the oscar heinemann silk factory began its construction in 1918. a four building complex, underground tunnels were built to allow workers to travel from building to building. this specific sprawling addition, at the time, was commissioned for $100,000 - four stories, 125 x 125 ft,...
after spending the spring and summer documenting other, historically important chicago-area theaters, i returned to congress (completed, 1926), where this project was fist launched. i spent the majority of the afternoon shooting the facade, which i was eager to do after securing three additional lenses....
as i continue to fine-tune the "unearthing chicago" book, i decided to share my documentation of several soda and/or mineral water bottles dating to the 1850's. the bottles depicted (courtesy of the bldg. 51 museum photo archive) were dug in and around downtown chicago from...
a new chapter has been opened that will allow me to expand the project of archiving historically important ornament from around chicago and filling in gaps of knowledge about salvage and preservation work. in this case, rather than directly salvaging a building under threat of...
completed in 1922, the krause music store was the final building commission of notable chicago architect louis h. sullivan, who designed 126 buildings, with the great majority built during his partnership with dankmar adler. the krause music store's facade is bedecked with a remarkable glazed terra...
the following gallery offers a glimpse at the most recent american architectural, medical, and industrial artifacts and/or miscellaneous objects added to our ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 28,500 catalog listings to date). the newly acquired items have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be) and...
the removal, recreation, and reinstallation of the historically important gage building (1899) terra cotta cartouche is complete. i dedicated a great deal of time and money to ensure that this once-in-a-lifetime project was visually recorded from beginning to end. the storefront (see below) was complete obliterated...
the farmers & merchants union bank first got its humble start in a dry goods store in columbus, wisconsin, at the immediate out start of the civil war. new yorker and businessman john r. wheeler named it “the union bank” to signify his support for...
a group of pre and post-chicago fire privy-dug chicago bottles used for ales, ciders, and porters. any and all bottles courtesy of the bldg. 51 museum collection. ...
[caption id="attachment_32811" align="alignleft" width="900"] chicago city hall building (1911). holabird & roche, architects.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_32812" align="alignleft" width="900"] carbon & carbide building (1929). burnham brothers, architect.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_32814" align="alignleft" width="900"] montgomery ward tower building (1899). richard e. schmidt, architect. hugh garden, designer.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_32807" align="alignleft" width="900"] jewelers' building (1925-1927)....
update: the original cartouche on the gage building has been painted over with a 3-part paint - perhaps to match the recreated one currently being installed? i don't recall seeing any substantial glaze spalling from the ground, but after speaking to the lead mason working...
the primary reason for ending nearly every post with "to be continued" or "i will revisit at a later time" is lack of time. i feel weighted down by the stress of chasing deadlines everyday. i've reached a state of mind where i calculate my actions...
several lots of antique american builders hardware will be listed at a feverish pace on the UR website in coming weeks. more to follow. ...
[caption id="attachment_32559" align="alignleft" width="4130"] stripped down to an early pine wood clapboard - likely added during the late 19th century - the modest two-story wood frame cottage awaits its demise. the chicago workers cottage was moved around some, with the last being at the rear...
for the first time in several months, i looked up at the gage building's brick cavity - where one of the two louis h. sullivan-designed terra cotta cartouches had resided since 1901 - to see a single piece (identified as "ct5l" on the graphic below)...
excavations across the city of chicago have led to the discovery of thousands of artifacts; remnants left behind and forgotten by people living here in the late 19th and early 20th century. from completely intact and brightly colored bottles, to the well-preserved wood floors of residential...
i spent a few hours wandering around graceland cemetery (est. 1860) the other weekend. i briefly visited several grave sites, seeking out the stones denoting where notable persons from chicago's past were laid to rest. special attention was given to a few of the architects whose...
i was recently notified that recreated gage building (1899) terra cotta sections have made their way to chicago, were they await installation below the building's roofline. this brick-exposed cavity once contained one of two of sullivan-designed cartouches; the original, removed during extensive rehabilitation of the...
1035 north marshfield (the street was known as rumsey at the time of construction), a two-story victorian era brick boarding house with decorative lemont limestone trim above the windows and entrance, was demolished in a matter of hours late last week. the following images and...
this year's season of teardowns hasn't been anywhere near as bad as last year, when one demolition alert after another brought me closer and closer to a breaking point, and where seemingly inescapable mental exhaustion was always looming over me. i need serious "down time"...