BLDG51. News and Events |

13 Oct historically important carved sandstone block from pond and pond’s home for self-supporting women joins bldg. 51 museum

Posted at 18:23h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

original diminutive carved bedford limestone block - salvaged by timothy j. samuelson and tim barton - from pond and pond's home for self-supporting women was donated to the bldg. 51 museum collection over the past week. the building was completed in 1908 and located at...

12 Oct fritz albert’s highly stylized and richly colored egyptian revivial terra cotta ornament on display at egyptian lacquer building (1926)

Posted at 16:40h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

images of fritz albert-designed polychromed terra cotta along the cavetto cornice and surrounding entrance of the egyptian lacquer mfg. company building (1926). the single-story egyptian-revival style factory - located at 3052 west carroll avenue, chicago, ills. – was built by the architectural firm of lockwood, greene...

11 Oct the last of the three southern minnesota banks: purcell and elmslie’s first state bank of leroy (1914)

Posted at 17:19h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

photographic survey of purcell and elmslie's first state bank of leroy (1914), located at 102 w. main street, leroy, mn. the building is devoid of the characteristic elmslie-designed terra cotta ornament, given the fact that one of the bank director's would veto any proposal for a...

09 Oct a closer look at purcell and elmslie’s first national bank (1920) in adams, minnesota

Posted at 17:20h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

exterior photographic survey of purcell and elmslie’s first national bank (1920), located at 322 west main street, adams, mn. first national was not only the last of three mower county (southern minnesota) bank buildings – the other two being the exchange bank...

09 Oct revisiting purcell and elmslie’s exchange state bank (1910) in fall of 2023

Posted at 15:05h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

the exchange state bank (1910) was the first of three mower county (southern minnesota) bank buildings designed by the architectural firm of purcell, feick & elmslie (later purcell and elmslie). located on the corner of main street and grand avenue in the small town of...

07 Oct owatonna in october 2023: continued photographic documentation of louis h. sullivan’s national farmer’s bank

Posted at 14:26h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

interior and exterior images of louis h. sullivan's national famer's bank (1908), located at 101 n. cedar avenue, owatonna, mn. the richly colored stencils, plaster, art glass, etc., were designed by l.h. sullivan, l. millet and g.g. elmslie. the oversized ornamental cast iron electroliers (four in...

27 Sep bldg. 51 museum acquires historically important mecca flats interior cast iron staircase balustrade and newel post finial endcap

Posted at 14:17h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

an original custom-designed, black enameled ornamental cast iron interior staircase baluster and newel post bottom endcap salvaged from edbrooke and burnham's mecca hotel or flats (1892) during its untimely demolition in 1952, joined the bldg. 51 museum and eric j. nordstrom collection this past week. ...

25 Sep a photographic survey of american terra cotta founder william d. gates’s “terra cotta house” located in hinsdale, ills.

Posted at 14:50h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

a detailed photographic survey of american terra cotta founder william d. gates's terra cotta house (jenney and mundie, 1893), located at 134 n. lincoln street, hinsdale, ills. conflicting accounts suggest the house was erected at the 1893 world's columbian exposition to showcase the company's terra...

18 Sep revisiting the james charnley house in 2023

Posted at 17:03h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

it's been a little over three years since i last had a chance to carefully document in the interior of adler and sullivan's james charnley house (1891). when the staff at the society architectural historians (the society operates from the house), welcomed me back last...

08 Sep abner pratt’s 1860 “honolulu” house, located in marshall, mich.

Posted at 17:50h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

recent images of abner pratt's italianate style honolulu house (1860), located at 107 n. kalamazoo avenue, marshall, michigan. not sure how the 1890s cast bronze "kelp" pattern doorbell (fabricated by yale & towne) landed there, but obviously not original. the entrance doorknob and backplate - made...

07 Sep rough-faced granite galore: a closer look an henry ives cobb’s old chicago historical society stone fortress

Posted at 13:59h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

exterior images of the former chicago historical society building (1892) designed by chicago architect h.i. cobb. the historical society moved to the georgian-style facility (designed by graham, anderson, probst & white) in 1932. ...

03 Sep cool copshop: a photographic study of edward c. van leyen’s third precinct station in detroit

Posted at 01:30h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

exterior images of edward c. van leyen’s beax-arts style three-story brick and bedford limestone third precinct station (1896), located at 2200 hunt street, detroit, mich. ...

01 Sep oldest fully functional elevators servicing solon s. beman’s fine arts building (1898) will be systematically removed in coming years

Posted at 16:28h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

please don’t rip me out. recent photographic survey of the original, custom-designed copper-plated ornamental cast iron interior elevator doors, surrounds, cabs, up/down illuminated lanterns, and oversized push-button call boxes installed during the transformation of solon s. beman’s studebaker carriage depository building (1885) into the fine arts...

31 Aug detroit’s cathedral of finance: an intensive photogrpahic survey of the wirt c. rowland’s art deco guardian building

Posted at 14:55h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

detroit's " cathedral of finance." interior and exterior images of wirt c. rowland’s 36-story mayan revival style guardian building (originally called the union trust building), located at 500 griswold street detroit, michigan. ...

24 Aug most recent historically important architectural artifacts added to the eric j. nordstrom collection and bldg. 51 museum archive

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

the following american architectural ornament joined the ever-expanding, chicago-based bldg. 51 museum in summer of 2023. captions will be provided when time permits. ...

21 Aug sanford white in light and shadow: exterior photographic survey of the joseph medill residence

Posted at 14:13h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

stanford white in light and shadow. exterior photographs of sanford white's joseph medill residence (1891-93), located at 20 east burton place, chicago, ills. medill, who was a former mayor of chicago and founder of the chicago tribune, gifted the palatial house to his daughter elinor and her...

18 Aug southside chicago michigan avenue hide away: burnham and root’s sidney a kent house (1882)

Posted at 16:23h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

photographic survey of burnham and root's sidney kent house (1882-83), located at 2944 s. michigan avenue, chicago, ills. the john wellborn root-designed terra cotta was executed by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, ills. burnham and root designed and built the stately michighan avenue mansion (one of...

17 Aug men at work: restoration of victor lawson ymca memorial building (1931) bedford limestone facade well underway

Posted at 17:03h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts by Eric

latest images of 24-story victor lawson memorial building (perkins, chatten & hammond, 1931) bedford limestone facade restoration. the victor f. lawson house is a historic former ymca building located at 30 w. chicago avenue, chicago, illinois. the building was built in 1931 for the ymca of metropolitan chicago, which was established in...

16 Aug h.h. richardson’s john j. glessner house: a fortress sheathed in carved and rusticated braggville pink granite

Posted at 20:32h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

carved braggville pink granite, braggville, mass., executed by evans and tomb. john j. glessner house (1887), henry hobson richardson, architect. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom...

14 Aug a closer look at harvey ellis in st. joseph: j.b. moss house, german-american bank building, and central police station

Posted at 17:25h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

a photographic survey of the harvey ellis-designed j.b. moss house (1889), central police station (1890), and german-american bank building (1889), conducted on a truncated visit to st. jospeh, mo., in the winter of 2023. i've included several images of eckel and mann's c.d. smith drug...