Geoffrey Baer visits an artist under glass, gets that sinking feeling at a Jackson Park garden, and reveals the hej hej history of the Andersonville neighborhood's name in this encore edition of Ask Geoffrey.
Ask Geoffrey
Not that long ago, air pollution from burning coal made the Windy City more like the Smoggy City. Geoffrey Baer tells us how Chicago cleaned up its act.
A small, windowless building on Block 37 is dwarfed by glassy new high-rises. A viewer wonders how it managed to escape the wrecking ball. Geoffrey Baer shares the story behind this unusual building, plus the history of the Marshall Field’s holiday windows and Kermit the Frog’s commercials for milk in this week’s edition of Ask Geoffrey.
A little-known waterway built in the 1830s allowed Chicago to grow not once, but twice! Hear the story of the crucial canal that you may never have heard of, and the story behind one of the South Side's best known public works of art in tonight's edition of Ask Geoffrey.
A famous photo taken in 1940s Bronzeville features the faces of five young African-American men, but their identities have remained a mystery for generations. Local history expert Geoffrey Baer is here with the story behind one of Bronzeville's most enduring images in this week’s edition of Ask Geoffrey.
The famously irascible Frank Lloyd Wright estranged two artists on a single short-lived project. Learn the fate of Wright's lost Midway Gardens and play tennis at the Kenwood Country Club as local history expert Geoffrey Baer heads to the South Side.
Local history expert Geoffrey Baer visits the towering walls on the south lakeshore and a swampy nature area in the middle of an industrial neighborhood in this week’s edition of Ask Geoffrey.
What happened to The Pickle Barrel Restaurant in Old Town?
Local history expert Geoffrey Baer gets schooled at Midway Airport, snags a free pickle at a long-lost Old Town favorite and soars with 19 terracotta eagles in Lakeview during this encore edition of Ask Geoffrey.
Geoffrey Baer cruises by with the history of the Illinois Tollway oases, a Chicago lass on Irish cash and O'Hare's sleek new air traffic control towers in this week's edition of Ask Geoffrey.
Geoffrey Baer visits a towering turtle on the Near West Side, a retro motel in River North and a vanishing South Side lake in this week's encore edition of Ask Geoffrey.
What happened to the Olson Rug Company’s garden?
In this edition of Ask Geoffrey, our local history expert Geoffrey Baer makes a splash at a long-gone waterfall, visits a bar with an unbeatable view of the Chicago skyline and tells the fishy tale of an Albany Park building.
What happened to the puppet theater on Michigan Avenue?
In this edition of Ask Geoffrey, our local history expert Geoffrey Baer revisits a Streeterville puppet show, examines underground architecture on the Blue Line and digs deep into the history of Montrose Beach.
Revisit a favorite episode with our resident history expert
Geoffrey Baer answers viewer questions about a unique painting that adorns an Old Town condo building, a prolific mural painter of the 1920s and '30s, and the origins of a giant map of Chicago that's visible from the river in this encore edition of Ask Geoffrey, which originally aired on March 25.
What happened to The Pickle Barrel Restaurant in Old Town?
In this edition of Ask Geoffrey, our local history expert Geoffrey Baer gets schooled at Midway Airport, snags a free pickle at a long-lost Old Town favorite, and soars with 19 terracotta eagles in Lakeview.
Where was Bacon's Arena, the site of Joe Louis' first pro match?
In this edition of Ask Geoffrey, our local history expert goes ringside at Joe Louis' first professional knockout, rides by the site of long-lost Logan Square mansion, and finds out what's cooking at a former bread-baking palace.
Who designed the Marshall Field’s clock?
In this edition of Ask Geoffrey, viewers ask our local history expert about the Marshall Field’s clock, a World War II memorial in Lincoln Park and the Chicago Federal Building’s dome.
