Historian David Garrard Lowe first fell in love with Chicago as a small child, during summers he spent with his father’s extended family. Left to his own devices he explored and fell in love with the city’s architecture and businesses. He also witnessed the processes of modernization which replaced much of classic Chicago. Determined to preserve that history, Lowe compiled the book "Lost Chicago."

The book is a photographic essay, an ode to Chicago’s bygone public buildings and private residences. And it’s a bestseller of sorts – since its publication in 1975 the book has had numerous editions. The latest came out in 2010.

Lowe, who is President of the Beaux Arts Alliance in New York City, joined Eight Forty-Eight to talk about Lost Chicago and what the city means to him.