the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the latest american architectural artifacts added to the ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 75,000 items digitized/cataloged over the past 16 years). the newly acquired items for the month of JANUARY, 2023, have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need...
the bldg. 51 museum and archive 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...
the bldg. 51 museum and archive recently purchased a critical mass of early richard nickel prints, with the majority dating to the 1950s, when nickel was a student at the institute of design (ID). the body of work includes, but not limited to, adler and...
latest photographic images from bldg. 51 archive's chicago architectural ornament survey (caos) are provided below. the ever-expanding photo-documentation project focuses on systematically recording any and all architectural ornament located on historically important 19th and early 20th century extant buildings located in downtown chicago and surrounding...
the bldg. 51 museum recently acquired a historically important and well-documented original doorknob and window sash pull salvaged from the office of architectural firm adler and sullivan, located on the 16th floor of the auditorium building (adler and sullivan, 1889) office tower. ...
two amazingly intact and exceptionally rare early electric product catalogs were recently acquired by the bldg. 51 museum archive. the 1892 chicago electric light and power supply product catalog is especially interesting, showcasing a wide range of incandscent light bulbs for use in early skyscrapers....
View this email in your browser Urban Remains has been dealing exclusively in the reclamation and recycling of American antique architectural artifacts and other oddities found among commercial and industrial buildings or residential structures for over the past 20 years. FROM OUR BLOG the schiller building explore our gallery...
"to the tower." original hardbound tribune tower building (howells and hood, 1925) dedication book with illustrations and floorplan. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the building 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2022. ...
the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the latest american architectural artifacts added to the ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 75,000 items digitized/cataloged over the past 16 years). the newly acquired items for the month of november, 2022, have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need...
the bldg. 51 archive just acquired an original hardbound copy of tunnels and water system of chicago: under the lake and under the river, chicago : j.m. wing, 1874. cover and lithographic plates below. further reading...
the bldg. 51 musuem archive recently aquired an exceptionally rare and profusely illustrated prismatic glass pocketbook published in 1898 for the luxfer prism glass company, chicago, ills. the softbound book retains the original singlefold glass color sample card. information...
The limited-edition (300 copies) "Lost and Found" book is now be available for purchase. This heavily illustrated 58 page, soft-bound book scours the depths of the Congress Theater (1929), chronicling the building's history through depression-era artifacts and detritus discovered in hidden crevices of the structure's attic...
the image gallery offers a somewhat comprehensive visual representation of ornamental builders' hardware found in chicago's commerical buildings built between the 1880s to the depression. the majority of the hardware is custom-designed, often by the hand of the leading architect or architectural firm tied to...
the bldg. 51 museum archive recently acquired a large collection of rare and seldom found great chicago fire stereoview cards made and distributed shortly after the fire was extinguished in early october, 1871. several photographers are represented, with hand-written notations on verso. the following gallery...
the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the latest american architectural artifacts added to the ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 75,000 items digitized/cataloged over the past 16 years). the newly acquired items for the month of october, 2022, have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need...
the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the latest american architectural artifacts added to the ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 75,000 items digitized/cataloged over the past 16 years). the newly acquired items for the month of JUly, 2022, have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be)...
a number of mid-19th century bottles were recently unearthed deep below the site of chicago’s former grand central station, with the four richly colored iron and smooth base soda bottles serving as the inspiration to further investigate the slew of structures that were built above...
the following images represent carefully curated online collection of exterior ornamental terra cotta salvaged from historically important chicago commerical building. the ornament is housed in the bldg. 51 museum, located in downtown chicago. ...
anticipating another year of lost buildings through demolition, i've already prepared additional storage space for the ever-growing collection of lost or discarded objects found under attic floorboards, ledger and sill plates, foundation walls, and stud cavities within those 19th century chicago cottages that are faced with...
bldg. 51 museum's collection of early electric sockets and fixtures. morris selz house (1883): this unrestored morris selz house (1883) three-arm tubular brass wall sconce is quite possibly the earliest known surviving light fixture from an adler and sullivan commission. remarkably, two of the three edison sockets...