BLDG51. News and Events |

08 Jun urban remains and bldg. 51 new showroom: photos a work in progress

Posted at 13:21h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

a one month visual timeline capturing the slow, but steady, urban remains showroom and bldg. 51 musuem as it continues to evolve through a seemingly unending stream of artifacts arriving from storage - and a recent historically impotant house salvage. early may: ...

08 Jun a detailed look at 14-story pabst building’s interior ornamental ironwork executed by winslow brothers

Posted at 02:03h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

a collection of seldom seen detailed lithographs or half-tones showcasing the original custom-designed interior ornamental ironwork executed by the winslow brothers for solon s. beman's non-extant 14-story pabst neo-gothic style commercial building (1891) located in milwaukee, wisc. the...

07 Jun a look back at documenting architectural ornament in boston’s back bay

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

pushing lots of pixels lately to avoid burnout from setting up shop this month. revisiting thousands of dormant and/or forgotten images taken over the past decade has inspired me to pick up the camera and prepare for travel once again, where i can continue photodocumenting...

07 Jun 19th century cast iron sidewalk and stoop vault lights have all but vanished in chicago

Posted at 09:03h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions by Eric

sadly, there aren't many original (that i know of) sidewalk "vault lights" (i.e., cast iron hub and glass rondel configuration) left to document in chicago. the donohue building (1883, julius speyer architect) offers one of the best examples - largely intact, multi-panel commercial entrance stoops...

06 Jun documenting the destruction of dankmar adler’s house in 1961

Posted at 05:23h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

the death of dankmar adler's house as documented by richard nickel in 1961. the architectural firm of adler and sullivan designed three adjoining rowhouses, located at 3541-45 s. ellis avenue, between 1885-1886. dankmar adler lived in the middle house between adler’s close friend and family lawyer...

01 Jun walter burley griffin’s william f. tempel house (1911): a photographic survey of its exterior taken shortly before demolition

Posted at 04:00h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

the following images were taken from an exhaustive photographic survey of walter burley griffin's william f. tempel house conducted weeks before it was salvaged by urban remains. the house is currently undergoing demolition to make way for new development. the images provide a visual record...

01 Jun old tyler & hippach mirror company (henry j. schlacks, 1902) factory undergoing demolition

Posted at 02:22h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

demolition of the old tyler and hippach mirror company factory building (1902) is well underway. located at 344. north canal street, the building was designed by notable chicago church architect henry j. schlacks. when the building...

30 May photographic record of 19th century chicago tugboat operator’s building during its demolition

Posted at 21:26h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

tugboat operator james higgie's commercial block was destroyed nearly three years ago. a virtual scrapbook, in the form of images and brief captions provided below, ensure the building and its owner aren't forgotten. i spent months documenting its destruction and salvaging some of the terra...

30 May adler and sullivan’s guaranty building lobby as it appeared shortly after it was senselessly renovated

Posted at 20:48h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions by Eric

looking over newspapers on the guaranty building, i discovered plans were announced in jan. of 1951 to do away with the original open-cage sullivan-designed elevator enclosures within the guaranty building (adler & sullivan, 1896). the "modernization" would cost 20,000, which included new otis elevator cabs ordered...

29 May discovery of a building pipe fitting fragment sheds light on its fabricator

Posted at 00:33h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

it's always rewarding when you are able to readily demystify antiquated architectural building materials - whether on the jobsite, or discovering manufacturer markings at a later point in time when documenting the extracted components. identifying the maker of key elements (e.g., plumbing, electrical, stonecutter) used during...

23 May urban remains salvages walter burley griffin’s “solid rock house” shortly before its destruction

Posted at 14:48h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

with the power cut and fence erected, walter burley griffin's historically important william f. tempel house (commonly referred to as the "solid rock" house) will be destroyed this week. located in winnetka, ills, the reinforced concrete house was erected in 1911 and later remodeled in...

22 May antioch missionary baptist church (1890) reduced to rubble after devastating fire

Posted at 14:41h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

final installment of images documenting the demolition of antioch missonary baptist church (1890, bell and swift, architects). all images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom...

22 May rare interior photographic images of the home insurance building shortly before its untimely demolition

Posted at 04:17h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

seldom seen interior images of architects and engineers surveying wiliam le baron jenney's 1885 home insurance building shortly before its demolition in 1931. the building's interior ornamental ironwork (both wrought and cast and possibly electro-plated) was likely executed by snead & company, louisville, ky. they are...

22 May the use of ornamental terra cotta in chicago before and after the great fire of 1871

Posted at 03:54h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

terra-cotta, the most enduring of all building materials, has been used to a greater or less extent from a high antiquity in continental europe, and in england terra-cotta trimmings were used in building as early as the fifteenth century. in the united states this material...

21 May burnham and root’s union stock yard water tower shortly before its demolition

Posted at 21:54h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

john vinci kodachromes and contact sheet of burnham and root's union stockyard water/watch tower and surrounding area as it appeared in early to mid-1960s. the water tower observatory and stockyard gate were the first two of many structures built at the yards by burnham and root...

18 May demolition of antioch missionary baptist church (1890) well underway after devastating fire

Posted at 14:16h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

the majority of the images posted here were taken towards the end of april when demolition was well underway. the last installment of images (taken mid-may) will be posted next week. ...

18 May a look back at pre-fire chicago cottages documented and deconstructed over past several years

Posted at 08:28h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

i've slowly begun the arduous task of organizing all of the data i've amassed from years of identifying and deconstructing or extracting components and systems from chicago worker cottages erected prior to the great chicago fire of 1871. unfortunately, the acquisition of materials, recording of...

17 May a closer look at terra cotta lions, fountain, and stained glass at louis sullivan’s merchants and farmers bank (1919)

Posted at 05:14h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

my most recent visit to louis h. sullivan's farmers and merchants union bank focused on documenting the interior, including the richly colored stained glass windows, executed by louis j. millet, the polychromed drinking fountain, designed by sullivan and executed by the american terra cotta company,...

16 May richard nickel images of terra cotta ornament adorning adler and sullivan’s residential chimneys

Posted at 18:44h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

BENJAMIN LINDAUER RESIDENCE: richard nickel photograph of unglazed terra cotta chimney ornament on benjamin lindauer residence designed by adler and sullivan in 1885. the sullivan-designed ornament was executed by northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, ills. nickel documented and salvaged the house during its demolition in 1959. image...

15 May revisiting 19th century residential studs and sill plates harvested from workers cottages across chicago

Posted at 14:29h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

in my studio one night recently, i was photographing the latest collection of bottles, chinaware and other debris unearthed from sites along grand avenue, just west of downtown chicago. i was utterly burned out, troubling over moving forward, so i quickly switched gears to set the...