Episode Description

Elizabeth Blasius and Jonathan Solomon are founders and partners of Preservation Futures, a firm focused on design, advocacy, and consultancy at the intersection of historic preservation and contemporary practice. Elizabeth is an architectural historian and writer who advises on preservation policy, climate response, and regulatory frameworks such as the National Environmental Policy Act and Section 106, with published work in outlets including Bloomberg CityLab and The Chicago Tribune. Jonathan, FAIA, is a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago whose work spans adaptive reuse, scholarship, and leadership, including roles at the University of Hong Kong and the 2010 Venice Architecture Biennale. Together, they bring complementary expertise across practice, research, and storytelling to reframe preservation as an active and future-oriented discipline.

“Old things have always been interesting to me. It’s what history can teach us,” – Elizabeth

Elizabeth’s story begins in the suburbs of Detroit, where early experiences with museums and family history sparked a deep appreciation for architecture. Though she initially studied architecture, she found herself drawn less to designing new buildings and more to understanding existing ones. Her early career took her to India, where she worked in historic preservation and discovered a lasting passion for the field. After returning to Chicago, she explored multiple professional paths before focusing on disaster recovery and preservation policy, all while continuing to write and engage critically with the discipline.

Jonathan grew up in a family of architects in Chicago, forming an early connection to the city through exploration and observation. After studying architecture, he entered professional practice but quickly felt a pull toward teaching. He began teaching early in his career and developed a strong interest in research, which eventually led him to Hong Kong, where he became Dean of the Department of Architecture at the University of Hong Kong. His career has continually bridged practice, academia, and cultural leadership.

In this conversation, Elizabeth and Jonathan reflect on how their partnership formed through a shared perspective on the James R. Thompson Center, where they first met on a panel and connected over a mutual belief in its significance. Their collaboration grew into both a friendship and an advocacy effort, ultimately shaping the foundation of Preservation Futures. “Old things have always been interesting to me. It’s what history can teach us,” Elizabeth shares, grounding their work in curiosity and continuity.

“I thought it was amazing that a building could have that power and impact. Not that buildings should be uncomfortable for people but it made it historically significant and worthy of understanding,” – Jonathan

Together, they discuss how preservation serves communities, positioning the public as the true client, and how their work seeks to blur the lines between preservation and contemporary architectural practice. Reflecting on the Thompson Center, Jonathan notes, “I thought it was amazing that a building could have that power and impact. Not that buildings should be uncomfortable for people but it made it historically significant and worthy of understanding,” emphasizing how cultural meaning and public experience elevate our understanding of what makes places worth preserving.

Throughout the episode, Elizabeth and Jonathan bring a thoughtful and expansive perspective to preservation, one rooted in advocacy, storytelling, and design. Their work challenges conventional definitions of progress, emphasizing that the future of architecture is not only about what we build next, but also how we understand, adapt, and value what already exis