20 Sep louis sullivan’s schlesinger and meyer building through images and ornament
images with captions below:
foundation work on d.h. burnham & company’s 1906 addition to louis h. sullivan’s schlesinger and mayer (later carson, pirie, scott and company) building. note the massive cast iron splayed footing caps. the multi-layered grillage under the column footings consisted of steel rails or beams (set perpendicular to each other) buried in concrete.
images courtesy of ryerson and burnham archives, art institute of chicago.
undated original silver gelatin print of schlesinger & mayer building exterior blackish-green enameled ironwork (madison street entrance). i was speechless at first glance… i’ve seen this view before, but the image was small and low-res.
the visually striking ornament was designed by louis sullivan, sculpted by kristian schneider, and executed by the winslow brothers.
image courtesy of ryerson and burnham archives, art institute of chicago.
the schlesinger and meyer building’s copper-plated cast iron open cage elevators were ripped out in 1936 and either scrapped or relegated to the basement.
shortly after the great flood of 1992, a great deal of sullivan/elmslie-designed elements, which also included staircase stringers, newels, and balusters, were tossed into dumpsters when the building’s main basement and sub-basements dried.
thankfully, some of the ornament lives on, including a reconstructed elevator cab at lovejoy library, elevator door medallions, elaborate cast iron elevator domes, and staircase newel caps and balusters.
the schlesinger and meyer building was designed by louis h. sullivan in 1899, with subsequent additions completed by daniel burnham in 1906 and holabird & root in 1961.
images courtesy of the ryerson and burnham archive, institute of chicago, and eric j. nordstrom. ornament courtesy of the bldg. 51 museum collection.
original silver gelatin print of the louis sullivan-designed rotunda spandrel panel for the schlesinger & mayer store (1899). the patterns used for the ironwork were made by special arrangement at northwestern terra cotta company (sculpted in clay by head modeler and frequent sullivan collaborator kristian schneider). winslow brothers executed the building’s interior and exterior ornamental ironwork.
courtesy of the bldg. 51 archive.
work in progress.
c. 1899 photograph showing early stage of louis sullivan-designed cartouche sculpted in clay by modeler kristian schneider for the schlesinger & mayer store (1899).
the patterns used to for the ironwork were made by special arrangement at northwestern terra cotta company. winslow brothers fabricated the building’s interior and exterior ironwork.
courtesy of bld. 51 archive.
in 1935, sullivan’s schlesinger & mayer building (1899) was heavily modified by the leonard construction company. a great deal of sullivan’s ornament (e.g., fixtures, millwork, plaster, elevators, etc.) was ripped out and either tossed or relegated to the basement.
nickel’s archive at ryerson and burnham contains a box filled with photographic images documenting the destruction. i’m in the middle of scanning all of them, including a large set devoted to installation of escalators. gut-wrenching.
images courtesy of ryerson and burnham library, art institute of chicago.
seldom seen ralph marlow line images of louis sullivan’s schlesinger and mayer building (1899) taken in the late 1940s. much of line’s work predates the work richard nickel. in fact, i’m finding that most of line’s work on sullivan dates to the 1940s, which fits nicely between morrison in the 30s and nickel in the 50s.
note the intact terra cotta cornice – removed around 1948. the projecting cast iron cartouches above the prismatic tile window are still intact as well. the ornamental iron was executed by winslow brothers. northwestern executed the terra cotta.
courtesy of ryerson and burnham, art institute of chicago.
1978 restoration of sullivan’s schlesinger & mayer building ironwork. photographs were taken by john vinci.
through exhaustive paint analysis, vinci et al. managed to nail down the original treatment, consisting of an orange-red base combined with a dark olive green (applied days later), to achieve a dark antiqued bronze finish. the metal ornament was originally executed by winslow brothers.
courtesy of john vinci collection.
john vinci kodachrome slides of sullivan’s schlesinger and mayer building (1899) during its restoration in 1978-79. the ornamental exterior ironwork was designed by louis sullivan, modeled by kristian schneider, and executed by the winslow brothers company. the patterns made from schneider’s clay models were made by special arrangement at northwestern terra cotta company.
courtesy of john vinci collection.
john vinci kodachrome slides of sullivan’s schlesinger and mayer building (1899) during its restoration in 1978-79. the ornamental exterior ironwork was designed by louis sullivan, modeled by kristian schneider, and executed by the winslow brothers company. the patterns made from schneider’s clay models were made by special arrangement at northwestern terra cotta company.
i included a great image of gladding mcbean from vinci’s visit there to oversee/document replication of sullivan-designed white glazed terra cotta ornament originally executed by the northwestern terra cotta company.
the exterior iron had a weathered and worn gray paint before it was stripped and refinished.
images courtesy of john vinci collection.
“perfection takes time.” 1979 john vinci kodachrome slide of schlesinger and meyer building restoration. in addition to the rotunda and terra cotta repair work, louis h. sullivan’s ornamental ironwork – executed by the winslow bothers – was stripped and refinished. the sign posted on the scaffolding is rather amusing.
courtesy of john vinci collection.
john vinci kodachrome slides of 1978 exterior restoration of louis sullivan’s 1899 schlesinger and meyer building. damaged and/or missing ornamental white glazed terra cotta – originally executed by northwestern terra cotta company – was replicated by gladding, mcbean.
courtesy of john vinci collection.
john vinci kodachrome slides of sullivan’s schlesinger and meyer building (1899) restoration. the ornamental exterior ironwork was designed by louis sullivan, modeled by kristian schneider, and executed by the winslow brothers company. the patterns made from schneider’s clay models were made by special arrangement at northwestern terra cotta company. vinci’s restoration of the building’s exterior and interior rotunda was completed in 1978-79.
images courtesy of john vinci collection and ryerson and burnham archive.
under construction.
d.h. burnham & company’s 1906 addition to louis h. sullivan’s schlesinger and mayer (later carson, pirie, scott and company) building (1899). note the steelworkers with pneumatic rivet guns and company’s hand-painted sign along brick wall.
faithfully-reproduced george grant elmslie-designed fret-sawn mahogany wood screen panel located in schlesinger and mayer building (1899, louis h. sullivan, architect) third floor writing room.
the planes of wood were affixed together with their grains rotated to strengthen or reinforce the assembled panel.
the recreated panel is accurate both in design and finish.
images courtesy of bldg. 51 archive.
original louis h. sullivan-designed copper-plated cast iron newel post cap. it first appeared in adler & sullivan’s guaranty building in 1896, followed by sullivan’s schlesinger and meyer building staircase in 1899. the ironwork in both buildings was modeled by kristian schneider and fabricated by the winslow brothers, chicago, ills.
courtesy of bldg. 51 museum collection.
recently digitized 8 x 10 press photograph of “carson’s birthday cake.” to mark the company’s centennial birthday, the company painted louis sullivan’s 1899 3-story entrance – comprised of ornamental ironwork fabricated by winslow – a metallic gold on or around february 17, 1954.
courtesy of bldg. 51 archive.
creepy oversized outdoor display props.
carson pirie scott and company building addition (1960), holabird and root, architects.
courtesy of bldg. 51 archive.
stunning construction photo of d.h. burnham & company’s 1906 addition to louis h. sullivan’s schlesinger and mayer (later carson, pirie, scott and company) building (1899). the building facades as backdrop – viewed through gin poles, cables, and steel columns – provide context and scale. remarkable.
original 1950s aaron siskind photograph of louis sullivan’s schlesinger & mayer (1899) store.
courtesy of john vinci collection.
louis sullivan-designed pedestrian bridge comprised of ornamental iron executed by winslow brothers, chicago, ills.
courtesy of bldg. 51 archive.
courtesy of bldg. 51 archive.
“the beginning of the end…”
courtesy of ryerson and burnham, art institute of chicago.