BLDG51. News and Events |

18 Aug the “american west in bronze” – a richly detailed edward kemeys-designed plaque executed by winslow brothers

Posted at 02:50h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

a rare artifact deserving highlight in the urban remains warehouse is a turn of the century cast bronze plaque designed by edward kemeys and executed by the winslow brothers. the single-sided metalwork depicts the cheyenne diplomat and warrior "chief left hand," remembered for his attempts...

14 Aug latest salvaged architectural artifacts and industrial objects added to urban remains website

Posted at 20:13h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Sales and Promotions, Salvages by Eric

the following image 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 40,000 catalog listings to date). the newly acquired items have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be)...

03 Aug historically important john burnham root-designed ornamental iron header panel latest addition to bldg. 51 museum architectural artifact collection

Posted at 19:36h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

after weeks of negotiating, i managed to purchase an original john wellborn root-designed kansas city board of trade building (1888) panel for the bldg. 51 architectural ornament collection. when the combination cast and wrought ornamental iron header panel arrived the other day, i spent nearly...

25 Jul recent acquisitions now available on urban remain website

Posted at 14:35h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

24 Jul reorganizing the bldg. 51 chicago architectural ornament archive in progress

Posted at 18:27h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

reorganizing the bldg. 51 chicago architectural ornament archive has given me incentive to reshoot any and all historically important artifacts previously on loan, display, or in storage. it's immensely gratifying to reacquaint myself with the ornament (and its history) as it makes its way into...

11 Jul most recent acquisitions now available on urban remains website

Posted at 14:34h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Sales and Promotions by Eric

02 Jul bldg. 51 museum secures large collection of original institute of design “sullivan project” photographs from 1954 exhibit

Posted at 21:20h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions by Eric

in 1951, crombie taylor – then acting director of chicago’s institute of design – worked with newly-appointed photography instructor aaron siskind to develop a photographic study or survey of commercial and residential buildings designed by the firm of dankmar adler and louis sullivan. over...

27 Jun latest salvaged artifacts and objects now available on urban remains website

Posted at 14:42h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

26 Jun richard nickel’s garrick theater “ornament scrapbook” now digitized

Posted at 20:46h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

when it came to salvaging architectural ornament, chicago's richard nickel was exacting, tedious, and methodical, both in preparation and execution, on any and all demolition sites. an invaluable example of this approach (rarely seen since) lives on in the form of nickel's "ornament "scrapbook," which...

13 Jun a preview of the latest acquisitions now available on urban remains website

Posted at 14:43h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the following image 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 35,800 catalog listings to date). the newly acquired items have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be)...

13 Jun three-story brick commercial building at 170-172 . halsted latest building to fall in fulton market district

Posted at 12:33h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

the following selection of images were taken during the salvage operation at 170-172 n. halsted. we salvaged anything and everything, including old elevator equipment and a pair of steel elevator doors. our work is done there, but i will likely stick around to document the...

03 Jun chicago’s historic village theater reduced to facedectomy after its auditorium demolished

Posted at 04:18h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

a few months ago (see blog entry below) i documented the village theater (built in 1916 as gemania) shortly before the building's auditorium was set to be demolished. as of this afternoon, only the theater's facade is left standing - still concealed in part by...

31 May latest bldg. 51 museum and chicago architectural ornament archive acquisitions

Posted at 02:49h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions by Eric

the following acquisitions (see images below), in the form of architectural building fragments, photographic images, and, miscellaneous ephemera, represent a fraction of historically important materials recently added to the bldg. 51 museum and its newly formed sister organization focusing architectural ornament and ephemera (website for...

30 May latest urban remains website catalog acquisitions

Posted at 14:44h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the following image 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 35,700 catalog listings to date). the newly acquired items have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be)...

27 May meticulously documenting 19th century residential and commercial square or machine “cut” iron nails

Posted at 04:22h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

in preparation for my "deconstructing chicago" publication (slated for completion after "unearthing chicago hits circulation), i continue data-gathering by documenting any and all building material used in the construction of the balloon frame, beginning from the 1840's on through the 1880's. all of the material collected thus far...

23 May newly added architectural artifacts and objects added to urban remains catalog

Posted at 14:34h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the following image 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 35,600 catalog listings to date). the newly acquired items have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be)...

20 May publication of garrick theater salvage book top priority for 2018

Posted at 08:18h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions by Eric

sorting through and processing boxes of carefully cataloged richard nickel contact sheets documenting the life and death of adler & sullivan's schiller building (later known as the garrick theater) has resurrected my laser-like focus or "maniacal obsession" from a seemingly inescapable or crippling battle with...

16 May recent salvaged architectural objects added to urban remains online catalog

Posted at 05:05h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

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 35,500 catalog listings to date). the newly acquired items have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be) and...

12 May bldg. 51 museum secures historically important terra cotta from demolished francisco apartments

Posted at 01:33h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

three sections of nearly identical ornamental terra cotta roofline or coping panels featuring repeating hand-applied balls or spheres joined the bldg. 51 museum building artifact collection. ornament from the early wright-designed apartment complex was salvaged and distributed during demolition in 1973. the pieces acquired by...

04 May more objects of chicago’s past, given context by assigning narratives

Posted at 02:34h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the following post contains another installment of objects, culled from various ongoing projects (both past and present), which were selected and assembled as a "hodgepodge" cohered by the single theme of being largely utilitarian objects from chicago's past. as previously stated, when we can flesh...