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systematic deconstruction of 850 lakeshore drive athletic club's grand interior lobby

there really is no beginning or end to the surreal story of my crew and i being paid to completely deconstruct the historically important and visually stunning main lobby of the "850 lsd" or the lakeshore drive athletic club building. we were hired on to extract a collection of ornamentation that would later be reintegrated, after the building was gutted and subsequently renovated. at the time, i was consumed with laying the foundation for urban remains - still very much in its infancy - and yet retained a laser-like focus on the routine labor of extracting ornament from structures facing demolition or destructive alterations.

i avoided, for the most part, thinking about the preservation issues surrounding these doomed structures, and instead devoted myself to the documentation and rescue of ornament that could live on long after the building and its soul were erased from the cityscape. in my mind, these artifacts become physical evidence of the grand lobby's former existence. the rescued ornament, once split up, can find new life in people's homes, institutions, museums, or in this case -- luxury condos.

 

i was absolutely never insensitive to the principles of preservation or the groups that fought for it, but looking back, i was always puzzled, even then, that not a single preservationist was present during demolition. though i can concede the battle is lost, to keep a building intact, i have nevertheless always found it critical to document the death of a building, to really appreciate the true sense of its loss. i find value in creating a record of the entire lifespan, and of the ornament intact, capturing the immensity of that architecture being crushed by the wrecker's equipment.

nearly ten years since i worked to salvage that lobby, much has changed. with a more established business and a great staff to run it, i can break away from the restrictions that tied me down, allowing me to pursue my passion with an intensity i never experienced before. these days, i spend more time deconstructing houses to document studs and spikes, or to unearth the trash of chicagoans who lived long ago, than i do engaging in the tedious and rather monotonous cycle of buying and selling. i appreciate that it is critical to keep the business healthy, but i find it more important as a channel for making resources available, for enabling me to do the work of salvage and documentation. as i've said, i have a great staff that has taken over the business for me, so that the majority of time is devoted to my four concurrent projects: unearthing chicago, deconstructing chicago, salvaging chicago, and a revised addition of preserving chicago (the first edition was published in march of last year).

in retrospect i am proud that my underlying drive to document buildings proved to be as important as extracting the ornament, as it laid the groundwork for everything i've done since. from the beginning i have always been adamant about attaching a narrative to the pieces that are salvaged from historic structures. i feel anyone engaged in this business should be following a similar process. i am in continual disbelief when i encounter artifacts that fail to emphasis context and specificity.

 

if i come to possess a piece of a building, you can be sure it will be documented "in situ" if possible and that its place of origin will contribute to how it's described. the building, the architect, and any fabricators will be well-researched to bolster the narrative around the object. anything less is a huge failure, in my book. this observation is based on what is available on the public market, and i hope is read as care rather than self-righteousness. having spent years in a scientific laboratory, i have a huge commitment to empirical methods and know that attention to detail is of the utmost importance. years of engaging in that rigorous mindset is ingrained, and i know that all my future work will be informed by that approach.

detail of main lobby light fixture. the chandeliers (fabricator unidentified) had not been altered much since installation in 1927. the original rayon cloth electrical cord and keyless sockets were still in use prior to removal.

 

considering demolition continues unabated, the least we can do as appreciators and collectors of architectural remnants is to create value in the artifacts of places that are lost, to ensure they remain in our collective mindscape even if they have vanished from the city.

taken for scale. the chandelier to the right of me was the largest (i.e., containing the most arms). the fixture was located in the center of the lobby, directly above the main entrance facing lake shore drive.

 

the chandeliers from the lake shore drive athletic club's lobby and other "grand" rooms were possibly fabricated by beardslee (chicago, ills.).

all of these thoughts were triggered by rediscovering a beautifully carved marble baluster that i removed from the jarvis hunt-designed lakeshore drive athletic club. in fact, as i write this the freestanding marble baluster is standing right beside me, where i can feel its presence and effortlessly recall the time i spent taking apart the lobby (along with other grand rooms within the 1917 building facing lake michigan).

the images selected should give the reader an idea of the salvage effort that transpired in that building, or more specifically the main lobby, and i think they do a greater job than words at translating the events as they unfolded. similarly, images advertising the building in the aftermath of renovation do well to illustrate my feeling that ornament is meaningful in relation to the building, and is depreciated when taken out of context.

i can't help but laugh when i come across advertisements for "luxury living" in this building that i called home for an entire summer. to see a glossy page picturing the artifacts i saved as a watch, worn to entice potential renters into visiting the building, makes me shake my head in disbelief. i'm no expert in marketing, but the unique ornament of a well-designed building hardly needs to be treated as a fashion accessory to be properly appreciated.

recent full-page building advertisement featuring a watch face with salvaged doorknob. interesting. a similar advertisement features a woman wearing the lobby chandeliers as "earrings." no further comment.

 

gargantuan enameled cast iron wall radiator or grate with louvered slats designed to adjust airflow. the lobby wall grille was rather complex in construction, consisting of several interlocking components. possibly fabricated by tuttle & bailey.



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