22 May rare interior photographic images of the home insurance building shortly before its untimely demolition

seldom seen interior images of architects and engineers surveying wiliam le baron jenney’s 1885 home insurance building shortly before its demolition in 1931. 
the building’s interior ornamental ironwork (both wrought and cast and possibly electro-plated) was likely executed by snead & company, louisville, ky. they are perhaps best known for the ironwork in adler and sullivan’s 1889 auditorium building (winslow’s work came a little later).

the building’s structural iron was provided by the dearborn foundry founded in 1883. in addition to home insurance the chicago-based company supplied structural iron for the rookery, board of trade, and owings building. they also supplied complete commercial building storefronts well into the 20th century. 

note: the neoclassical style chandeliers with white opalescent globes and bent panel glass, were added sometime around 1920. the fixtures were likely executed by beardslee or r. williams of chicago.

images are courtesy of ryerson and burnham, art institute of chicago.

william le baron jenney’s home insurance building shortly before it was demolished in 1931. the newman wrecking signs resting on the sidewalk against the west facade helped date the image, which was likely taken by the chicago architectural photographing company. burnham and root’s rookery (1888) in foreground. 
the w.j. newman company did most of the large-scale excavation and wrecking in downtown chicago around the late 19th and early 20th century. 

an extensive visual record of newman demolishing james egan’s french second empire style chicago city hall building (1885) and jenney’s home insurance building (1885) offer great insight into the early methods and machinery used to deconstruct and transport building materials through heavily congested areas.

image courtesy of ryerson and burnham, art institute of chicago.