard,” “Amherst College: The Campus Guide.”

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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Next week, I’ll be in conversation with former Chicago Tribune editor Ann Marie Lipinski about the new edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard.” Please join us at Bookends & Beginnings in Evanston on August 4. bookendsandbeginnings.com/event/2026-0...
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
What do Lincoln Park’s Shakespeare statue + Harvard’s Johnston Gate have in common? Come find out on 8/4 at Bookends + Beginnings. I’ll be in conversation w/ former Chicago Tribune editor Ann Marie Lipinski about the new edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard.” bookendsandbeginnings.com/event/2026-08-…
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
“Enter to grow in wisdom,” says the inscription on Harvard’s Dexter Gate—the same words at the entry to Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Ala. Coincidence? Almost surely not. I’ll discuss this motto + the new edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard” on August 4. bookendsandbeginnings.com/event/2026-0...
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Harvard’s majestic Johnston Gate, built with a gift from Chicago businessman Samuel Johnston and completed in 1889, led to a wave of gate-building on U.S. campuses in the early 20th century. I’ll discuss the influential Harvard gates on 8/4 in Evanston: bookendsandbeginnings.com/event/2026-0...
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
What a blast to be at the American Library Association conference at McCormick Place this morning. So great to meet all the librarians who stopped by to get a signed copy of the new clothbound edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard.”
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
If you’re in Chicago for the American Library Association convention, please drop by the Harvard University Press booth on Saturday at 10 a.m. I’ll be signing copies of the new clothbound edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard,” a guide to the 25 portals that enclose the Edenic Yard.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Sincere thanks to Harvard Magazine and writer Gabriella Gage for taking notice of the new edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard” in their new issue. www.harvardmagazine.com/arts-culture...
harvardmagazine.com
New Books from Harvard Authors | Harvard Magazine
Diets, bull kelp forests, Black creativity, and more
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
As much as I’m enormously pleased with the new clothbound edition of “Gates of Harvard,” I want readers to know that there’s also a popular new Kindle edition.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Thanks to Martin Pedersen of Common Edge for allowing me to share observations about the Obama Presidential Center in an interview. My take is mixed: commonedge.org/blair-kamin-...
commonedge.org
Blair Kamin on the Obama Presidential Center: “A Huge Improvement to the Public Realm”
A conversation with former Chicago Tribune architecture critic.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Thanks to everyone who’s made the new edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard” an Amazon new releases best seller. I’m looking forward to the first Chicago signing event for the book this coming Saturday, June 27, at the American Library Association convention at McCormick Place.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Come tour Harvard Yard’s newest gate, which takes playful inspiration from beloved children’s books. Thanks to Harvard University Press, publisher of the new edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard,” for shooting and producing the video. www.instagram.com/stories/harv...
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Look what’s in the window of the Harvard Book Store.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Who new? “Gates of Harvard Yard” has been officially declared “hot.”
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
Thanks to harvarddesignmagazine.org for publishing this excerpt from the new edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard.” It’s my essay about the Yard’s newest portal, the welcoming and whimsical Solomon Gate by Höweler + Yoon. Yes, that’s the Cheshire Cat. www.harvarddesignmagazine.org/articles/the...
harvarddesignmagazine.org
Welcoming and Whimsical: The Peter J. Solmon (Class of 1960) Gate
Designed by Eric Höweler of the Graduate School of Design, the Solomon Gate melds contemporary aesthetics and literary traditions.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
Finally! Total is the long-awaited “pub date” for the new clothbound edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard.” It took eight days, and then 13 years, to make this dream happen, as I explain in a new piece for Nieman Reports. Congrats to all who collaborated on the book! niemanreports.org/nieman-harva...
niemanreports.org
Blair Kamin's curiosity led to the book "Gates of Harvard Yard" - Nieman Reports
Architecture critic and Nieman Fellow Blair Kamin reflects on the 13-year journey behind the new edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard."
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
Looking forward to discussing the new clothbound edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard” on May 6 at the Coop with Sharmila Sen, editorial director of Harvard University Press. Join us as we explore the beauty, history and legacy of the Yard’s 25 gates. RSVP here: www.eventbrite.com/e/the-gates-...
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
1/2 Look what just arrived in the mail: First copies of the new clothbound edition of “Gates of Harvard Yard,” an exploration in words, photos and sketches of the 25 beautiful, but often-overlooked, portals that enclose the famous heart of America’s oldest university.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Thrilled and deeply honored to have received the Order of Lincoln, Illinois’ highest honor for professional achievement and public service, last night from Gov. JB Pritzker and Todd Shapiro, chancellor of the Lincoln Academy. My remarks from the ceremony are posted on Facebook.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
St. Regis Chicago from McClurg Court.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
chicago.suntimes.com/architecture...
chicago.suntimes.com
As Harold Washington Library nears 35, officials seek new chapter for the institution
The city — the world — has changed since the library's 1991 debut. Can the Harold Washington Library's programming and design change also?
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 23/07/2025
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/22/e...
chicagotribune.com
Editorial: A new CTA day for Edgewater and Uptown. But what about Broadway?
None of these new CTA stations are architectural marvels. But they’re also all vast improvements.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/13/c...
chicagotribune.com
Edward Keegan: The future of public housing is on Chicago’s Taylor Street
Chicago’s new National Public Housing Museum and Roosevelt Square mixed-use apartments show glimmers of architectural success.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/07/10/l...
chicagotribune.com
Former Lincoln Yards site to become smaller, walkable residential community, developer says. ‘Bigger is not necessarily better.’
The new 31-acre development, called Foundry Park, will eventually total about two to three thousand units, including single-family homes, condos, rental apartments, townhomes and affordable housing…
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
chicago.suntimes.com/architecture...
chicago.suntimes.com
City panel to weigh revitalization of LaSalle Street skyscraper
If it makes it through the approval process, the planned work would comprise a significant first step of a $241 million effort to turn the Field Building into a mixed-use tower.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 29/06/2025
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/29/c...
chicagotribune.com
Edward Keegan: NASCAR has embraced the Chicago backdrop, but will it return?
The NASCAR Chicago Street Race is an exceptionally well-conceived and packaged mirror of the city.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 19/06/2025
Back from Ireland, where they know how to make stone walls sing.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
A peek at the Thompson Center’s new curtain wall.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
An insightful column by Edward Keegan connects the childhood home and church of the new pope to the ordinary architecture that Chicago does so well—Chicago Tribune. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/18/c...
chicagotribune.com
Edward Keegan: Pope Leo XIV’s childhood home an example of the ordinary architecture Chicago does well
In Chicago, whether it’s architecture or Catholicism, we do ordinary very well. It’s one reason we now call Pope Leo XIV our own.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/13/g...
chicagotribune.com
Glencoe’s Frank Lloyd Wright cottage fundraising to open architectural gem
Glencoe’s Ravine Bluffs Cottage, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, has had a colorful past — being physically moved twice and last year being renamed because its namesake had an ugly racist history. …
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 13/05/2025
chicago.suntimes.com/obituaries/2...
chicago.suntimes.com
Marilyn Hasbrouck, co-owner of architecture-themed Prairie Avenue Bookshop, dies at 91
She created a bookstore that was a meeting ground for architects and design devotees, where buyers could find rare works or the latest ones — then kick back in furniture designed by the likes of Mies ...
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 10/05/2025
How the new Pope Leo XIV's childhood church in Chicago fell into disrepair — and what may lie ahead—Chicago Tribune www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/10/p...
chicagotribune.com
How the new Pope Leo XIV’s childhood church in Chicago fell into disrepair — and what may lie ahead
Many sites associated with past popes have become museums or holy destinations for the faithful. But Pope Leo XIV’s childhood church closed years ago.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 05/05/2025
Congratulations, Alexandra Lange!
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
A little-known architect, now mayor of Arlington Heights, will lead the effort to lure the Chicago Bears to the site of the former Arlington Park racetrack. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/04/c...
chicagotribune.com
Arlington Park’s rebirth: What closing the deal on a Bears stadium represents for the Northwest suburb's new mayor
The Chicago Bears have flirted with building a stadium in Arlington Heights for more than 50 years. The new mayor aims for a long-term commitment.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
Eternity in lacy concrete: Baha’i Temple, Wilmette, Illinois.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 03/05/2025
With security barriers and ticketed events, Millennium Park is failing to live up to its identity as a great public space Ed Keegan in the Chicago Tribune—https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/05/03/column-millennium-park-chicago-keegan/
chicagotribune.com
Edward Keegan: Millennium Park has failed to live up to its promise
Ticketed events should be the rare exception at Millennium Park. Gates and fences should be eliminated.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
chicago.suntimes.com/architecture...
chicago.suntimes.com
Bernie Mac's high school, a Frank Lloyd Wright home are among the state's 'most endangered' buildings
Buildings on the list "all celebrate cultural heritage and tell the important stories of the people who have shaped our communities," Landmarks Illinois CEO Bonnie McDonald said.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
chicago.suntimes.com/architecture...
chicago.suntimes.com
A casualty of a car crash and Father Time, a long-neglected Jackson Park pavilion needs help
The historic structure, designed by D.H. Burnham & Company, must be restored.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
chicago.suntimes.com/architecture...
chicago.suntimes.com
Long-awaited DuSable Park takes a big step forward
Chicagoans have waited 38 years for this park honoring DuSable. But now the wait appears to be ending.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 21/04/2025
RIP to a great spiritual leader, Pope Francis, who paid laudable attention to the built and natural environments, preaching the virtues of equity and humanity in urban design. My column about his encyclical on our ‘common home’: www.chicagotribune.com/2015/06/19/p...
chicagotribune.com
Pope Francis is an urban critic
Who knew? Pope Francis is an urban critic — a tad earnest, perhaps, but as lucid and biting as they come. One of the most intriguing aspects of the pope’s new encyclical on climate chan…
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
Edward Keegan in Chicago Tribune on Eero Saarinen’s glorious, and “particularly strange,” Miller House in Columbus, Indiana www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/20/e...
chicagotribune.com
Edward Keegan: Eero Saarinen’s particularly strange house in Columbus, Indiana
The Miller House in Columbus, Indiana, is a challenging piece of architecture that can delight, surprise and befuddle.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
chicago.suntimes.com/religion/202...
chicago.suntimes.com
St. Thomas no More? Archdiocese to end services at Ashburn church next month
The 67-year-old St. Thomas More — a striking example of modernist Catholic ecclesiastical design — will hold its last liturgy on May 25 and will no longer function as a church after that.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 16/04/2025
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/w...
nytimes.com
Pope Places Antoni Gaudí, ‘God’s Architect,’ on Path to Sainthood
Pope Francis on Monday signed a decree that recognized the 20th-century visionary’s “heroic virtues” and put him on the path to possible sainthood.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
Vulgarian at the gates.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 15/04/2025
chicago.suntimes.com/architecture...
chicago.suntimes.com
North Lawndale's historic Sears sunken garden closer to start of restoration project
Restoration work on the garden's main feature, a 100-foot long Mediterranean Revival-styled pergola, is set to begin this summer.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/14/p...
chicagotribune.com
Pullman community steps on the gas to reopen historic Greenstone Church
Neighbors have raised $20,000 to reopen Greenstone Church in Pullman, which has been shuttered for years because of unpaid bills.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 14/04/2025
chicago.suntimes.com/politics/202...
chicago.suntimes.com
Two more projects in La Salle Street revamp in line for $65M in city subsidies
The City Council Finance Committee Monday authorized the twin subsidies for 111 W. Monroe and 208 S. LaSalle from the cash-rich Central Loop TIF, advancing the "LaSalle Street Re-Imagined" project con...
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 09/04/2025
chicago.suntimes.com/columnists/2...
chicago.suntimes.com
Conservation group seeks better protection for city's iconic lakefront
Given the constant churn of development proposed for the lakefront and the nearby neighborhoods, now is a good time to rethink the laws that are supposed to safeguard the iconic waterfront.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
A passionate, piercingly articulate Edward Keegan column in the Chicago Tribune bemoans changes to, and around, Wrigley Field. He sees these changes as representative of soulless new construction all around Chicago. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/04/06/c...
chicagotribune.com
Edward Keegan: Wrigley Field is losing some of its magic with demolished historic buildings
Three vintage three-flats represented Wrigley Field’s history and the architecture that has made Chicago’s neighborhoods enduring.
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 05/04/2025
1/2 Chicago’s architectural journalism keeps getting stronger. The latest addition is a new monthly architectural history column, by Susan Benjamin and Robert Sideman, in The Record, a non-profit…https://www.therecordnorthshore.org/2025/04/04/history-by-design-from-spanish-court-to-plaza-del-lago/
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Blair Kamin @kaminblair.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
chicago.suntimes.com/architecture...
chicago.suntimes.com
Will new development return bloom to Roseland’s Michigan Avenue?
The complex would be the most expensive and ambitious single project Roseland's Michigan Avenue has seen since non-Native settlers started building homes and stores on the street 170 years ago.
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