BLDG51. News and Events |

10 Feb salvaged “new old stock” art deco machine age chicago back bar glass rods available free of charge

Posted at 02:35h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Sales and Promotions, Salvages by Eric

UPDATE AS OF 2024: this was posted 9 YEARS AGO. apologies, but we no longer have any left! fortunately, there are a surprisingly healthy supply of original depression-era american streamlined style back bars that remain in use and well-maintained in chicago area bars. a few of...

10 Feb an endless fascination with the morphological characteristics and crudities of 19th century bottles

Posted at 02:20h in Bldg. 51, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

identifying any and all morphological properties of these mid-19th century bottles (see below) remain difficult to nail down, considering that the experimental fabrication methodologies were performed by the lungs and hands of the glassmith or blower, apprentices and children under dire conditions were output meant...

04 Feb revisiting the former site of the john kent russell house during its excavation

Posted at 10:48h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

even with the historically important john kent russell house having been demolished last summer, i have revisited the vacant site time and again to freely explore and ultimately unearth any and all artifacts left behind by the numerous occupants that called this place "home" since...

04 Feb salvage work at the 500 milwaukee avenue building complex has finally begun

Posted at 03:05h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

despite the brutally cold weather and piles of snow every which way, we made our way to the interconnected cluster of gray painted buildings (nine of the eleven bearing historic significance to one degree or another), formerly used to house a vast array of restaurant...

03 Feb urban remains to salvage cluster of gray buildings (500-504 n. milwaukee avenue) facing demolition in coming weeks

Posted at 02:07h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

the unusual collection of neglected and largely abandoned gray-painted buildings located at the intersection of grand, halsted and milwaukee, will be demolished in the coming weeks. urban remains will begin salvaging any and all interior and exterior ornament (the latter during the demolition phase), beginning tomorrow...

28 Jan remarkable walnut wood staircase salvaged from the joseph t. ryerson mansion (1873)

Posted at 10:49h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

this opulent post-fire chicago mansion, located north of the river on wabash avenue (formerly cass street) near ontario, was built for pioneer steel king joseph t. ryerson in 1873, at an estimated cost of 50,000 dollars by architects burling and adler. the successful industrialist established his...

26 Jan demystifying the history behind a two-story wood frame cottage during its demolition

Posted at 19:03h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

there wasn't anything (i.e., exterior or interior architectural artifacts) worth salvaging from this rather humdrum looking 19th century two-story wood frame cottage during a walk-through days before demolition was to begin. regardless, a few days later i returned and spent the greater part of an...

21 Jan looking back at metropolitan hall (pabst tavern) through three panes of colored cathedral glass

Posted at 01:35h in Bldg. 51, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, Sales and Promotions, Salvages by Eric

just the other day i was reorganizing some of the artifacts in my "sentimental" storage boxes housed in my personal collection. most of the diminutive artifacts date back to 2000-2005, when i was still employed as a research scientist, but living a dichotomous lifestyle where...

16 Jan finding benefits in a missed residential salvage opportunity

Posted at 14:48h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

on the way to inspect two 19th century residences that are facing the backhoe next week, i stumbled across a nearly completed demolition of a two-story brick residence located west of the urban remains warehouse and showroom. after doing a little research, i managed to pinpoint...

14 Jan several more artifacts unearthed at the “big dig” site earlier this week

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

despite the brutally cold weather, i began the work week at the "big dig" site with the hopes that we would discover a wood-lined privy towards the back of the two remaining (unexcavated) lots. immediately upon arriving at the site, the backhoe operator called me...

13 Jan the two year journey of photographing the chicago athletic association building is drawing to a close

Posted at 23:58h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

after nearly two years of volunteering my time to photodocument the historic chicago athletic association building (the initial walk through was back in early 2013 when aj capital was closing on the property) during its transformation from a dormant and unoccupied building to its gradual...

10 Jan three 19th century brick-lined privy pits yield very little, but digging will continue on next week

Posted at 23:44h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

with demolitions currently in a holding pattern, i shifted my focus back on the "big dig" site located on the west side of chicago. despite the fact that i have unearthed several artifacts (e.g., bottles and common household fragments) dating from the 1880's to the...

07 Jan great chicago fire “souvenir” medal struck from salvaged bronze bell of osdel-designed city hall (1853)

Posted at 10:51h in Bldg. 51, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

i stumbled across a rather interesting and historically-important artifact the other week in the form of a 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...

06 Jan remembering the non-extant matthew uhl rowhouse (1871) through the discovery of a newel post

Posted at 13:54h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

over the christmas holiday we visited family and friends in my hometown of la crosse wisc. during our stay, and like others past, i managed to find time to photograph the ever-changing urban landscape (including an old train yard) in and around the downtown area. quite...

02 Jan chicago residential backyard privy pit yields several 19th century “blob top” glass soda bottles

Posted at 17:13h in Bldg. 51, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

a very deep, brick-lined backyard privy pit was discovered on another job site yesterday where the house on the lot was constructed in the late 1880's according to city records. as of late, the brick-lined holes we have come across where originally used as privy...

31 Dec unearthing a former parking lot yields a wealth of artifacts from chicago’s past

Posted at 10:54h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

beginning last week we were notified of a major excavation where a former parking lot will be redeveloped for condo construction. consisting of several lots, this massive parcel of land once contained multiple brick and wood-framed dwellings, according to sanborn insurance maps dating back to...

31 Dec a “behind the scenes” tour of the henry b. clarke house: chicago’s oldest residence

Posted at 01:30h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous by Eric

there is already abundant and easily accessible background information on the henry b. clarke house (1836), one of chicago's earliest extant residential structures-turned museum, so i will avoid the inclusion of details surrounding the history of the house. instead, i will briefly touch upon some of...

30 Dec pontiled bottles tossed from a passing schooner in the early 1850’s discovered at wolf point

Posted at 01:28h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

the focal point of wolf point "part two" moves away from the discovery of several mid-19th century pontiled soda and/or mineral water bottles during excavations in the 1980's, which were retrieved from intact wood-lined privy pits built and later filled by individuals that resided near...

23 Dec new york city subway sub-station open or “live” front switchboard with faux marbleized slate panel

Posted at 16:11h in Bldg. 51, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

extraordinary and very rare early 20th century remarkably intact new york city subway sub-station single panel open front switchboard designed and fabricated by the metropolitan electric mfg. co., new york city, ny. metropolitan was founded in 1892 and went on to manufacture electrical equipment in addition...

20 Dec a mid-19th century soda bottle discovered during excavations at wolf point; more to follow

Posted at 02:14h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

i recently acquired a remarkable cobalt blue iron pontil glass soda bottle that was recovered from a wood-lined privy pit dating to the 1850's. interestingly, the bottle is not native to chicago, although other bottles found where identified as chicago-based lomax and competitor hutchinson, who...