20 Nov

Posted at 17:24h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by

unedited 2008 interior salvage images of d.h. burnham and company's 21-story continental and commercial national bank building (1914), located at 208 south lasalle street, chicago, il. as i continue to stitch together bits and pieces of prior salvage experiences i often fall victim to a dense...

18 Nov

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

a collection of original and historially important late 19th and early 20th century 8 x 10 glass plate negatives of seldom seen interior views of both northwestern terra cotta company and the american terra cotta company modeling rooms featuring sullivanesque style building ornament - both...

17 Nov

Posted at 14:46h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by

"phoenix rises." rare photographic prints of downtown chicago's "burnt district" taken after the great chicago fire of 1871. the albumen prints demonstrate how quickly chicago began to rebuild itself after the great conflagration fueled by the extensive use of salvaged building materials (i.e., brick, iron, etc.) ...

13 Nov

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

08 Oct

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

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...

19 Sep

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"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...

15 May

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

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. ...

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