three photographic images taken of louis h. sullivan-designed ornament adorning adler and sullivan buildings by notable photographers aaron siskind and richard nickel in the 1950s for the institute of design photo section project. sadly, only one of the three adler and sullivan commissions remains standing. first...
the following five bottles and/or bottle fragments were culled from the bldg. 51 museum "unearthing chicago" project archive based on their captivating narratives. images of the bottles and the links to their forgotten histories are found below. MID-19TH CENTURY BOTTLES UNEARTHED DURING THE DEMOLITION AND SUBSEQUENT...
the following objects, culled from various ongoing projects, were selected and assembled as a hodgepodge cohered by the single theme of being utilitarian objects from chicago's past. when we can flesh out the context in which these originally existed, they take on a new meaning...
the bldg. 51 museum recently aquired an original buff-colored ornamental and tapered buff-colored terra cotta column from the otto strack-designed pabst beer pavilion built for the world's columbian exposition of 1893. the pavilion was located in central hall of the fair's agricultural building, designed by...
latest photographic images from bldg. 51 archive's chicago architectural ornament survey (caos) are provided below. the ever-expanding photo-documentation project focuses on systematically recording any and all architectural ornament located on historically important 19th and early 20th century extant buildings located in downtown chicago and surrounding...
it is well known that louis sullivan spent the last two decades of his life and career mired in dire poverty. the architect responsible for defining chicago's architectural ethos, and for raising some of the most exceptional skyscrapers would find himself in dismal poverty, reliant...
as demolition of the early 20th century building housing the storied pacific garden mission - more commonly known as the "old lighthouse" - was drawing to a close, a battered and broken floor safe was found in the rubble. the diminutive, baked enameled black safe, with...
burnham and root's house for edward e. ayer, a wealthy chicagoan who made his wealth as a supplier of railroad ties. the exterior rubble walls were comprised of split granite boulders. the ironwork was truly remarkable as seen in the hinged gate, massive strap hinges...
louis h. sullivan-designed commercial and residential architectural ornament housed in the bldg. 51 museum collection: ...
some of the most unique artifacts in the bldg. 51 collection (and for sale in the urban remains warehouse) are rescued from non-extant theaters hearkening to the early 20th century theater boom. aside from remarkable light fixtures, seating, decorative plaster and exterior elements from these...
rediscovered images from the richman brothers downtown chicago department store building salvaged in july of 2007. the building was formerly known as the bee hive dry goods store constructed in 1884 by the architectural firm of adler and sullivan. traces of the original facade were...
photograhic survey of character-defining features found on the exterior of 19th and 20th century buildings located in chicago. architectural details include, but not limited to, datestones, name (includes mongrams) plaques, and emblematic designs identifying the structure's identity, purpose or function. ...
images from ongoing visual survey of the henry j. schlack's designed st. martin of tours abandoned german catholic church (1895) located at 5848 s. princeton avenue in the englewood neighborhood of chicago. the majority of the photographs taken thus far, concentrate on the bedford limestone...
the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the latest american architectural artifacts added to the ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 70,000 items digitized/cataloged over the past 16 years). the newly acquired items for the month of JANUARY, 2022, have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if...
designed by louis h sullivan and/or his junior draftsman, frank lloyd wright, the house was completed in 1892. the rich ornamentation provides abundant fodder for research on the charnley-persky house, sullivan’s work, and groundbreaking work completed during this time. the ornament throughout the interior and...
for nearly five years now, i've been methodically documenting the slow decay of one of hermann v. von holst's finest chicago comed substations (completed in 1924) located at located at 6141 s. prairie ave. while the building thankfully dodged a demolition permit issued in 2018,...
the destruction last year of the osborne & adams building (erected in 1872) remains a deeply upsetting affair, and one i remember each time i walk past the three gargantuan keystones housed in the bldg. 51 museum collection. the exterior architectural elements were rescued from...
forgotten objects and ephemera found hidden in the crawlspaces, attics, plenums and basements of five depression-era chicago theaters. my "lost and found" project of documenting and discovering what tradesmen and theatergoers left behind or discarded over the decades lasted nearly three years. after collecting and organizing...
the five- story tyler and hippach mirror company factory building (1902) is set for demolition in early 2022. a fence was erected around the building shortly after its last occupant, the wm. j. cassidy tire company, moved out. located at 344. north canal street, the...
the ornamental distribution legacy of richard nickel and the garrick theater salvage richard nickel was born and raised in chicago’s humboldt park and logan square neighborhoods and from an early age was deeply moved by stained glass figures. after serving in the army, nickel enrolled...