i often refer to living a dichotomous lifestyle when telling people how i went from molecular geneticist to the urban "archaeologist" at demolition and excavation sites. back then, at moment's notice i would leave the laboratory a little early if an impending demolition was on the horizon near...
only a few short months ago wreckers stripped the facade and courtyard neon signs from the cedar hotel. being at the right place at the right time, we managed to secure the signs and prevent them being scrapped in a nearby dumpster. weeks later, the ornamental...
the early 20th century prairie school style madlener residence was completed in 1902 by architect richard e. scmidt and design collaborator hugh garden. the chicago mansion was built for brewery owner albert fridolin madlener and his wife, elsa seipp madlener, who was the daughter of...
just before christmas i had spoken to mike, son of national wrecking's head honcho, to determine whether the historically important "artificial stone" facade of this post-fire building was going to be saved. i was taken aback when he responded with a "yes", but only two complete...
with 500 blog posts written this year alone, i have carefully assembled just under 200 posts that truly represent what stokes the fire or fuels my passion to document, salvage and be a caretaker. wearing multiple hats can be very overwhelming, and there have been times i...
in previous posts (here and here) i've discussed my concern over the number of buildings being demolished that have facades bedecked with glazed white "sullivanesque" terra cotta ornament. this unusual terra cotta, "inspired" by organic design motifs original to louis h. sullivan and his chief draftsman...
i spent a few hours over the weekend at the chicago art institute photographing their collection of architectural artifacts on display along the outer walls of the light court or atrium. nearly a year has passed since i finally had time to carefully document both...
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 26,800+ meticulously documented and well-organized artifacts in the...
i was informed earlier in the week that the art deco style palmolive building's new two-story storefront was nearing completion, with the west facade (facing michigan avenue) outfitted with cast aluminum ornament (mimicking a bronze finish) in place with light treatment added to accentuate the "details" of the pilasters,...
finally, with time to spare, i wanted to tie up loose ends on some of the demolitions projects that were sitting restlessly on my back burner and/or not completely documented to my satisfaction. these "projects," now in the form of a growing number of digital folders containing imagery...
the "chatter" of several concerned chicagoans with a keen eye on the rapidly diminishing residences and commercial buildings constructed in the 19th century may have been overheard by the developers who brought national wrecking onboard to clear a group of extant buildings/structures located along a strip of lake...
in 1912 an apartment complex was built above a small land fill, one that night scavengers (i.e., privy vault cleaners) likely dumped their wagons filled with refuse in, beginning around 1878 up until the 1890's. according to an 1886 sanborn insurance map, this large tract of...
earlier this year i purchased a massive copper severed head from the 19th century "spirit of progress" thirty foot gargantuan weathervane (built by sculptor john massey rhind) that sat atop the montgomery ward building, designed in 1898 by the notable architectural firm of schmidt, garden & martin. as the...
as the year comes to a close i look back in amazement at the amount of disruption and damage done by demolitions of late 19th and early 20th century structures in downtown chicago and its surrounding neighborhoods. according to the daily demolition permit notifications i receive, the urban...
for the past ten years, i've invested thousands of dollars in building trade catalogs, with builders' hardware, millwork, architectural house plans, and stained glass window makers comprising the bulk of my research library. in recent years i've eagerly latched onto "google books" as a resource -- as...
despite leaving the jobsite of a mostly non-nondescript building with no "salvageable" artifacts of significance, i still felt the need, or perhaps "duty", to document the building before its remains are trucked off to the dumpsite. i'm especially saddened when i witness the demolition of buildings...
after days of negotiating between multiple parties, the bldg. 51 museum secured an early strongly geometric leaded glass window designed by frank lloyd wright for the queen anne style robert p. parker house completed in 1892. the historically important parker house was one of three "bootleg...
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 26,800+ meticulously documented and well-organized artifacts in the...
nearly a month ago, i basically dropped what i was doing after notification that the two iconic downtown chicago cedar hotel neon signs were about to be removed and tossed into an awaiting dumpster -- slated to be hauled to the scrapyard and destroyed. the work was...
after the demolition delay hold was lifted for 209 west lake street, i knew that within a week the wreckers would be onsite to rapidly tear apart the former osborne and adams leather company building -- a shame since it was constructed shortly after the great...