BLDG51. News and Events |

15 Apr a closer look at “chicago method” sill plate joinery among 19th century chicago wood frame houses

Posted at 01:01h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, Salvages by Eric

i've been spending the past couple of weeks visiting the sites of 19th century wood frame structures undergoing demolition. nearly all of these houses have been ravaged time and again with cobbled alterations to the point where any traces revealing visual cues of age, lie...

14 Apr revisiting privy “vault” and ash pit assemblages from the “unearthing chicago” series

Posted at 17:02h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

the image gallery below provides several collections of 19th and early 20th century fragments and bottles unearthed from various demolition and/or dig sites in the city of chicago. from wolf's point to the wood-lined privy "vault" discovered at the john kent russell house (1855) and everything in between, the...

14 Apr remnants of a pre-fire chicago german high school collected during its demolition

Posted at 17:00h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

i have yet to post concluding remarks on the final days of the gethsamane missionary baptist church's demolition. i'm so incredibly behind on posting about my involvement in this seemingly endless demolition craze because i'm either out the door at a moment's notice to document yet another...

14 Apr unique assortment of recently acquired artifacts now available on urban remains website

Posted at 00:57h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Sales and Promotions by Eric

the photo gallery below offers a glimpse of some of the newest artifacts recently acquired from last week's listings (15 new items are added daily in their respective categories) on the urban remains website. as of this writing, we have surpassed the 22, 800 item...

08 Apr historically important interior chrysler building pendant fixtue lastest addition to bldg. 51 museum

Posted at 09:39h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the bldg. 51 museum, consisting of a curated election of historically important american architectural artifacts, is proud to announce its latest acquisition: an original interior art deco style multi-faceted glass paneled electric pendant light removed long ago from the chrysler building. after a phone call discussing provenance...

06 Apr several newly added 19th century soda bottles, distinctive furniture and art deco this week

Posted at 00:27h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

05 Apr one man’s collection is…

Posted at 12:04h in Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous by Eric

jerome, arizona - photographs taken by eric j. nordstrom - march 2015 [gallery columns="4" ids="7643,7644,7645,7647,7648,7649,7650,7651,7652,7653,7654,7655,7656,7657,7658,7659,7660,7661,7662,7663,7664,7665,7666,7667,7668,7669,7671,7672,7674,7675,7676,7677"]...

03 Apr a. finkl & sons foundry: salvaging a sprawling industrial wasteland

Posted at 00:23h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

urban remains is in the final stages of salvaging the a. finkl & sons foundry complex of mind-boggling proportions. this first set of images (shown below) were taken by owner eric j. nordstrom during the initial tour of the entire complex as it sat, frozen in...

01 Apr 500 north milwaukee: going, going, gone.

Posted at 16:13h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

the following images represent a hastily assembled visual overview of the rapid disappearance of the conglomeration of gray-painted brick buildings constructed on a triangular-shaped lot during the latter half of the 19th century. as of this writing, the last of the buildings has been reduced to...

30 Mar Clarke House Museum > Upcoming Events > FREE LECTURE: Unearthing Chicago

Posted at 11:07h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Miscellaneous by Eric

on tuesday night i will be giving a talk revolving around the discovery of privy pits or "vaults" with an emphasis on what was found at the john kent russell house site, long after the salvage and/or demolition of the house was completed. based on the recovery...

27 Mar matching set of early 20th century darwin d. martin sconces recently added to bldg. 51 museum

Posted at 17:31h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

weeks after the auction concluded, the highly anticipated arrival of two historically important early 20th century darwin d. martin interior residential sconces is now over. both the patinated bronze sconces and bulbous white opalescent glass globes (likely original) arrived in safe and sound condition earlier...

26 Mar the great chicago fire exhbit at the chicago history museum is a worthwhile visit

Posted at 12:38h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

every now and then i visit the chicago history museum for inspiration when it comes time to begin work on a book, create an exhibition at the bldg. 51 museum or prepare for a lecture on any and all topics relating to 19th century chicago architecture. the...

26 Mar If these objects could talk … ‘Secret Lives’ at Chicago History Museum

Posted at 11:51h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous by Eric

Steve Johnson CHICAGO TRIBUNEsajohnson@chicagotribune.com Nathan Leopold's eyeglasses, eyewitness to an infamous murder — and evidence of it. Ann Landers' typewriter, conduit for common-sense advice. Booth One at the Pump Room, marker of status and coddler of scores of celebrity posteriors. The terrific new exhibition "The Secret Lives of...

25 Mar recently published BLDG 51. “museum book” now available for sale online and in store

Posted at 09:25h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Sales and Promotions by Eric

aside from operating urban remains, a museum and galley, and documenting and salvaging historic structures, i managed to make time here and there for over a year now, devoted to creating and ultimately self-publishing the BLDG. 51 "museum book," which was delivered to me the other...

24 Mar several historically important and museum-quality artifacts acquired in a single day

Posted at 17:00h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

i've been aggressively acquiring architectural artifacts and industrial furniture for most of march, while i patiently await to begin work on two important salvages beginning this spring. i was fortunate and pleasantly surprised that a decent number of important artifacts essentially fell into my lap the...

24 Mar this week’s additions: unique illuminated signage, medical stools, industrial tables, tin ceiling panels and much more

Posted at 12:46h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Sales and Promotions by Eric

18 Mar the 19th century chicago building methods and materials database moves forward with caution

Posted at 01:30h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Salvages by Eric

i've been told time and again that my efforts to meticulously document 19th chicago building methods and materials is "pioneering" work that is, or will be appreciated by researchers, historians, architects, homeowners, etc. in the future. however, that might be a polite way of saying it isn't...

13 Mar “uhl art steel” chair and stools, factory machine bases and porcelain enameled light fixtures

Posted at 14:02h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

shortly after the pre-fire german school building salvage concluded last weekend, we shifted gears and revisited "industrial," by exploring factories, machine shops and warehouses in the chicago area this week to replenish and/or build upon our existing supply of furniture and lighting found in that...

11 Mar repurposed industrial accessories, architectural elements and brushed metal furniture added this week

Posted at 01:04h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

09 Mar saving the only remaining identifiable pre-fire artifact from an augustus bauer-designed building (1869)

Posted at 22:54h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, Salvages by Eric

with the exception of the building itself, the only remaining exterior architectural ornament left undisturbed on the historically important augustus bauer-designed german school, a survivor of the great chicago fire, is a simple, yet elegant hand-carved oversized side entrance keystone featuring a a raised and...