OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
CITY OF CHICAGO
LORI E. LIGHTFOOT
MAYOR
December 16, 2020
TO THE HONORABLE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO
Ladies and Gentlemen:
I transmit herewith a resolution regarding the retirement of Tim Samuelson, the City' cultural historian.
Your favorable consideration of this resolution will be appreciated.
RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, With hearts full of best wishes for his future, mixed with regret to see him leave, the Members of this Chamber are pleased to congratulate Tim Samuelson, Chicago's Official Cultural Historian, on the occasion of his retirement from the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events; and
WHEREAS, Bom in Evanston, Illinois, and raised in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood, Mr. Samuelson developed his love of history and architecture at age 7 after seeing a picture ofthe Carson Pirie Scott building in his grandmother's Reader's Digest; and
WHEREAS, After graduating from Sullivan High School, Mr. Samuelson attended Roosevelt University, where he majored in English. On his college application, Mr. Samuelson indicated that he wished to attend Roosevelt University primarily because it housed the Auditorium Theatre, designed by architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan with assistance from a young Frank Lloyd Wright. As an undergraduate student, Mr. Samuelson frequently snuck into the theatre, which was undergoing renovation, where he befriended the laborers working there, and quietly worked behind the scenes to clean its mosaics and to save bits of its discarded edifice; and
WHEREAS, Early in Mr. Samuelson's career, Chicago preservationist and photographer Richard Nickel brought Mr. Samuelson along with him on expeditions to salvage fragments of historic buildings that were scheduled for demolition. Inspired by these forays, Mr. Samuelson became a researcher and writer for Chicago preservationist and architect John Vinci. In the 1980s, he joined the staff of the Commission on Chicago Landmarks before ...
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