BLDG51. News and Events |

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...

06 Aug bldg. 51 museum acquires historically important fragments from adler and sullivan’s troescher and chicago stock exchange buildings

Posted at 15:43h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

historically important terra cotta fragments salvaged from adler and sullivan's troescher building (1884-1979) and chicago stock exchange (1894-1972) were added to the bldg. 51 museum collection over the weekend. troescher building (1884): adler and sullivan's 1884-85 troescher building was commissioned by anton f. troescher, a new york-based...

04 Aug rare original burnham and atwood fisher building souvenir booklet edited by william s. dolbey joins bldg. 51 archive

Posted at 16:07h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

exceedingly rare original and intact fisher building (burnham and atwood, 1896) dedication booklet joins bldg. 51 museum and archive. the highly informative and profusely illustrated booklet is a must for historic building material wonks. plus, it provides an exceptional overview of a typical 19th century american...

27 Jul demolition permit for fred p. morgan house (1895) will likely send the house into the landfill by end of summer

Posted at 15:19h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

a demolition permit for the fred w. morgan residence (1895?) will likely send the turreted three-story brick house - punctuated with bedford arches and columns and ornamented zinc dormers - into a landfill by end of summer. ...

24 Jul little known louis h. sullivan-designed bronze and granite base supports the statue of john m. plamer located on the lawn of illinois’s state capital

Posted at 14:29h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

images of a little-known louis h. sullivan-designed cast bronze and granite base supporting the statue of john m. palmer, a civil war general, illinois governor and 1896 presidential candidate, executed by sculptor leonard crunelle in 1921. together with granite...

22 Jul richard bocks’s boulders and storks at frank lloyd wright’s oak park home and studio (1889)

Posted at 15:26h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

bock's boulders and storks on frank lloyd wright home and studio (1889). images courtesy of eric j....

21 Jul greenville university’s richard bock sculpture museum filled with frank lloyd wright ornament and ephemera

Posted at 15:34h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

photos from our visit to richard w. bock sculpture museum, located at 315 e. college avenue, greenville, ills. sharon grimes, who's the current director of the museum and expert on bock, provided us with a deeply informative tour of the exhibits, carefully arranged on two floors...