faithfully reproduced chicago athletic assoication building cast plaster "drooping tip" panel installation well underway

i finally got the chance to devote a few hours to document any and all changes made to the chicago athletic association building as it continues to move closer to become one of chicago's more distinctive and historic "boutique" hotels (strictly my opinion).

changes in the lobby entrance, grand staircase, swimming pool room, 2nd floor reading room, the famous "cherry circle" bar and so on are gradually coming together, with the great majority of the historic artifacts being carefully removed, stabilized and reinstalled. since i had limited time there and my back was giving out on me, i went straight for the 8th floor to document the progress on the laborious and painstaking efforts devoted to recreate the great dining room's cast plaster ceiling.

when i caught my first glimpse of the ceiling installation in progress (i had to climb several rungs on a narrow ladder incorporated into the scaffolding) i was immediately overjoyed and in awe over the progress the highly skilled tradesmen or plasterers had made since i was last there nearly a month ago.

i'm really quite pleased that the developers were so devoted (since the very beginning) to retain as much of the salvageable historic fabric the will greatly contribute to the cohesiveness of the overall design scheme for visitors to appreciate once they go into operation. in addition, i was equally impressed that these individuals were willing to invest in such a massive undertaking, including the complete recreation of this intricately designed and exceptionally ornate ceiling that really carried the dining room since its completion in 1893.

witnessing (all around me) the busy work of installing the newly constructed and/or faithfully reproduced gothic style "drooping tip" ceiling panels was by far the highlight of my day. for a moment the back pain had subsided, likely from being distracted by all the bustling activity up there on the scaffolding, but my time there was drawing to a close, so i forced myself from that wonderfully serene place, where over a year ago, there was an empty room containing the broken remnants of the original ceiling that has been covered over and subsequently destroyed in the 1950's or perhaps earlier.

i'm proud to report that after doing my walk through on this day, and after documenting its transformation for two years now, both the exterior and interior are finally beginning to take shape, long after the dust from the lengthy demolition has settled.