25 Aug continued neglect takes its toll on j.l. silsbee’s shuttered bandstand in garfield park 

photographic study meticulously documenting the sad state of j.l. silsbee’s largely forgotten bandstand (1897) located in garfield park. the images provide visually compelling evidence of its decay and defacement through deferred maintenance. 

image courtesy of chris ware.

images courtesy of chris ware.

the four-sided structure is faced with white marble supplied by the georgia marble company.

the uniquely designed stamped or pressed copper dome with protruding finial, was executed by the frank voigtmann cornice company, chicago, ills.

richly colored mosaics punctuate the exterior in the form of recessed panels and morrish-style headers above the doorways leading to the interior, where a massive mosaic adorns the underside of the dome. the mosaic work was completed by john carretti and company, a tile and terrazzo company based in chicago. 

all images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2021.