BLDG51. News and Events |

30 May two distinctive and historically important red slip terra cotta grotesques from milwaukee’s lake front depot join bldg. 51 museum collection

Posted at 13:44h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

two original red slip glazed terra cotta grotesque face exterior corbels salvaged from charles sumner frost's chicago and north western railway train station or lake dront depot (1889-1890). the romanesque style station - located in milwaukee, wisc. - closed in 1966 and demolished...

29 May current status of otto strack’s 1893 terra cotta frederick pabst columbian exposition pavilion

Posted at 20:40h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages, Travel by Eric

going, going...

28 May around milwaukee: a photographic survey of architectrual ornament found on some of the city’s finest landmarks

Posted at 15:35h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

the majority of the photographic images were taken in the early months of 2024. the commerical and residential buildings are well-known landmarks and have been on my circuit for over 25 years. ...

24 May latest images chronicling the deconstruction of helmut jahn’s thompson center

Posted at 18:34h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

latest images of thompson center (helmut jahn, 1985) deconstruction as of 5-23-2024. ...

23 May beginning of the end: conrad seipp’s post chicago fire commerical building (1871-1872) undergoing demolition

Posted at 16:45h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

and so it begins...

21 May herman von holst’s south side chicago comed station (1924) is now for sale despite repeated demolition attempts

Posted at 17:44h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

price tag is 375,000 and described as a "solid" industrial building. the images of the southside chicago comed station (1924), located at located at 6141 s. prairie avenue, were taken over the weekend. the building's architect, herman v. von holst, was perhaps best known for taking on...

19 May urban remains recent acquisitions for spring of 2024

Posted at 16:02h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the latest american architectural artifacts added to the ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 125,000 items digitized/cataloged over the past 20 years). the newly acquired items for the early months of 2024 have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need...

16 May continued documentation of helmet jahn’s 1983 thompson center transformation to google’s chicago headquarters

Posted at 16:33h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

transformation of thompson center gains momentum as more and more glass modules and aluminum mullions are plucked from the curtain wall, exposing the building's...

15 May five months after the fire: revisiting willett and pashley’s 1892 edward morris house or swift mansion

Posted at 15:36h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

five months after a devastating fire that damaged the roof and upper floors of willett pashley's 1892 swift mansion located at 4500 s. michigan avenue in the bronzeville neighborhood of chicago, the owners struggle to raise funds badly needed to rebuild, or at the very...

13 May latest photographic images of 1893 world’s fair terra cotta pabst pavilion “deconstruction”

Posted at 19:27h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

the historically important 1893 world's fair or columbian exposition pabst beer pavilion (designed by architect otto strack, who also designed the extant pabst theater) has been shrouded in a steel web covered with mesh (for several weeks now) as deconstruction and/or removal of it's buff-colored...

08 May “skyline ’70” staplebound booklet presented by central national bank in chicago

Posted at 15:11h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

includes "a giant display of models of buildings to be built in chicago during the next decade." booklet and images courtesy of bldg. 51 archive. all rights...

03 May exterior photographic survery of george w. maher’s adolf schmidt residence (1917-18) in edgewater

Posted at 16:39h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

exterior photographic survey of george w. maher's prairie style adolf schmidt residence (1917-18), located at 6331-33 north sheridan road, chicago, il. the house is comprised of a golden yellow roman brick facade, with richly ornamented maher-designed bedford limestone ornament, and wood cornice. a few of...

02 May urban remains and the bldg. 51 museum featured in the detroit news

Posted at 15:47h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Press by Eric

4/12/24, 2:46 PM Enjoy a Windy City antiquing weekend HOMESTYLE Trash or Treasure: Enjoy a Windy City antiquing weekend Khristi Zimmeth Special to The Detroit News Published 6:45 p.m. ET April 11, 2024 Updated 6:45 p.m. ET April 11, 2024 There are few things I like more than an afternoon spent...

01 May helmut jahn’s 1985 thompson center makeover under way

Posted at 12:56h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

images of helmut jahn's thompson center (1985) taken earlier this week. how the thompson center will appear when google occupies building. [caption id="attachment_87819" align="alignleft" width="1965"] image courtesy of google.[/caption] images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive....

25 Apr latest images from ongoing photographic documentation of pilgrim baptist church reconstruction by central

Posted at 14:19h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

the following images were taken a few day ago as i continue documenting central building and preservation's efforts to stabalize, restore and/or rebuild the oversized segmented bedford limestone window arches along the north wall of adler and sullivan's kehilath anshe ma'ariv synagogue or pilgrim baptist...

20 Apr theodore karl’s 1872 conrad seipp post-fire chicago three-story commercial building (1872) undergoing demolition

Posted at 13:18h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

post-fire chicago architect theodore karl's building was constructed in the early months of 1872 for brewer conrad seipp on the pre-fire foundation using recycled or salvaged brick from the fire. the building had storefronts on the first floor (including a saloon), offices on the second, and...

17 Apr threatened: jens j. jensen’s 1925 spanish baroque style pioneer arcade building terra cotta facade on pulaski

Posted at 14:44h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

photographic survey of the spanish baroque style glazed terra cotta pioneer arcade (jens j. jensen, 1925), located at 1535-1541 n. pulaski rd., chicago, il. terra cotta likely fabricated by midland or american terra cotta company, chicago, il. ...

17 Apr 2024 exterior photographic survery of terra cotta ornament on purcell, feick, and elmslie’s merchants national bank

Posted at 14:34h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

2024 exterior detail of merchants national bank (1912) located in winona, mn. the early 20th century bank building was designed by purcell, feick, and elmslie. the polychromed ornament was modeled by kristian schneider for the american terra cotta company of chicago. ...

15 Apr exterior photographic survey of frank lloyd wright’s 1901 frank w. thomas house

Posted at 14:27h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

frank lloyd's wright's frank h. thomas (1901), located at 210 forest avenue, oak park, il. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights...

09 Apr frank lloyd wright’s william g. fricke house (1901) in light and shadow

Posted at 15:44h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

photographic survey of frank lloyd wright's william g. fricke house (1901) in spring, 2024. images...