03 May reconstructing louis h. sullivan-designed s.a. maxwell building’s (1881) exterior storefront columns
latest images documenting the reconstruction of the four sullivan-designed exterior load-bearing steel columns adorning the s.a. maxwell building’s (adler and sullivan, 1881) storefront. with most of the interior alterations and/or restoration completed, focus has shifted again to the building’s façade, where recreation of the ornamental cast iron columns and berlin sandstone piers is well underway.
the recent work picks up after last year’s exhaustive photographic documentation of the careful removal of the two remaining sullivan-designed cast iron storefront columns capitals. the capitals sections were severed from the first floor’s iron columns, long-covered-over in a 1955 remodeling by aldis and company to provide prospective tenants (in this case, the “harmony” café) with a more contemporary feel. the unearthed columns capitals exhibit a “blossoming” in an architecturally abstracted form, with outwardly flaring open flanges springing from the intersection of raised moldings and horizontal bands (i.e., concentric rings). the flared profile reflects the strength to support the heavy structural stone lintels above.
as previously mentioned, the rediscovered capitals were once part of the four original ornamental cast-iron columns that extended up from the sidewalk. complex structural alterations in 1955-56 led to removal of the columns, leaving only the capitals at the top. the recreated columns were executed using photographs taken by sullivan historian and architectural photographer richard nickel during the 1955 removal, as well as replications of screwed-on ornament he salvaged at the time aldis made the modifications. the recently uncovered column capitals were carefully removed to allow molds to be taken for the replication (these components have since been recast and installed and revealed in the images.
tim samuelson and i generously loaned original sullivan-designed cast iron ornament used at both the top and base of the columns (a total of four outfitted the façade at street level when the building was completed in 1881).
the columns were later removed in two stages – the non-load-bearing columns located against the outermost sansdstone piers were destroyed when the building was converted to the “jewelers” building in the early 20th century, and the structural columns flanking the centrally located double-door entrance were removed in 1956, when aldis management company opened up the storefront with the use of a gargantuan girder to support the load of the last two remaining columns with ornament still amazingly intact.
the recreated or recast pieces of ornament are comprised of aluminum and will likely receive an enameled finish based on color analysis of the pieces from our collections. more images and information when time permits.
images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. ornament used to make the column castings, courtesy of the bldg. 51 archive and tim samuelson collection.
further reading:
