a 19th century, two story workers cottage—built with a heavy timber wood frame, a brick exterior, and three decorative front stone window keystones—is scheduled for demolition today (may 13, 2026). the home stands at 1855 west grand avenue in chicago, illinois. another nearby wood framed cottage...
exterior detail photographic images of burnham brothers's 37-story art deco style carbon and carbide building (1929), located at 230 north michigan avenue, chicago, il. the green and gold glazed terra cotta ornament was fabricated by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, il. the carbide & carbon building...
images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bld. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2026. ...
photographic survey of herman v. von holst-designed commonwealth edison substations (1924, 1925), located at 6913 and 6917 kenwood avenue, chicago, il. public utilities magnate samuel insull commissioned von holst to design several stations in residential neighborhoods across the city of chicago during the early 20th century....
louis j. millet (1856–1923) was a highly respected educator, founder of an industrial art school, and interior designer in the united states. famous for his stained glass artistry, millet worked on projects with louis sullivan and george w. maher, and collaborated with portraitist george healy...
john randal mcdonald's first house. exterior photographic survey of john randal mcdonald's one-story famiy house (1949), located at located at 801 lathrop avenue, racine, wisc. john randal mcdonald (1922–2003) was an american architect known for adapting frank lloyd wright's prairie style into affordable mid-century modern homes. born...
exterior images of graham, anderson, probst & white's chicago union station power house or boiler plant (1931-2), located at 301 west taylor street, chicago, il. the art deco style coal-fired plant with twin riveted joint steel smokestacks and four massive boilers, supplied steam and electricity to...
anarchy and anarchists: a history of the red terror and the social revolution in america and europe (1889) by michael j. schaack provides a detailed account of late 19th-century radical movements, especially the chicago haymarket conspiracy, from a law-enforcement perspective. schaack, a chicago police captain,...
recent documentation of the two gargantuan milford grantite archway blocks salvaged from bradford lee gilbert's richardsonian romanesque style illinois central station (1893-1974) during demolition in the summer of 1974. bradford lee gilbert's richardsonian romanesque style illinois central station (1893-1974) was located at the southern end of...
exterior photographic survey of john randal mcdonald's david and mary aldrich house (1956), located at 2721 delaware avenue, racine, wi. john randal mcdonald (1922–2003) was an american architect known for mid-century modern homes that adapted frank lloyd wright's prairie style with minimalist and accessible materials. his...
exterior photographic survey of john randal mcdonald's john randal & josephine mcdonald house (1952), located at 1001 russet street, racine, wisc. john randal mcdonald (1922–2003) was an american architect known for mid-century modern homes that adapted frank lloyd wright's prairie style with minimalist and accessible materials....
photographic survey of edmund bailey funston's egyptian revival style masonic lodge (1922), located at 1012 main street, racine wisc. the polychromed terra cotta ornamernt was executed by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, il. the building's worn walls, masonic symbol with cobras, lotus and papyrus cornices, and...
exterior photographic survey of adler and sullivan's ann halsted row houses (1884-1886), located at 1826–1834 n. lincoln park west, chicago, il. the red slip terra cotta ornament was fabricated by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, il. ann halsted row houses, at 1826–1834 n. lincoln park west...
recent photographic survey of the unusually designed asymmetrical cream city brick number 4 engine house (w.f. goodhue, 1888), located at 1339 lincoln street, racine, wisc. the most distinctive feature is the four-story hose-drying and observation tower with pyramdial-shaped roof, wood-bracketed cornice, oculus windows, and ornamental cast...
detail images of ernest grunsfeld junior's adler planetarium (1930), located at 1300 south lake shore drive, chicago, il. the 12 zodiac relief plaques were sculpted by alfonso iannelli and executed in bronze by the american bronze company. they follow a clockwise sequence that corresponds to the...
bld. 51 archive has recently obtained a large collection of original period halftone images from inland architect press, featuring chicago buildings from the late 19th century. some examples from the collection are displayed below. established in 1883, the publication was a cornerstone of the architectural world, chronicling...
exterior photographic survey of ottenheimer, stern & reichert's swedish american state bank building (1913), located at 5400 north clark street, chicago, il. the white glazed terra cotta ornament was fabricated by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, il. ottenheimer, stern & reichert was a distinguished early twentieth-century...
recent photographic survey of paul gerhardt senior's polychromatic egyptian revival style hupmobile automobile showroom (1920), located at 4015 north sheridan road, chicago, il. the richly colored terra cotta ornament was executed by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, il. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the...
the grave of dr. ernst schmidt (1830–1900) is in section i, lot 320 at graceland cemetery in chicago. his monument, located in the western part of the cemetery, was designed by his son richard e. schmidt and hugh m.g. garden of the firm schmidt &...
demolition on the horizon. recent exterior images taken during a brief visit to the italianate style two-story cream city brick chester c. briggs mansion (1863), located at 1244 east state street, rockford, il. note: if you see a scruffy looking man around driving his mother's black jeep...