08 Mar tragic life cycle of burnham and root’s george h. wheeler’s house (1884) through photos
the following images begin with a seldom seen james w. taylor albumen print of the house shortly after its construction in 1884, followed by a charles cushman image of the house shortly before alterations were made to the parapet (i.e., centrally located window muntin reconfiguration followed by removal of ornament and covered over in asphalt siding) in the 1950s.
around 1960, john vinci captured the house after additional alterations were made in a riveting yet depressing kodachrome image taken from the street.
the last image – taken by richard nickel – show it in a horrific state (a shell of its former itself) only days before its destruction in 1968.
images courtesy of private collection and john vinci archive.
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