Vernacular architecture is a term for the humbler residential and commercial buildings built for middle-class and working-class building owners. Many were designed and built by craftsmen and construction workers without the design guidance of trained architects. Building techniques were learned and passed on from apprenticeships with other builders, rather than formal schooling. Though the builders may not be well-known or remembered nowadays, they created the attractive and useful buildings that still make up the unique physical character of much of the city.

Chicago lost untold numbers of its original houses and buildings to urban renewal and clearance for highways and other big projects during the 1950s - 60s. Protests against the demolition of Louis Sullivan's Garrick Theater and Stock Exchange in the 60s and 70s were unsuccessful but lead to the creation of historic preservation groups such as the Chicago Architecture Foundation. In the decades since then, many locals and tourists have come to treasure the city's historic downtown skyscrapers and grand homes built by famous architects. Meanwhile the smaller structures in the rest of the city often go unnoticed and unappreciated.