more to follow in coming days. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom collection and bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2025....
2024-2025 photographic images from bldg. 51 archive's chicago architectural ornament survey (caos) are provided below. the ever-expanding photo-documentation project (over 500,000 images) focuses on systematically recording any and all architectural ornament located on historically important 19th and early 20th century extant buildings located in downtown...
the bldg. 51 archive and museum recently acquired the only known frank lloyd wright-designed fragments salvaged from adler and sullivan's victoria hotel (1892) during its demolition in 1961. the following images were taken by richard nickel in early 1961 of adler & sullivan's victoria hotel...
note: the following links represent some highlights accomplished in 2024. the posts are arranged chronologically, from beginning of 2024 to end of year. pabst mansion pavilion - a rare surviving relic of the 1893 columbian exposition on its way to be dismantled again 1902 henry l. newhouse-designed...
the majority of the images offer a detailed glimpse at the winslow house's rear elevation, landscape, and stable. ...
hoping for a favorable outcome in 2025. fire-damaged edward morris house or swift mansion (1892, willett and pashley, architects), located at 4500 south michigan avenue, chicago, il. badly neglected comed substation (1924, herman v. von holst), located...
the following photographic images offer a closer look at architectural elements and ornament found throughout the interior of frank lloyd wright's william winslow house (1894). focal points include, but not limited to, the leaded glass windows, copper-plated cast iron wall sconces, and hand-carved quarter-sawn oak...
recent images of henry c. koch's flemish renaissance revival style milwaukee city hall building (1895), located at 200 east wells street, milwaukee, wi. the buff colored terra cotta ornament was executed by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, ills. ...
latest acquisition. rare 1909 chicago athletic association building "cherry circle" 19th anniversary gilt edge hardbound special issue (given to officers and club members only) with silver gelatin photographic image of club member charles ffrench (president, director, and manager of the iron and steel publishing company)...
rebuilt chicago in 1873: illustrated. scanned pages (including cover and advertisements) from a recently found and exceptionally rare oversized hardbound book entitled "the merchants and manufacturers of chicago : being a complete history of our mercantile and manufacturing interests, and their progress since the fire :...
out with hoyt, in with london guaranty. original photographic images of the post-fire william hoyt building (1872), located at southwest corner of north michigan and east wacker drive. note the massive 15 x 6 marble fort dearborn memorial plaque or tablet built into the wall of the...
eric j. nordstrom, through his bldg. 51 archive and museum, has been consumed with a project attempting to bridge various local archives in a unified manner, that for the time-being, is translated in the following images accompanied with brief descriptions or narratives identifying the historical...
urban remains and the bldg. 51 musuem are pleased to offer full-scale frank lloyd wright and alfonso iannelli-designed "sprite" or "spindle" heads that were cast from a mold made from a documented original fragmented full-figured sprite undergoing restoration. the limited edition "spindle" head sculptures were...
recent photographic images of frank lloyd wright's a.d. german warehouse (1914), located at 300 south church street, richland center, wi. it was the only building wright ever designed in the town he was born. the warehouse was built between 1917-1920 for local businessman albert dell german of...
early photographic print (note hand-applied retouching) made from william shaw's original glass negative of w.d. kerfoot realty company building (october 1871-june 1872), located at 89 west washington street, chicago, il. the 12 by 16 foot "shanty of boards" was said to be the first "building" erected...
fall 2024 exterior images of kees and colburn's 9-story deere and webber company warehouse (1910), located at 800 n. washington avenue, minneapolis, mn. the cream-colored speckled finish sullivanesque terra cotta was fabricated by the american terra cotta company, chicago, ills. ...
restlessness. chicago buildings are tinkered and toyed with on any given day. and some are just wiped away altogether. tracking and photographically capturing the madness of it all is unbelievably exhausting on both mind and body. very few want to proactively be a witness to...
exterior photographic images - taken in october of 2024 - of walter burley griffin's joshua g. melson house (1912-1914), located at 56 river heights drive, mason city, iowa. the two-story house (also known as "the castle") is comprised mainly of rough-faced limestone, quarried from the site...
merchants national bank in fall of 2024. george grant elmslie's richly colored exterior glazed terra cotta adorning the facade of merchants national bank (1912) located at 102 east third street, winona, mn. the early 20th century bank building was designed by the architectural firm of purcell, feick,...
owatonna in october of 2024. 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...