BLDG51. News and Events |

20 Sep george elmslie-designed terra cotta now for sale through collaboration between bldg. 51 museum and city museum

Posted at 15:39h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

19 Sep photographic survey of roseland’s sullivanesque style american ideal cleaning company

Posted at 17:18h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

recent exterior survery of sullivanesque style single story american ideal cleaning company commerical building, located at 10351 south michigan avenue, chicago, il. the "stock" pattern white glazed terra cotta ornament was executed by the midland terra cotta company, chiago, il. ...

19 Sep clumsy classicism and soot city: bld 51 museum joins forces with casalino archive to showcase newly discovered kodachromes of cobb’s post office and surrounding buildings as they appeared in 1965

Posted at 15:42h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the bld. 51 museum is collaborating with the chicago-based casalino archive to digitize and showcase newly discovered and seldom seen color slides (e.g., kodachromes) of henry ives cobb's federal building and post office (1898-1905) and surrounding historically important commerical buildings as they appeared in the...

15 Sep 2025 photographic survey of parker berry’s 1915 sullivanesque style first state bank of manilus

Posted at 16:17h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

2025 photographic study of parker berry's two-story first state bank of manilus (1915), located at 122 east maple street, manilus, il. the polychromed sullivanesque terra cotta ornament was executed by the american terra cotta company, il. ...

11 Sep solon s. beman’s red brick and rusticated lemont limestone holy rosary roman catholic church (1890)

Posted at 17:41h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

recent images of solon s. beman's red brick and rusticated lemont limestone holy rosary roman catholic church (1890), located at 11300 south dr. martin luther king, jr. drive, chicago, il. ...

10 Sep an afternoon photographing gary, indiana with urban documentarian camilo josé vergara

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

weekend images taken during my weekend "tour" of gary, indiana, with urban documentarian camilo josé vergara. some of the sites we visited together are subject matter in his books, american ruins (vergara, 1999) and unexpected chicagoland (vergara with tim samuelson, 2001). for additional information on vergara's work,...

07 Sep restored montgomery ward administration building tower “century of progress” statue returns to its perch

Posted at 18:01h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

before and after: recent images of montgomery ward building tower (1929), located at 619 west chicago avenue, chicago, il. "spirit of progress" was briefly grounded for repair and restoration, led by andrzej dajnowski of...

04 Sep urban remains and bld. 51 museum secure salvage rights to walter burley griffin’s 1913 frank a. hindes house

Posted at 15:22h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages, Travel by Eric

last? salvage images of notable prairie school architect walter burley griffin's frank a. windes house (1913), located at 645 abbottsford road, kenilworth, il. house demolition will begin in a matter of days. feeling burned out and broken - not to mention nearing 50 years of age, i...

04 Sep exterior detail survey of hugh garden-designed third church of christ scientist (1899-1901)

Posted at 14:30h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

late summer 2025 detail images of hugh garden's richly ornamented glazed terra cotta third church of christ scientist (1899-1901) located at 2151 w. washington blvd., chicago, il. ...

03 Sep important great chicago fire of 1871 “relics” added to ever-growing bldg. 51 museum collection

Posted at 16:08h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

original pocket-sized "souvenir" medal representing the first anniversary of the disastrous conflagration known simply as the "great chicago fire" of 1871. the unique and diminutive artifact is commonly referred as the "chicago fire medal" according to multiple museums and other institutions that have one in their...

01 Sep many shades of color: michaelsen and rognstad’s on leong merchants association building (1928) terra cotta ornament

Posted at 14:30h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

exterior photographic survey of michaelsen & rognstad's on leong merchants association building (1928), located at 2216 s. wentworth avenue, chicago, il. the richly colored michaelsen-designed polychromed glazed terra cotta ornament was executed by the american terra cotta company, crystal lake, il. ...

31 Aug another post-fire chicago residence cut down on cleveland avenue in chicago

Posted at 15:20h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

iphone images of a post-fire chicccago masonry residential structure undergoing demolition located at 1923 north cleveland avenue, chicago, il. the multi-story building facade is comprised of "parge and pencil" brick (likely from a shortage of face brick after the chicago fire of 1871) punctuated with...

28 Aug george grant elmslie’s old second national bank (1924) in photographic detail

Posted at 17:54h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

photographic survey (work in progress) of george grant elmslie's old second national bank (1924), located at 37 south river street, aurora, il. ...

25 Aug photographic survey of sullivanesque style midland terra cotta commerial store building in chicago’s rosland neighborhood

Posted at 17:59h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

early 20th century sullivanesque style single story brick and white glazed terra cotta commercial building (now a church), located at 11743 south michigan avenue, chicago, il. the stock pattern terra cotta ornament, including centrally located cartouche and flanking full-bodied spread-winged eagles, were fabricated...

25 Aug george grant elmslie’s four story prairie style keystone commercial building (1922): one of five elmslie commissions executed in downtown aurora

Posted at 16:37h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

detail photographic survey of george grant elmslie's four story prairie style keystone commercial building (1922), located at 30 south stolp avenue, aurora, il. ...

25 Aug photographic survey of claude and starck’s 1912 prairie style flagg-rochelle carnegie public library

Posted at 14:07h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

exterior photographic survey of claude and starck's prairie style flagg-rochelle carnegie public library district building (1912), located at northeast corner of 7th street at 4th avenue, rochelle, il. ...

21 Aug exterior photographic survey of frank lloyd wright’s stephen a. foster residence (1900) located in west pullman neighborhood of chicago

Posted at 14:21h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

exterior photogrpahic images of frank lloyd wright's stephen a. foster residence (1900), located at 12147 south harvard, chicago, il. images were taken in the winter of 2023 and summer of 2025. the house was designed in 1900 by frank lloyd wright as a summer home...

20 Aug bldg. 51 museum collection acquires exceptionally rare, museum quality 1902-03 george grant elmslie-designed five-ply fret-sawn mahogany wood panel from 1899 schlesinger and mayer building

Posted at 16:35h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

amazingly intact 1902-03 george grant elmslie-designed fret-sawn mahogany wood screen panel located in schlesinger and mayer building (1899, louis h. sullivan, architect) third floor women's lounge and writing room. the richly ornamented woodwork was executed by the edmunds mfg. co., chicago, il. additional panels - on...

19 Aug photographic survey of theodore link’s richardsonian romanesque style st. louis union station in summer, 2025

Posted at 16:43h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel by Eric

exterior images of theodore link's gargantuan romanesque style union station headhouse (1894), located at 1820 market street, st. louis, mo. the station's distinctive interior and exterior design program was handled by edmund cameron, who worked for h.h. richardson, where he oversaw construction of richardson's glessner house...

18 Aug salvaged ornament from wheelock’s western book methodist, burnham and root’s ayer house, and a kristian schneider model join bld. 51 museum collection

Posted at 16:18h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

john wellborn root-designed anderson pressed block salvaged from burnham and root's 1885 edwin e. ayer residence during demolition in 1966: museum-quality original 1899 western book methodist concern building terra cotta panel designed by kristian schneider and harry b. wheelock: exceptional...