07 Jan rare oversized historically important j.w. taylor albumen prints of william le baron jenney’s leiter ii building under construction join bldg. 51 museum archive
January 7, 2026
in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Uncategorized
a set of newly discovered oversized mounted james w. taylor construction photographic prints of william le baron jenney’s leiter ii building (1891) located at 401 south state street, chicago, il., have joined the bldg. 51 museum archive.
the digitized sepia-toned photographic prints by notable 19th century architectural photographer james w. taylor were printed specifically for chicago-based vierling, mcdowell, & company ironworks with an additional set made for jenney’s architectural firm (this set was on display in jenney’s office).
the prints show the erection of the building’s steel and iron framework (faced with pink granite) during various stages of its construction between 1889-1891.
the 8-story granite-faced building was built for levi z. leiter, a prominent chicago developer and co-founder of what became marshall field and company. sears occupied the building from 1931 to 1986.
the extant second leiter building was built in 1891 by levi z. leiter by architect william le baron jenney. a notable building of the first chicago school of architecture, the leiter ii building is one of the earliest commercial structures erected using a cast iron and steel skeleton frame implemented by jenney.
unfortunately, given this is the only set of photographic prints known to exist, i cannot say with absolute certainty whether the set included additional photographs to offer a more exhaustive record of the building’s construction. despite this, the fact that the prints exist it all, is truly remarkable for a number of reasons that will be discussed in greater detail in a future blog entry.
seldom seen photographic group portraits of william le baron jenney’s architectural firm taken in 1893 and again in 1900. both images include william bryce mundie and and elmer c. jensen
the firm added jensen in 1906 – a year before jenney died.
vierling, mcdowell, & company ironworks was founded by robert vierling in 1882. the company specialized in structural and ornamental steel and ironwork. brother louis vierling later succeeded robert after his death in 1906. the company was renamed the vierling steelworks.