BLDG51. News and Events |

01 Feb storytelling through object photography and narrativity

Posted at 01:24h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the following objects, culled from various ongoing projects, were selected and assembled as a hodgepodge cohered by the single theme of being utilitarian objects from chicago's past. when we can flesh out the context in which these originally existed, they take on a new meaning...

26 Jan bldg. 51 museum acquires terra cotta column from otto strack-designed pabst beer pavilion built for 1893 columbian exposition.

Posted at 06:05h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the bldg. 51 museum recently aquired an original buff-colored ornamental and tapered buff-colored terra cotta column from the otto strack-designed pabst beer pavilion built for the world's columbian exposition of 1893. the pavilion was located in central hall of the fair's agricultural building, designed by...

12 Jan important architectural ornament, builders’ hardware, lighting, and other artifacts added in january 2022

Posted at 15:30h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the latest american architectural artifacts added to the ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 70,000 items digitized/cataloged over the past 16 years). the newly acquired items for the month of JANUARY, 2022, have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if...

02 Jan important architectural artifacts, objects, and ephemera acquired by bldg. 51 museum and archive in 2021

Posted at 17:36h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

throughout 2021, the bldg. 51 museum amassed several historically important architectural fragments and objects, in addition to the evolving archive, consisting of period photographs, books, documents, drawings, blueprints, models, and other related materials that will prove invaluable to bolster the narratives of the museum's architectural...

28 Dec notable 19th and early 20th century chicago commerical building ornament from the bldg. 51 musuem collection

Posted at 17:44h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

late 19th and early 20th century historically important chicago building architectural ornament housed in the bldg. 51 musuem collection. ...

22 Dec recent acquisitions: late 19th and early 20th century salvaged chicago builders’ hardware

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

the following image gallery offers some of latest american architectural builders' hardware aquired over the past month. the salvaged chicago residential and commerical hardware dates to the late 19th and early 20th century. ...

18 Dec interior remnants salvaged from potter palmer mansion surface decades after it was demolished in 1950

Posted at 00:13h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

i am thrilled to have finally located and authenticated two heavily carved oak wood staircase railings salvaged from the potter palmer mansion or "castle," designed and built by architects henry ives cobb and charles sumner frost between 1883-1885. the railings were acquired by the bldg....

09 Dec rare late 19th century winkle terra cotta company figural rondel salesman sample joins bldg. 51 archive

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

the st. louis-based winkle terra cotta co., with offices in the century bldg. at 9th and olive sts., and works at 5739 manchester ave., was established as the joseph winkle terra cotta works in 1883, located in cheltenham, a suburb of st. louis. in 1889...

07 Dec salvaged chicago architectural ornament, builders’ hardware, and other artifacts added in december

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

the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the latest american architectural artifacts and/or miscellaneous objects added to the ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 65,000 items digitized/cataloged over the past 15 years). the newly acquired items for the month of DECEMBER, 2021, have been...

06 Dec bldg. 51 musuem’s collection of art deco architectural ornament from historically important chicago buildings

Posted at 03:29h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

historically important art deco style architectural artifacts salvaged from notable chicago buildings erected during the 1920s-1930s. the original ornament - all identified, meticulously documented and photographed is housed in the bldg. 51 museum collection. when time permits, i will provide additional information, identifying the building ornament...

19 Nov original softbound art deco palmolive building dedication booklet and rental brochure digitized

Posted at 17:32h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

descriptive text from the palmolive building (1928) dedication booklet and rental brochure: as it has done in new york, so in chicago, business is moving north, out of the loop, too long the imaginary compass of commerce. northward to quieter streets, clearer skies, more pleasant surroundings. seeking...

03 Nov antique american builders’ hardware and historically important building ornament added in november

Posted at 13:53h in Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

26 Oct metallic compression casting company builders’ hardware

Posted at 19:49h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the metallic compression casting company manufactured "house trimmings," such as knobs, hinges, escutcheons, bell pulls, along with dies for printing wall paper, and for bookbinders. the highly successful inventions of charles and michael smith during the 1860's, were used extensively at their foundry in bomerville,...

08 Oct 1868 chicago city directory offers insight into a city before the great conflagration of 1871

Posted at 09:56h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the first city directory– which compiles the names, addresses, occupations, and other important demographic information about a given city– is believed to have been commissioned in london by the office of the exchequer in 1588. it enabled the mayor of london to better gauge the...

06 Oct newly acquired architectural salvage, historically important building artifacts and vintage industrial furniture for the month of october

Posted at 05:39h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

04 Oct rare and important 1st edition “skeleton construction in steel buildings” joins BLDG. 51 museum archive

Posted at 19:21h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the bldg. 51 museum archive recently acquired an exceptionally rare 1st edition of william h. birkmire's "skeleton construction in steel buildings," published by john wiley & sons, new york, ny., 1893. the profusely illustrated hardcover book with red cloth and gilt-stamped lettering contains information on...

04 Oct relics of the chicago fire: a virtual exhibit of bldg. 51’s museum collection

Posted at 06:13h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

chicago fire relics housed in the bldg. 51 museum collection: fused china tea cups from the great chicago fire of 1871. i have several other artifacts from the fire that were sold as "souvenirs" to tourists by young merchants (see period lithograph) that...

28 Sep looking back at the documentation and deconstruction of the nortown theater over a decade since its demolition

Posted at 04:30h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Salvages by Eric

by the time i arrived in the summer of 2007, the nortown theater was already dead. stripped of its utilities, burnt by fire, and extensively damaged by prolonged neglect. note: salvaging/documenting the nortown theater's facade and its ornamental terra cotta was addressed in a previous blog entry,...

22 Sep urban remains and bldg. 51 museum collection acquired terra cotta ornament from walter bailey-designed knights of pythias building

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

urban remains and bldg. 51 recently acquired several sections of historically important egyptian revival style spray-glazed terra cotta ornament from the non-extant walter bailey-designed knights of pythias building (1928), also referred to as the "skyscraper" of bronzeville. the building's architect, walter thomas bailey, was an american...

16 Sep thieves were hung and brained: an unusually and graphic account of the great chicago fire of 1871

Posted at 14:45h in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products by Eric

the bldg. 51 museum recently acquired two unusual chicago fire books (published, 1872) featuring a collection of gruesome accounts collected by writer and publisher george l. barclay. graphic lithographs including children being burned alive, criminals hung and "brained," and buildings being purposely detonated (often still...