We’re excited to announce that 106 Group has expanded into Illinois with the opening of our Chicago office—a natural next step for our multidisciplinary cultural resources and heritage planning firm headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota.
“Chicago has such a rich cultural heritage, and having a dedicated presence here allows us to work even more closely with the communities and partners who care for these places,” noted Lindsey Wallace, Services Director. “We’re excited to bring our full range of services to Illinois from right here in the city.”
With decades of experience in cultural resources management, historic preservation, heritage planning, and interpretation projects across the Midwest, we’ve long worked in Illinois, including cultural resource surveys for the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. Today, our Illinois practice is anchored by a team whose expertise is deeply rooted in the state’s history, landscapes, and communities.
Meet Our Chicago Team
Max Chavez – Sr. Architectural Historian
A dedicated planner and Midwest heritage champion, Max has played a key role in projects that blend preservation, interpretation, and public engagement. As Director of Research & Special Projects for Preservation Chicago, he led landmark nominations, community campaigns, and public programs. He currently serves on the board of DOCOMOMO Chicago and remains deeply connected to Illinois’ preservation and cultural heritage community.
“I’m thrilled to continue the important work of celebrating, supporting, and preserving the incomparable heritage of Chicago and Illinois at large. There are countless stories here yet to be celebrated and we are honored to help bring those histories to light.”
Emily Wallrath Schmidt – Sr. Architectural Historian and Cultural Heritage Planner
Emily began her professional journey in Illinois and brings a decade of preservation experience centered in the Chicago region. Her expertise lies in building research and documentation, as well as heritage planning and historic restoration methods and materials. Her Illinois-based experience includes homeowner research guides for the Chicago Bungalow Association, archival work with the Chicago Park District, and serving as a landmarks surveyor for the City of Blue Island while studying at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Lindsey Wallace – Services Director
With over 15 years of leadership in preservation, planning, and community development, Lindsey has worked extensively in Illinois. While with the National Main Street Center (Main Street America) in Chicago, she oversaw preservation-based grants, community planning initiatives, and statewide technical assistance programs. Her work emphasized design review, placekeeping, training, interpretation, and strategic project development for communities and historic districts.
Looking Ahead
Our Illinois-based team brings exceptional depth across all areas of 106 Group’s work—including historic preservation, cultural resources management, interpretation, community engagement, and heritage planning. From our new Chicago office, we’re ready to partner with communities, agencies, and organizations to support the stewardship, revitalization, and celebration of Illinois’ diverse and irreplaceable places.
Got a project in mind? Give us a call.
Scot Nortrom
During his 20 years of experience with planning and design firms, Scot has positively impacted business operations, financial management, team management, brand development, and messaging. As the Development Director at 106 Group, he leads the planning and execution of marketing strategies and project partnerships across the company’s business sectors.
