02 Jan

Posted at 17:36h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

throughout 2021, the bldg. 51 museum amassed several historically important architectural fragments and objects, in addition to the evolving archive, consisting of period photographs, books, documents, drawings, blueprints, models, and other related materials that will prove invaluable to bolster the narratives of the museum's architectural...

02 Jan

Posted at 03:50h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Salvages by

a selection of historic chicago buildings lost in 2021. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2022.  EARLY 1860S CORNELIUS C. HOPPER ITALIANATE STYLE MASONRY RESIDENCE DESTROYED CIVIL WAR-ERA ITALIANATE STYLE RESIDENCE BUILT FOR CORNELIUS C. HOPPER FACES IMMINENT DEMOLITION SENSELESS DESTRUCTION...

02 Jan

Posted at 02:21h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions by

  the following digitized and edited photographic images presented below were selected from hundreds of pieces of ephemera housed at ryerson and burnham, art institute of chicago, john vinci collection, and bldg. 51 museum collection.  while i've spent several months combing through the richard nickel committee archive,...

01 Jan

Posted at 04:11h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by

i'm continuously arranging and rearranging any and all artifacts housed within the bldg. 51 museum, as a means to generate inspiration and flush out narratives held within these historically important remnants of the past. at the most basic level there is information attached to every object...

29 Dec

Posted at 16:15h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by

the links (arranged in chronological order offer), highlights of the work of eric j. nordstrom, urban remains, and the bldg. 51 museum archive in 2021. over the past few years my work towards creating and/or collaborating with people and organizations deeply entrenched in architectural preservation...

28 Dec

Posted at 18:14h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by

when looking for a document in daniel brenner’s archive the other day, i stumbled across a folder containing remarkable images (nickel?) from the "louis sullivan and the architecture of free enterprise" exhibit held at the art institute in 1956.  if i recall correctly, frank Lloyd wright,...

24 Dec

Posted at 15:40h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by

latest images from my ever-growing photographic survey of extant late 19th and early 20th century chicago residential and commercial structures located across chicago. notable examples of south side chicago architecure recorded in this survey include frank lloyd wright's heller, blossom, and robie houses, burnham and...

21 Dec

Posted at 04:33h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by

around the time i began salvaging a chicago italianate row house constructed shortly after the fire, i was deeply immersed in the book, “the carpenter and joiner, and elements of hand-railing,” written by robert riddell in 1869. the highly technical book discusses the “art” of...

20 Dec

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

latest photographic images from bldg. 51 archive's chicago architectural ornament survey (caos) are provided below. the ever-expanding photo-documentation project focuses on systematically recording any and all architectural ornament located on historically important 19th and early 20th century extant buildings located in downtown chicago and surrounding...

18 Dec

Posted at 19:29h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by

visually compelling kodachrome slides of chicago's historic prairie avenue district as it appeared in february of 1968 and may of 1975. the earlier images were possibly taken by richard nickel. the following list of houses are featured in the slides. the keith and wheeler houses...

18 Dec

Posted at 00:13h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by

i am thrilled to have finally located and authenticated two heavily carved oak wood staircase railings salvaged from the potter palmer mansion or "castle," designed and built by architects henry ives cobb and charles sumner frost between 1883-1885. the railings were acquired by the bldg....

15 Dec

Posted at 18:00h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by

the cornelius c. hopper house (1863) was demolished in a matter of hours late last week. sadly, very little, if anyhting, was salvaged from the exterior and/or interior of the three-story italiante style masonry residence punctuated with unornamented lemont limeston window hoods. the original solid...

14 Dec

Posted at 15:46h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by

garden city architectural works, furst and bradley, proprietors. 4-story commercial building with original bracketed cornice built around 1858 with addition (to the north) constructed in 1861. architect unknown. henry horner grocery store and wholesale, henry horner, proprietor. the 4-story commercial building with...

09 Dec

Posted at 15:10h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by

a seldom seen collection of original 19th century albumen prints of historically important mansions designed by notable chicago architects. the majority of the images feature houses (many demolished during land clearance) on the near south side, including prairie avenue.  original james w. taylor albumen print of...

07 Dec

Posted at 16:45h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Salvages by

civil war-era italianate style residence built for cornelius c. hopper in 1863-64 faces imminent demolition. according to period city directories, hooper was secretary of the peoples gas light and coke company. wood or tin ornamental bracketed cornice and rooftop cupola were removed/destroyed long ago. original unornamented...

06 Dec

Posted at 03:29h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

historically important art deco style architectural artifacts salvaged from notable chicago buildings erected during the 1920s-1930s. the original ornament - all identified, meticulously documented and photographed is housed in the bldg. 51 museum collection. when time permits, i will provide additional information, identifying the building ornament...

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