23 Feb historically important schiller building artifacts and ephemera housed in the bldg. 51 museum and archive
the following images in the gallery below offer a glimpse at any and all artifacts and ephemera pertaining to adler and sullivan’s schiller building (later known as dearborn and garrick theater) completed in 1892. the artifacts, including interior and exterior architectural ornament (e.g., terra cotta, cast plaster, mosaic fragments, etc.) was salvaged by richard nickel, john vinci, and david norris during the building’s senseless demolition in 1961.
the parking garage that replaced it incorporated a single original four-piece buff-colored terra cotta assembly (the schiller building’s terra cotta was executed by the northwestern terra cotta company) known as the “geometric flower” that was likely designed by chief draftsman, frank lloyd wright. the panel was originally located on the building’s tower beneath the projecting cornice and surrounding the four-sided arcade punctuated with deep relief terra cotta busts of germanic figures. the parking lot, which included the garrick restaurant (see matchbook covers) at street level was demolished in the 1990s. interestingly, the majority of the schiller building’s fifty-foot oak wood tapered foundation piles (nearly 700 piles were pounded down to hardpan to support the 17-story structure), remain in place and contributed to supporting the parking garage and likely the existing goodman theater.
further reading:
ESSAYS AND IMAGES ON SCHILLER BUILDING’S PILE FOUNDATION, STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND DISTRIBUTION OF SALVAGED ORNAMENT DISTRIBUTION
artifacts and ephemera courtesy of bldg. 51 museum and archive. all images by eric j. nordstrom.
