27 Jan

Posted at 17:11h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

this stereoview captures both a chaotic and energized street scene deep within the former "burnt district" along lasalle street, less than 2 years after the great fire of 1871. the stereoview (which enhanced the illusion of depth in an image by means of stereopsis, or...

27 Jan

Posted at 04:53h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by

[caption id="attachment_27611" align="alignleft" width="1200"] incredibly rare and highly sought after late 19th century leaded art glass skylight panels salvaged from the adler & sullivan chicago stock exchange during demolition in 1971-2. the art glass commission for the trading room skylight system was awarded to the...

24 Jan

Posted at 18:40h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by

the bldg. 51 museum, comprised of fragments from chicago's past, continues to acquire historically important architectural artifacts from the non-extant granada theater, a once a grand movie palace constructed for the marks brothers in 1926. levy and klein were architects of this building, now lost...

23 Jan

Posted at 03:08h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by

earlier this week a 19th century residential privy pit or "vault" was discovered during the excavation of a west town neighborhood lot, where a single story framed-wood cottage once stood. just one year ago that residence succumbed to the wrecking ball. the demolition is sharp...

19 Jan

Posted at 06:05h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by

historic buildings that dodged waves of urban renewal and blatant neglect are thriving in milwaukee. on a given stretch, a virtually untouched oriental-themed movie palace and its two neighboring 1870's commercial buildings prove that milwaukee has been proactive in rehabilitating their existing "stock" of historic...

18 Jan

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

when i visited the congress theater last week, i began by carefully navigating and methodically photo-documenting several deep, dark and dirty plaster and steel-framed cavities and coves high above the theater's cavernous auditorium ceiling. while zigzagging across the original, wobbly wood board catwalks, i distinctly recall being taken...

16 Jan

Posted at 19:16h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by

the former chevrolet showroom (north end of the "mega mall"), built for the milwaukee avenue motor sales company (1921) during a time when the neighborhood was concentrated with several car dealerships that collectively contributed to what was then known as logan square's "motor row," has been reduced...

13 Jan

Posted at 22:47h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by

long after the collection of historically-important buildings belonging to rush's hospital campus were reduced to rubble, we received a call from a woman assigned the task of selling and/or discarding the piles of building remnants that had been dropped at a desolate storage yard shortly...

12 Jan

Posted at 21:19h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Sales and Promotions by

with so many architectural artifacts, medical and industrial objects, signage and everything else in between, it's becoming increasingly difficult to continue listing new items on a daily basis. in 2017 however, we have brought onboard additional staff to ensure  at least ten new items are...

12 Jan

Posted at 10:23h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by

an incredible discovery, documented shortly after demolition work was finished for the day. the oculus was found intact behind the bricked-in wall. the unusual number of muntins (and "hub") suggests an automobile wheel, which was a popular motif was used in other buildings along logan...

10 Jan

Posted at 15:24h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by

[caption id="attachment_27214" align="alignleft" width="1100"] detail of northwestern terra cotta company exterior ornament adorning the facade of a 19th century chicago workers cottage.[/caption] meticulously documenting the surface detail and design of chicago's older extant architecture will remain a top priority in 2017. with so many projects, exhibitions, and...

06 Jan

Posted at 16:37h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by

some of the first hidden and/or forgotten remnants recovered in the first part of 2017, came from the ground, discovered in one of the many forgotten city dumps that dot the cityscape. the dump contained piles upon piles of leather shoe soles, caked with a wretched...

04 Jan

Posted at 04:22h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by

a blog entry posted two weeks ago provided extensive documentation pertaining to the careful extraction of the former milwaukee avenue motor sales building's (more commonly known as the "mega mall") roofline ornamental terra cotta urns. beginning last last week, demolition was underway - to my...

03 Jan

Posted at 06:15h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

widow and socialite ann halsted commissioned adler & sullivan to build her understated gold coast mansion at 440 w. beldan ave. in 1884.  sullivan’s trademark ornaments are diminished to an elaborate cornice and bay windows. in halsted’s own words, she wanted the house to have...

28 Dec

Posted at 19:45h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

this december the bldg. 51 museum collection received a welcome, but unexpected boost in inventory of historically important chicago building terra cotta. the majority of the exterior ornament salvaged over the years hailed from buildings no longer with us. one particular piece carries great significance for...

27 Dec

Posted at 04:19h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

i was pleasantly surprised and utterly delighted when a good friend of mine gave me an original two-tone mosaic tile floor segment from one of two schiller building (garrick theater) staircase landings, discovered by nickel et al. in may of 1960 - shortly before the building...

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