18 Sep

Posted at 02:58h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

  the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the most recent american architectural, medical, and industrial artifacts and/or miscellaneous objects added to our ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 45,000 catalog listings to date). the newly acquired items have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be)...

11 Sep

Posted at 20:37h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, Salvages by

a selection of photographic images from the chicago architectural ornament survey is provided below. the architectural ornament is sourced from extant late 19th and early 20th century buildings within chicago's city limits. the majority of the buildings enjoy landmark status, while others are relatively unknown,...

08 Sep

Posted at 18:35h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by

yet another largely intact late 19th century chicago two-flat with incised joliet limestone window hoods is undergoing demolition. the roof and railings had been ripped off when i arrived.  after leaving the defaced house, i drove about a mile away to document a former synagogue (completed...

04 Sep

Posted at 22:27h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

several boxes filled with late 19th and early 20th century antique american elevator signs and artifacts collected by an elevator serviceman while working on historically important buildings from new york city to philadelphia arrived at urban remains last week. the collection includes seldom found signage and...

29 Aug

Posted at 01:48h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the most recent american architectural, medical, and industrial artifacts and/or miscellaneous objects added to our ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 40,000 catalog listings to date). the newly acquired items have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be)...

25 Aug

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

i finally made time to digitize these richard nickel images of adler & sullivan’s jewelers building (1881-2) upper floors. unfortunately, the original sullivan-designed interior solid oak wood staircase railing was ripped out in 1960, but thankfully it was rescued by charles gregerson (and possibly nickel),...

24 Aug

Posted at 21:32h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by

day one: restoration of the beaux-arts style cook county hospital facade, comprised of limestone, brick, and terra cotta, is well underway. the partially demolished hospital (i.e., rear wings and powerhouse in 2010) was completed in 1913-14 with paul gerhardt as architect (served as cook county architect...

19 Aug

Posted at 17:00h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by

exterior restoration work has begun on howells and hood's 1925 tribune tower. several carefully stacked and labeled indiana limestone panels were removed from south facade for mast climber's anchor points. the gothic revival's limestone facade was executed by the indiana limestone company, bedford, ind. ...

18 Aug

Posted at 02:50h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

a rare artifact deserving highlight in the urban remains warehouse is a turn of the century cast bronze plaque designed by edward kemeys and executed by the winslow brothers. the single-sided metalwork depicts the cheyenne diplomat and warrior "chief left hand," remembered for his attempts...

14 Aug

Posted at 20:13h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Sales and Promotions, Salvages by

the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the most recent american architectural, medical, and industrial artifacts and/or miscellaneous objects added to our ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 40,000 catalog listings to date). the newly acquired items have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be)...

13 Aug

Posted at 23:06h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by

i've devoted several hours each and every week at the ryerson and burnham library where the richard nickel archive is housed. there, i get lost in the past, where i carefully study, select, and digitize/edit thousands of images taken by photographer and salvager richard nickel...

10 Aug

Posted at 01:37h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by

as of late nearly every cottage slated for demolition contains virtually no interior or exterior ornament worth salvaging due to countless renovations, remuddlings that have subsequently stripped those distinctive elements that contribute to a historically specific identity. [gallery columns="4" ids="19560,19561,19562,19563"] i've come to accept this as the norm,...

09 Aug

Posted at 18:30h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by

the following images were taken while chicago architect john vinci and i spent the afternoon on a self-guided tour of st. louis-based city museum's architectural artifact installations scattered on multiple floors of an old colossal warehouse.   the majority of the ornament comes from chicago, with large...

03 Aug

Posted at 19:36h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

after weeks of negotiating, i managed to purchase an original john wellborn root-designed kansas city board of trade building (1888) panel for the bldg. 51 architectural ornament collection. when the combination cast and wrought ornamental iron header panel arrived the other day, i spent nearly...

03 Aug

Posted at 02:34h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Salvages by

montgomery ward's mail order house and administration building (1907) undergoing facade restoration. the mammoth 8-story reinforced concrete building accentuated with sullivanesque terra cotta ornament was completed in 1907 by architectural firm schmidt, garden, and martin. the ornament was designed by hugh garden. built as a warehouse...

01 Aug

Posted at 18:10h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by

john vinci and i made the trek to st. louis to visit richard nickel's architectural ornament at southern university edwardsville, the wainwright and union trust buildings, city museum, and the wainwright tomb, located in bellefontaine cemetery. time was very limited, so i didn't get a...

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