what survived the catastrophic great fire of 1871, it seems, might not survive the wrecking ball of today. at 154-166 north jefferson, the west loop is ready to gain another high rise residential tower, at the expense of a pre-fire factory that holds a rich history....
an excavation at van buren & morgan yielded an interesting find this week, to add to the store of objects comprising a "city beneath the city." unearthed there was an exceptionally rare bottle, one of only three known examples in this color, and the only...
among the more interesting surprises an old house can hold, insulation is sometimes unearthed during demolition in the form of dated ephemera and materials from a bygone era. the contents found are especially valuable in providing a sturdy timeline during which the house was constructed, especially if found resting on...
the monumental plaster female statue recently housed in off-site storage, has recently made another move, this time to be in a more secluded, climate-controlled space along with the rest of the bldg. 51 collection. thankfully it is solidly-built, with complete structural integrity to withstand relocation. longtime...
every once in a while i feel uninspired, saturated with mixed emotions that lead to exaggerated negativity and seemingly unstoppable rumination on being "stuck." this becomes hugely counter-productive within the world of urban remains, where at times i'm subject to mundane tasks that any business owner is familiar with,...
the daniel a. jones building, built as a wing of the presbyterian hospital complex in 1888, is slowly being erased from chicago's urban landscape, but i believe there is hope - in the form of a heavy duty onsite "cherry picker." this machine, with its extensive boom, will...
today marks the 44th anniversary of richard nickel's death, when the world lost a formidable preservationist and photographer. nickel died following his passion, in the collapse of the chicago stock exchange building as he salvaged architectural ornament. in memory of his life and work there will be an...
this early nondescript cottage located on chestnut resembled somewhat the non-extant john kent russell house, especially in that its age and alterations made it into a richly complex case study, and one that i managed to thoroughly document before and during its demolition. like the russell house, the...
it seems an appropriate follow-up to a recent san francisco visit to write about having dug a cable or street car artifact near illinois and franklin street which will soon enter the bldg. 51 collection. the finding of the railway component coincides, ironically, with having bought...
the painted ladies are a historic attraction in the bay, but i was nonetheless thrilled to peruse for myself the sloping row of colorful queen anne style residences in alamo square park and throughout the city. these victorian and edwardian style houses are generally 2-3 stories, featuring multiple balconies, large...
for several weeks now i've continued to make my way over to the northeast corner of state and huron to monitor the agonizingly slow death of 8 east huron, which remains standing, despite the loss of its "coach house" and adjoining neighbor to the west...
among the rare light fixtures housed in the urban remains collection is an early 1920's "arctype"auditorium spotlight lamp, an original fixture which represents lighting technology developed during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, which was replaced by the incandescent spotlight. the carbon arc lamp was the first widely-used...
an exceptional and historically important hammered wrought iron railing section, executed by "the tiffany of wrought iron masters" is the latest of the bldg. 51 museum collection's recent acquisitions. the heavily ornamented, strapped and riveted wrought iron artifact was crafted by milwaukee's historic and premier iron worker, cyril...
the extant historically important rookery building (1888), one of burnham & root's top architectural masterpieces, has undergone three major renovations and/or restorations over the last century, whereby several exceptional artifacts were removed and made available through both public and private acquisition. a small assortment of these...
four years ago, curbed chicago listed the church at 1300 north artesian avenue as a "juicy development prospect" awaiting residential conversion. the listing cited its windows and woodwork as appealing features; it has since been drastically reduced in price. the semi-abandoned church still stands, no...
the little cottage "frozen in time" was located just around the corner from the old bottling factory, incidentally, the building where urban remains was first established back in 2006. a spattering of other 19th century residential structures were left standing in and around this industrial...
early in the morning i received notice that a late 19th century two-story graystone was handed a death sentence. after reviewing images of the facade, i was drawn to the matching leaded beveled glass transom windows and roofline ornament consisting of cast iron cresting or...
i'm equally surprised and pleased at the sheer number and vast assortment of significant architectural artifacts acquired and/or rediscovered in storage since the beginning of 2016. whether a single sullivan-designed guaranty building doorknob, or a one-of-a-kind hand-stitched nortown theater organ screen fish embellished with sequins, i've...
on the "deconstructing chicago" front, my interest is in demystifying the incredibly complicated methods and materials used during the span of time from 1840-1880, when evolving technologies, as well as supply and demand for material, continually wavered from one building season to the next. [gallery ids="18676,18677,18675"] the case study...
when my salvage team arrived at the church building located at 1639 n. artesian avenue late last week, i wasn't expecting to salvage much of anything. based on preliminary research there wasn't much to expect, with the interior having been altered time and again. aside from...