15 Jan revisiting images taken of the 1855 john kent russell house attic “discovery” over a decade later
January 15, 2025
in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, Salvages
posted july 11, 2014:
before i begin what will likely be a series of posts revolving around the salvage of this pre-fire residence, i wanted to present a few images taken while i was exploring the attic space that was constructed during the early 1860’s, when an addition to the house was added.
behind the brick chimney i discovered a concealed or hidden “time capsule” in the form of a perfectly intact and largely untouched west elevation gable frozen in time since the house was built in 1855.
taking a moment and simply admiring this assemblage, consisting of oversized pine wood italianate style brackets with “bullseye” rosettes, a small lunette window and overlapping painted clapboard siding (all dating from the time the house was built) was by far the greatest salvage “experience” i have had in a very long time.
despite being terribly uncomfortable with the intense heat, nagging back pain and exhaustion, it all seemed to just magically disappear when i sat there for a good ten minutes, pouring over all of these remarkable details.
i was without a doubt, deep within my zone and utterly consumed with thoughts of a chicago in the 1850’s that swirled around and around in my head. i was simply in awe.
this most recent experience, along with the ones from the past, and the ones i hope to discoverer in the future, remains the exact reason why i continue to devote my life to this line of work.
more on the salvage will be covered in future posts.
