This well illustrated presentation explores the history of the American backyard barbecue, from its rustic Californian roots to its suburban-modern apotheosis. The ranch-house kitchen regularly overlooked it, the backyard was often organized around it, and social gatherings and family meals frequently focused on it. The man of the house asserted himself as its controller, while his wife performed the real labor behind the scenes. The suburban barbecue offered new opportunities for conspicuous consumerism that allowed it to stay fashionable in a transient suburban world. Barbecues offered casual, gracious, outdoor living, where everything was up-to-date for a stylish, suburban lifestyle.

Anthony Rubano is a Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer at the Illinois State Historic Preservation Office in the Department of Natural Resources. He works with historic properties under a variety of state and national programs and has consulted across the country on historic preservation and downtown design issues. He has overseen Illinois’ state and federal cultural-resource protection programs and provided architectural services to over 60 historic Illinois Main Street communities. He has taught architectural history at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Anthony earned a Master of Architecture degree with an emphasis on architectural history and preservation from the University of Illinois.