At Work in "The Region"

After a year in our Northern Regional Office in South Bend, Brad Miller assumed his new role with Indiana Landmarks this month as director of our Northwest Field Office in Gary.

Brad has called many places home. He grew up in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he majored in history and religious studies at Gettysburg College. In graduate school at Middle Tennessee State University, he focused on public history and historic preservation. He credits his time in Tennessee for inspiring his appreciation for vernacular architecture – an interest that fueled his thesis exploring African American funeral homes across Tennessee as buildings of service to communities from the Civil War into the present day. After graduating, Brad moved to Boston, where he consulted for the Somerville Preservation Commission and helped history-focused non-profits with community outreach.

In his time in our South Bend Office, Brad was Community Preservation Specialist. Now he jumps into working with city governments, non-profit organizations, and historic property owners with preservation issues and opportunities in Lake, Porter, Jasper, and Newton Counties, the area served by our Northwest Field Office.

In East Chicago, Brad is collaborating with city officials to develop a preservation strategy for the Riley Bank building, one of the last landmarks in the East Chicago Avenue commercial district. After nearly two decades of vacancy, the century-old building needs a new roof and new use.

Riley Bank, East Chicago

“I’m always looking for ways to connect communities to their pasts, as a way to better understand the present,” says Brad.

We’re planning a reception on Tuesday, August 22 for members and friends in the region to meet Brad. Stay tuned for more information on the event. In the meantime, you can contact him at our Northwest Field Office, 219-947-2657, bmiller@indianalandmarks.org.