01 Jan hugh m.g. garden-designed architectural fragments from demolished buildings must not be overlooked

i’m continuously arranging and rearranging any and all artifacts housed within the bldg. 51 museum, as a means to generate inspiration and flush out narratives held within these historically important remnants of the past. at the most basic level there is information attached to every object that enables us to reconnect with its specific histories (e.g., a white glazed terra cotta fragment is traced to the reliance building facade and its restoration, and by proxy the visions of daniel burnham and charles atwood in 1894).

in this regard, much of my understanding depends on the amount of time i’ve allowed for research when i first acquire and/or document a piece, but as i continue to revisit my collection and conduct research on incoming artifacts, the story always becomes fuller. i am more determined than ever to establish a dynamic or fluid criteria for reorganizing these objects, to give each narrative greater depths.

one such grouping of artifacts that i often study together are fragments designed by notable prairie architect hugh garden, who is well-known for his unique recombination of frank lloyd wright and louis h. sullivan design elements, creating his own brand of ornament. garden’s interest in these architects has sparked my fascination with him, especially since his work has gone largely unnoticed in comparison. further, i feel i have a rather personal relationship with his work, having carefully documented and salvaged ornament from a number of the buildings he designed with fellow architects richard e. schmidt and edgar d. martin. all this ornament was extracted when the buildings were met with the wrecking ball, or in at least one case, discarded during renovation.

hugh mackie garden first arrived to chicago in the 1880’s, where he apprenticed with several architectural firms (in fact working for sullivan and wright, among others) before becoming a freelance renderer. his work commenced with richard schmidt when garden was asked to join as chief of design.though the influence of louis sullivan and frank lloyd wright ran deep, garden’s ornament was distinctive enough to merit the descriptor “gardenesque” among collectors.

his background and recognizable design treatments provide the necessary backdrop to connect him to the ornament in question, but i anticipate additional research will only make his contributions more meaningful — knitting him to the prairie school architecture and showing the great autonomy he exercised in his creative use of ornament or designs. his style can be clearly assigned to extant commissions containing his “signature” ornament. in the meantime, i’ve cobbled together most of the ornament currently on display in the bldg. 51 museum and created an image database, so others, like myself, can appreciate, study, and keep a record of the ornament that in some cases disappeared unrecorded.

thankfully i was in the right place at the right time when his plaster ornament was found in and around the cherry circle bar, housed in the chicago athletic association building (garden et al. spear-headed the additions or annex built in 1907 and 1921).

all of the richly organic polychromatic plaster was uncovered and then obliterated with the exception of a few fragments i managed to rescue from the dumpsters while photo-documenting the building’s transition – from an empty and largely neglected building to a wonderfully and painstakingly restored boutique hotel. additional ornament was secured from institutional buildings,  the type of commissions the firm was most known for, hospital buildings being at the forefront of that list. the recovered plaster fragments are found below with brief descriptions added to each and every piece.

without a doubt, i was very impressed by the lengthy and painstaking process leading up to the chicago athletic association building’s “rebirth” (through extensive restoration). in my mind it ultimately reawakened the dormant soul of the building, instilled through the architectural designs of henry ives cobb and schmidt, garden, and martin (the original building [1893] and the annex [1907,1921] respectively).

having spent over two years of my time documenting the building, its transformation provided me with insight into the construction and all the subsequent alterations made through the decades – with the latter being largely destructive. this lead to the complete removal and replacement of the original “tipped” ceiling in the great dining room of cobb’s building, which shared the same fate as garden’s plaster ornament, found above the dropped ceilings in the cherry circle bar.

in both cases the original ornament was thrown out – at least that is what i was told, and what i witnessed to some extent. however, thanks to a few sympathetic workers and intermittent access to carts of rubble being rolled to awaiting dumpsters, i managed to secure a small collection of pieces. alongside these rescues, i extensively documented the ornament as it was uncovered in peeling away the layers of remuddling.

the removal of ornament (to make way for replacement or alteration) was somewhat guided by a cautious “choose your battles” strategy. while the “tipped” ceiling was faithfully replicated, the ornament designed by garden was altogether destroyed. again, at least it was documented, so not all is lost. at the end of the day the overall transformation was a truly amazing feat. it brought the building back to life, with the great majority of its rooms and ornament inside them lovingly restored.