photographic study of tradesmen remnants, discovered in and around congress theater's plaster dome

two abandoned incandescent (not carbon arc) major equipment spotlights were still mounted on the bent tubular steel ring surrounding the base of the dome. several vibrantly colored red and blue glass panels or "lenses" were found near the lights. blue represented "starry nights" and red was used for "sunsets."

original galvanized steel bucket with drop handle left by congress theater plasterer. found under catwalk, near northeast cove dome.

the theater plasterer's bucket was found directly below the catwalk (shown here in the attic).

by far one of the most remarkable finds from the attic. folded "butcher" paper containing a penciled rough sketch of the three-tier dome with placement notes for cove molding light fixtures. the pencil was found close by. likely was stuffed in the pocket of a plasterer or electrician and later discarded once the cove light were installed sometime in august of 1926.

discarded bowman dairy bottle. dates to 1925.

image courtesy of the theatre historical society of america. note the configuration of the "iron tent" prior to the installation of the cast plaster panels. the wood ladder to the left was no doubt made onsite. i have discovered many like it in congress theater's attic. they were meant to be left behind.

special thanks to andy pierce. image courtesy of the theatre historical society of america.

hip or pocket flasks (once filled with whiskey) and empty packs of camel cigarettes. the corked bottles could easily be concealed in the laborer's overalls. perhaps these bottles belonged to the "night crew."

the dome is littered with pages of chicago daily newspaper. nearly all of them date to late july or august of 1926. the theater opened september 5th, 1926.

an outlier in the world of packaged tobacco found in the theater's attic. the color scheme and graphics are remarkable.

a fragment from the herald examiner. note the date (june 22, 1926). the date of this paper is one of the earliest i've found thus far. work was completed in august of 1926. imagine a tradesman with his bottle of milk (or whiskey) eating his lunch, reading the paper, and smoking a cigarette.

congress theater blueprint fragment found below an attic catwalk with an empty whiskey bottle on top.

whiskey and milk bottles in the condition they were found. the empty snuff can contained copenhagen brand chewing tobacco.

another unusual find among the tobacco products left in the theater's attic. the "plow boy" bag was found filled with tobacco.

detailed image of the empty copenhagen snuff can.

written in chalk by a tradesman.

i will have to document this sculpted "object" more carefully... since it's located at the very top of the dome - under the steel trusses - i didn't bring sufficient camera equipment to photograph it properly. i discovered a period lucky strike cigarette pack (containing one unsmoked filterless cigarette) nearby. note the unsmoked cigarettes incorporated around the base. perhaps each plasterer contributed a single cigarette? camel was the most frequently found brand found in the attic. the "head" fell off (or was knocked off) some point in time.

the entry/exit access point to theater's plaster dome is bridged by a 1926 wood catwalk with wood railings.

congress theater's dome (second tier) with surrounding wood catwalk and makeshift stepladder to access topmost dome. the base of the dome contains multiple portals concealed with galvanized steel panels. each portal provides access to the circular-shaped cove light ring where incandescent light bulbs are changed out.

image courtesy of andy pierce. this group of electricians (note the string of incandescent sockets interconnected by coiled steel conduit) did the work for the uptown theater during its construction.

what the tradesmen smoked - empty packs of cigarettes tossed into the nooks and crannies of the theater's attic.

this tag would have been attached to a spool of electrical wire used to electrify the cove lighting within the theater's dome. from a materials and methods standpoint, this hole-punched card provides useful information for identifying the type of wiring used in and around the dome.