Windmills at the Gaylord Building, Chicago

The Chicago area was the {American} windmill manufacturing capital of the world at one time. The Gaylord Building celebrates this windmill heritage with two programs in November.

Dinner and a Lecture

On November 9, landscape architect Barbara Geiger will present “Generating Change: Windmills in the Midwest.” Water-pumping windmills revolutionized the American landscape in the early 20th century though they were so effective, they brought about their own rapid demise. Told from the perspective of LaVerne and Ida Noyes, owners of the Chicago Aermotor Company, Ms. Geiger will trace the history of windmills in America and tell the story of one family that made a fortune making and distributing windmills throughout the world.

A lecturer on landscape history, Ms. Grainger is on the faculty of the College of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology. She is also principal of the B. Geiger Group, a landscape architecture firm specializing in historic landscapes and heritage gardens.

The cost for the Dinner and a Lecture is $26 for members of the Canal Corridor Association (CCA) and $32 for non-members. Reservations are required; call 588-1100.

Collectors Brown Bag Lunch

On November 20, the Collectors Brown Bag Lunch program will feature windmill collectibles. Bob Popeck, a windmill collector and past president of the International Windmill Association, will present his finds. Among them, a 3 ½-foot-tall showroom model. It's sort of like a salesman's sample of a windmill,” says Mr. Popeck, who has been collecting windmills for about 15 years. He'll also have windmill photographs and a variety of windmill weights. Serving to counterbalance windmills to keep them from tipping over, the cast iron weights come in a variety of animal shapes.

The one-hour event begins at noon and admission is $4 for CCA members and $6 for non-members. Reservations not required, but are encouraged. Audience members are also encouraged to bring a sack lunch.

The Gaylord Building Historic Site (200 W. 8th Street, Lockport, IL 60441) is owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and managed by the Canal Corridor Association. For further information, please call 815.588.1100.