Illinois State University’s Distinguished Geographer Lecture will focus on strides made in mapmaking after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed one-third of the city and its entire downtown.
Professor of Geography Michael Conzen of the University of Chicago will present “Chicago Diagrammed: Frank Glossop as an Applied Geographer after the Great Fire of 1871,” at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 13, in the Circus Room of the Bone Student Center.
Sponsored by the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment, the event is free and open to the public.
Conzen will examine how Glossop came to invent a new type of cartographic guide to the city’s commercial core. His work helped Chicago regain its crucial footing after the fire and during the explosive growth over the next century and a half. Conzen argues Glossop represents an intriguing example of a new kind of “applied geographer” who made a difference in the spatial efficiency of the city’s beating heart at a critical moment in its storied history.
Conzen earned a Ph.D. in geography from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research explores American historical and urban geography and cartographic history, international urban morphology, and the role of mapmaking in public communication and education.
Those who need special accommodation to fully participate in this event, contact the Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment at (309) 438-7649. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.
