05 Jan

Posted at 17:13h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Uncategorized by

chicagoan anna jirak krause compiled a detailed and vivid account of the 1933-1934 century of progress international exposition—also known as the chicago world's fair—through a souvenir album containing pages of handwritten notes and attached ephemera. this album represents one of the most comprehensive first-hand records documenting...

04 Jan

Posted at 16:03h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Press, Travel, Uncategorized by

2026 photographic survey of george fred keck's 1933-34 century of progress "house of tomorrow," located at 214 lake front drive, beverly shores, indiana. designated the "century of progress," the fair attracted 39 million attendees, showcasing how advancements in science and technology could enhance everyday life. although...

02 Jan

Posted at 15:59h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Uncategorized by

recent restoration images - taken in mid-december of 2025 - of joseph lyman silsbee's bandstand (1897) located at west music court in garfield park. the four-sided structure is faced with white marble supplied by the georgia marble company.the uniquely designed stamped or pressed copper dome with...

02 Jan

Posted at 06:26h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Press by

the bldg. 51 archive (led by its owner, eric j. nordstrom) has devoted nearly several years to painstakingly build a thoroughly researched and systemattically organized database pertaining to the universe of downtown chicago's commerical buildings dating from its pioneer days to the present. the database contains...

01 Jan

Posted at 16:29h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Press, Sales and Promotions, Salvages, Travel, Uncategorized by

note: the following links represent some highlights accomplished in 2024. the posts are arranged chronologically, from beginning of 2025 to end of year. as 2025 draws to a close, i culled the the work of eric j. nordstrom, urban remains, and the bldg. 51 archive to...

01 Jan

Posted at 15:00h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

the following images represent only a fraction of the bldg. 51 museum archive's massive collection of photographs and related ephemera (e.g., blueprints, drawings, lithographs, building contracts, stationary, etc.) on the construction of city of chicago commercial buildings built between 1850-1990. this is the largest private...

30 Dec

Posted at 19:01h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Press, Uncategorized by

original signed richard haas painting (1985) of theodore link's gargantuan romanesque style union station headhouse (1894), located at 1820 market street, st. louis, mo. haas's artwork was used for the cover art of barbaralee diamonstein's heavily illustrated 1986 book entitled "remaking america: new uses, old places." backside...

30 Dec

Posted at 17:16h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Uncategorized by

original linen-backed period photographic images of graven and mayger’s mayan revival style 3500-seat fisher theater in albert kahn’s fisher building (1928), located at 3011 west grand blvd., detroit, mi. the theater was completely gutted in 1961 - replacing the auditorium's mayan revival theme with mid-century...

25 Dec

Posted at 02:11h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages, Uncategorized by

a second time capsule buried within the lightly incised lemont limestone cornerstone of the church erected in 1890 and destroyed by fire in 1896, was removed intact earlier this week. once again, the soldered-joint zinc box or time capsule was damaged upon careful removal from...

22 Dec

Posted at 18:59h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Press, Uncategorized by

relic house, a historic chicago saloon and restaurant, was built in 1872 from materials salvaged after the great chicago fire of 1871. originally at north park avenue and center street, it later moved near north clark street and lincoln park west. throughout its history, it...

22 Dec

Posted at 17:57h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Press, Uncategorized by

three largely intact and original early frank lloyd wright-designed buff-colored sullivanesque terra cotta balusters salvaged from the robert roloson row houses (1894) when the front terraces where dismantled/demolished in the early 1970's were added to the ever-expanding bldg. 51 museum collection. most of the surviving balusters...

21 Dec

Posted at 16:17h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Uncategorized by

an original and largley intact painted cast staff or fibrous plaster frank lloyd wright-designed leafage panel salvaged from the william h. winslow house (1894) during renovations was added to bld. 51 museum collection earlier this week. the chocolate brown colored fragment features all over leafage...

17 Dec

Posted at 17:19h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages, Uncategorized by

dave felling salvage images of stephen v. shipman's italianate style elgin state hospital & the northern illinois hospital and asylum for the insane (1874) taken during its demolition in 1993. the center building's distinctive exterior two-story ornamental cast iron veranda above the limestone portico was carefully...

16 Dec

Posted at 16:35h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by

latest demolition images of flizikowski and kaiser's german evangelical lutheran church (1896), located at 2028 north richmond street, chicago, il. within the next week or two, the church building and adjoining shool will be reduced to rubble and trucked to the landfill. thankfully, the church will...

12 Dec

Posted at 15:03h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

gargantuan salesman sample. bdg. 51 museum secures historically important oversized lincoln memorial building (1909) polychromatic glazed terra cotta panel sculpted by kristian schneider for the american terra cotta company, crystal lake, il. the hand-applied polychromatic glazed terra cotta panel was created as a promotional tool (displayed in...

11 Dec

Posted at 19:07h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Press, Salvages by

additional images taken during removal of historically important church bell from flizikowski and kaiser’s german evangelical lutheran church (1896), located at 2028 north richmond street, chicago, il. the previous blog contains the majority of images and additional information. courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the...

08 Dec

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

sequential photo-documentation of lightly embossed bronze church bell extraction from flizikowski and kaiser's german evangelical lutheran church (1896), located at 2028 north richmond street, chicago, il. the swift removal of the bell - comprised of flanking cast iron a-frame bases or stands, yoke, clapper and bent...

03 Dec

Posted at 17:32h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by

photographic survey of church bell before it's extraction from flizikowski and kaiser's german evangelical lutheran church (1896). the 1896 solid bronze bell is intact - comprised of flanking cast iron a-frame bases or stands, yoke, clapper and bent wood wheel with a single sheave (original rope...

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