Bronzeville - and the broader South Side - lie at the heart of historic Chicago. This tour, led by Sharon Samuels - one of Chicago’s up-and-coming architects and entrepreneurs, will wind through Washington Park, which contains a variety of attractions from great landscape design to architectural masterpieces as well as great works of art, and then head north to examine hidden and not-so-hidden gems in the neighborhoods of the “Black Metropolis”.
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Sharon Samuels is a Chicago Native Architect, Artist and Designer. Before starting her own design firm, she was an associate at OKW architects. She was responsible for several projects varying sizes and scopes. One of my key projects was the Chatham Market, a new retail development on Chicago’s south side. The 50-acre project includes a LEED certified building slated to be one of the first on the south side of Chicago. Other past projects have included the development of the New Maxwell Street, completed in 2005. Sharon’s interest in sustainable design was further implemented thru her tenure as an adjunct faculty member at Columbia College Chicago. She taught in the MFA in Architectural studies program. Her courses focused on sustainable issues in Architecture and design. In addition she has worked as a visiting at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the Interior Architecture Graduate program. 

In 2008, Sharon Samuels launched SolQuest Design Unlimited, a full service architecture and design firm with an emphasis on branding, high design and sustainability. There are several projects in progress including a number of historic Chicago Bungalows that are slated for certification under the Chicago \Green Homes program and a commercial office building slated for LEED Silver Construction. In addition, SDU is currently working on several commercial and residential projects that will seek LEED certification

Philosophy: Design is constantly evolving to meet the needs of a diverse population, so every project is approached from a holistic standpoint with careful consideration of design, economy, and sustainability.