BLDG51. News and Events |

14 Nov massive library of rare and out-of-print frank lloyd wright-related books formerly owned by taliesan architect aquired by bld. 51 archive

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

massive library of rare and out-of-print frank lloyd wright-related books formerly owned by taliesan architect aquired by bld. 51 archive. ...

13 Nov bldg. 51 museum and archive’s image and ephemera collection on graven and mayger’s mayan revival style 3500-seat fisher theater

Posted at 15:09h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

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...

11 Nov latest historically imporant building artifacts and related ephemera to added to bldg. 51 museum and archive in fall of 2025

Posted at 18:10h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the following images represent a well-rounded cross section of historically important architectural ornament, artifacts, objects and ephemera recently added and/or digitized to the bldg. 51 museum archive in the fall of 2025. the image gallery below offers a preview of bldg. 51's latest acquisitions: ...

06 Nov bld. 51 archive and museum acquires rare and unusual singer building (1908-1968) paperweight comprised of materials salvaged from building

Posted at 19:30h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

unique cast bronze and oak wood paperweight fabricated to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the opening of ernest flagg’s singer tower (1897-1908), located at 149 broadway street, new york city, ny. the paperweight is a replica of the building’s bronze window cleaner...

31 Oct healy and millet-designed stained glass skylight salvaged from adler and sullivan’s 1889-90 auditorium theater joins bld. 51 museum

Posted at 14:39h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the bldg. 51 museum and archive secured an original healy and millet-designed oversized leaded stained glass skylight window salvaged from adler and sullivan's 1889-90 auditorium theater. the hinged window has been releaded within a newly-built solid oak wood frame. the original centrally located ruby red...

22 Oct bldg. 51 archive and museum acquires large lot of rare and all original great chicago fire of 1871 wet plate glass negatives

Posted at 18:10h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

over the past week the bld. 51 museum and archive successfully negotiated a deal to secure a sizable quantity of original and intact historically important great chicago fire of 1871 stereoscopic wet plate glass negatives. after being carefully cleaned, scanning or digitizing of the...

15 Oct spellbinding images of eames and young’s 1898 lincoln trust or title guaranty building 1983 terra cotta salvage

Posted at 16:40h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

david felling kodachrome salvage images of eames and young's 1898 lincoln trust (more commonly known as title guaranty) building taken during its demolition in 1983. ...

08 Oct red slip-glazed terra cotta ornament salvaged from alfred freret’s la crosse post office (1889) joins bld. 51 museum collection

Posted at 16:48h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Travel by Eric

historic american building survey (habs) images of william alfred freret's richardsonian romanesque style brick and terra cotta la crosse, wisc. post office building (1889) prior to its senseless destruction, the extant building that replaced it in 1979, and red slip terra cotta ornament and exterior...

20 Sep george elmslie-designed terra cotta now for sale through collaboration between bldg. 51 museum and city museum

Posted at 15:39h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

19 Sep clumsy classicism and soot city: bld 51 museum joins forces with casalino archive to showcase newly discovered kodachromes of cobb’s post office and surrounding buildings as they appeared in 1965

Posted at 15:42h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the bld. 51 museum is collaborating with the chicago-based casalino archive to digitize and showcase newly discovered and seldom seen color slides (e.g., kodachromes) of henry ives cobb's federal building and post office (1898-1905) and surrounding historically important commerical buildings as they appeared in the...

04 Sep urban remains and bld. 51 museum secure salvage rights to walter burley griffin’s 1913 frank a. hindes house

Posted at 15:22h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages, Travel by Eric

last? salvage images of notable prairie school architect walter burley griffin's frank a. windes house (1913), located at 645 abbottsford road, kenilworth, il. house demolition will begin in a matter of days. feeling burned out and broken - not to mention nearing 50 years of age, i...

03 Sep important great chicago fire of 1871 “relics” added to ever-growing bldg. 51 museum collection

Posted at 16:08h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

original pocket-sized "souvenir" medal representing the first anniversary of the disastrous conflagration known simply as the "great chicago fire" of 1871. the unique and diminutive artifact is commonly referred as the "chicago fire medal" according to multiple museums and other institutions that have one in their...

20 Aug bldg. 51 museum collection acquires exceptionally rare, museum quality 1902-03 george grant elmslie-designed five-ply fret-sawn mahogany wood panel from 1899 schlesinger and mayer building

Posted at 16:35h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

amazingly intact 1902-03 george grant elmslie-designed fret-sawn mahogany wood screen panel located in schlesinger and mayer building (1899, louis h. sullivan, architect) third floor women's lounge and writing room. the richly ornamented woodwork was executed by the edmunds mfg. co., chicago, il. additional panels - on...

18 Aug salvaged ornament from wheelock’s western book methodist, burnham and root’s ayer house, and a kristian schneider model join bld. 51 museum collection

Posted at 16:18h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

john wellborn root-designed anderson pressed block salvaged from burnham and root's 1885 edwin e. ayer residence during demolition in 1966: museum-quality original 1899 western book methodist concern building terra cotta panel designed by kristian schneider and harry b. wheelock: exceptional...

08 Aug “and now the cornerstone.” bld. 51 archive obtains rare and intact booklet for holabird and root’s chicago board of trade building 1929 cornerstone ceremony

Posted at 14:52h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

"and now the cornerstone." rare original and intact staple-bound booklet made for the cornerstone laying ceremony for holabird and root's 44-story art deco style chicago board of trade building (1930) located at 141 west jackson boulevard, chicago, il. the booklet contains a page devoted...

11 Jun latest historically important building artifacts and ephemera added to bldg. 51 museum collection in summer 2025

Posted at 16:12h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the following american architectural ephermera joined the ever-expanding, chicago-based bldg. 51 museum in the january of 2025. captions will be provided when time permits. ...

15 May important building ornament from chicago’s mecca flats and reebie storage warehouse join bld. 51 museum collection

Posted at 15:16h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

an original custom-designed, black enameled ornamental cast iron interior angled staircase baluster and basement encaustic floor tile - salvaged from edbrooke and burnham's mecca hotel or flats (1892) during its untimely demolition in 1952 - joined the bldg. 51 museum last month. ...

12 May after the 1893 chicago world’s fair: magnue melander’s photographic documentation of the “dead white city”

Posted at 15:23h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

unpublished louis magnue melander photographic images (scanned from recently discovered stereoscopic glass plate negatives) of the 1893 world columbian exposition taken shortly after it "officially" closed on october 30th, 1893. the complete set of images will be published in book format in 2026. ...

02 May recently found unedited images of harold zook’s salerno cookie factory demolition in 2015

Posted at 15:16h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

on saturday afternoon i arrived at the salerno cookie factory, or rather what was left of it, after a wrecking company hastily tore down the long stretch of the building's facade. this was comprised of red brick divided by cast concrete columns, accentuated with brightly colored...

30 Apr the bldg. 51 archive acquires a massive collection of early 20th century building trade magazine terra cotta advertisements

Posted at 15:01h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the bldg. 51 archive recently amassed a large collection of early 20th century building trade journal or periodical advertisements pertaining to various examples of terra cotta ornament (often accompanied by commission and/ or architect) fabricated by the american, midland, and northwestern terra cotta companies -...