17 May time stood still at the chicago athletic association before transformation into aboutique hotel

i distinctly recall the afternoon in 2011 i spent wandering through henry i. cobb’s 1893 chicago athletic association building and neighboring annex (schmidt, garden & martin) with a large group of investors, developers, architects, and designers hell bent on converting the buildings into a boutique hotel, perhaps banking on it largely intact historic architectural elements as its biggest asset.

i felt like my camera was an instrument of intrusion, despite having permission from the “ringleaders” orchestrating the building acquisition, a project, that at the time, was shrouded in secrecy. my mind’s eye felt scrambled, rushed, and in desperate need of more time to understand the spaces through which i quickly moved, all the while lagging behind the “group tour.” there is no worse feeling and it shows in the images i took that day, which are no doubt of poor quality and look “forced.” i was continually distracted by a sense of sadness and stagnation that permeated the two buildings.

remarkably, the grand spaces, once containing a pool, dining and reading rooms, gymnasium, etc., remained intact and fully exposed for photo-documenting. there were areas that were partially concealed by insensitive remuddlings, but after paying closer attention to the alterations, i could see original elements waiting to be rediscovered. however, time stood still and an overwhelming sense of abandonment made the once lively spaces nearly unbearable to occupy. it was really hard to “communicate” with the past, despite the abundance of ornament that usually ushers me to that time and place, where i feel most at “home.” and that is the starting point to extend my mind’s eye through the use of my camera, guided by what once was.

since i struggled to find that connection in the beginning stages, the images are disconnected and disappointing to say the least. i feel i did the building a great injustice in those crucial first stages when the first wave of alterations effectively destroy what i call the “first impression. thankfully, the pace picked up and i began to find my way when i returned to the buildings where portals to the past were opening all around me when construction was well underway. this time i was prepared and finally felt “connected” with the buildings in order to document their most amazing features once forgotten, or simply hiding in plain sight.

one of the highlights from documenting the lengthy transformation came when i discovered an early 20th century decorators’ supply company catalog that not only confirmed the fabricator of the chicago athletic club lobby’s main candelabra chandelier (along with wall sconces, coffered ceiling, and “bare bub” plaster pendants), but in addition, provided a full-page black and white photograph of the chandelier hanging in the newly remodeled lobby.

courtesy of the bldg. 51 museum collection archive

image taken of lobby before extensive restoration commenced. courtesy of eric j. nordstrom/bldg. 51 museum archive

chicago athletic club pool room lobby restoration nearing completion. image courtesy of eric j. nordstrom/bldg. 51 museum archive.