i’m finally consolidating images and ephemera gathered after devoting nearly two years documenting extant chicago depression-era theaters. the discovery of material left behind by the tradesmen who built the theaters, along with piles of “trash” found within the auditorium plenum chambers, was by far the...
outside of urban remains and the bldg. 51 musuem, i've been relentlessly pursing several obsessional exploits for years now. from deconstructing chicago cottages to documenting objects tradesmen left behind in the domes of chicago movie palaces, i've come to realize i'm long overdue to gather...
the following links provide access to hundreds of images taken of 19th and early 20th century architectural ornament adorning extant residential and commercial structures in and around downtown milwaukee, taken over the past several years. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bld. 51 archive. WEEKEND...
one day i received a call from the general manager at hotel burnham (named after notable chicago architect daniel burnham), which is downtown chicago hotel that currently occupies the reliance building, completed march, 1895. prior to being converted into a boutique hotel, the building sat...
late last week urban remains purchased a massive collection of 19th century american victorian era majolica glazed residential fireplace tile sets salvaged over the past few decades from chicago two and three-flat greystones undergoing demolition. the majority of the richly ornamented and deeply embossed fireplace...
images documenting removal of iconic 1950s-era signage from the used ok'd cars dealership located at 846 n. western ave. on the west side of chicago. sadly, the building and surrounding lot will be demolished, but the signs will live on elsewhere. ...
whether being plagued with perpetual burnout or battling time constraints - or both, i was only able to capture a small fraction of 19th and early 20th century chicago cottages destroyed in 2019. i'm posting whatever's easily accessible before i feel the urge to toss...
the following collection on posts revolve around architectural salvage operations (big and small) across the city of chicago over the past decade. in time, i hope to revisit dormant images and information waiting to be transformed into posts to shed light on buildings demolished long...
four chicago buildings from the 19th and early 20th century will be wiped off the map in the coming weeks. the four links to past posts provide additional information and images. ANOTHER EARLY 20TH CENTURY SOUTH SIDE CHICAGO VON HOLST-DESIGNED SUBSTATION FACED WITH DEMOLITION HERMAN V. VON...
i took a few hundred images of howells and hood's tribune tower building (1925) when i was given access to the interior (including ground floor lobby, office tower, and printing plant) to inspect the original dull green enameled commercial grade steel muntin plate glass windows...
my latest photographic documentation of alder and sullivan's 1881 s.a. maxwell timber loft building offer a detailed survey of ongoing modifications to the upper floors. alterations and/or additions include the installation of wood stud wall framing on floors 3-5, sections of floor cut out in...
richard nickel's extensive visual record of building demolitions and/or salvages in and around chicago during the height of urban renewal is truly remarkable. every time i take on another "project" within his archive, i'm taken aback by his dedication to thoroughly document a building before, during,...
several original and highly desirable early 1920's antique american craftsman style interior residential leaded art glass windows were recently salvaged from a chicago bungalow last week. the all original and amazingly intact strongly geometric windows were designed and fabricated by the notable chicago-based h. eberhardt...
the following collection of blog posts reflect my contributions to any and all facets of 19th and early 20th century chicago workers cottages. i've devoted several years researching, photographing, dissecting, and amassing a sizable collection of building fragments for my "deconstructing chicago" book. while the...
with limited time, i haven't been able to thoroughly document ongoing alterations made to adler and sullivan's 1881 s.a. maxwell building as it slowly transitions from empty loft space to boutique hotel. this of course is unfortunate, since my hastily made images fail to truly...
latest images documenting interior (floors 3-5) and exterior (including rooftop) of adler and sullivan's s.a. maxwell loft building (commonly known as the jewelers' building) during transformation into a boutique hotel. thankfully i captured the interior prior to restoration work during my last visit in november...
a collection of blog posts (links listed below) on the destruction of 19th century erie street worker cottages on chicago's rapidly changing near west side. AN INTENSIVE STUDY ON MATERIALS AND METHODS USED IN BUILDING THE CHICAGO WORKERS COTTAGE PRIVY VAULT WITH SCATTERED REMNANTS UNEARTHED BEHIND A PRE-FIRE CHICAGO...
the first story facade is all that remains of the huron street cottage built around 1887 (as discussed in a previous post below). TWO-STORY 1880'S HURON STREET BRICK CHICAGO WORKERS COTTAGE WITH JOLIET LIMESTONE WINDOW HOODS SET TO BE DEMOLISHED IN COMING DAYS from a previous...
one of two 19th century single-story brick workers cottages on race street (formerly known as emerson street) is set to be destroyed in the coming weeks. the boarded cottage with unornamented joliet limestone block headers, oculus window, and turned wood porch columns is located just...
with the surrounding neighborhoods virtually unrecognizable, post-fire chicago two-story cottages have been on chicago’s “threatened” historic buildings list for years now. the “for sale” sign on this particular cottage quickly came and went in recent months, the green fence erected quickly thereafter. thankfully, i repeatedly...