Landmarks And Legacy

Redefining landmarks and contextualizing their legacy through the lens of narrative and media is an ethnographic study that seeks to determine the significance of these ‘global and vernacular landmarks’ against their more infamous counterparts in Chicago; namely “The Bean” and other well documented icons. Both types of landmarks are embedded in our landscape. Expanding the definition of a landmark beyond historic explores how their stories are traditionally told. We’re living through times where vernacular landmarks could be deemed sacred by the thousands who visit and document these places on the internet versus the exclusive process in which landmarks are protected by municipal and other governing committees. These stories determine an alternative methodology for recognizing and celebrating iconic landmarks at a neighborhood scale. Democratizing the process of landmarking opens social media signification, making a case for contemporary historic preservation as a public practice.