nothing but destruction for 19th century buildings along wells street

as the year comes to a close i look back in amazement at the amount of disruption and damage done by demolitions of late 19th and early 20th century structures in downtown chicago and its surrounding neighborhoods. according to the daily demolition permit notifications i receive, the urban landscape will continue to be altered through the swift actions of developers and wreckers.

i'm still in particular disbelief that the machines of national wrecking are inching closer to bringing down a post-fire osborne and adams leather company commercial building on lake street with a distinctive "artificial stone" facade. with very few of these loft-style buildings left standing in the loop, this represents a tremendous blow to the presence of 1870's chicago in and around downtown chicago.

the same fate is playing out to the north near the corner of chicago avenue and wells street. there, a few early 1880's brick commercial buildings have already been ripped open from the backside to ultimately pull down the facades, ornamented with cast iron capitals atop pilasters and carved indiana limestone endcaps. granted, the ornamental tin cornices were removed long ago, and the brick painted over time and again, but the facades as a whole are generally intact.

the interiors of the adjoining buildings have been altered, but during extensive exploration from rooftop to basement, i found paneled doors, staircases, ornamental tin ceilings, and a group of unusual art glass and brass lighting fixtures (relegated to the basement long ago). the latter likely were installed sometime during the early 20th century when the building to the north was a saloon.

as with any other demolition, i feel an obligation to document the death of these buildings -- capturing the beginning moment when they become emptied and lifeless, to the agonizing deconstruction with remains carted off to the landfill. if there are architectural elements that can be salvaged or saved from the wrecking ball, then of course i will make any attempt to get them to safety, where they can be offered a second life. i've done this simple, yet methodical process for ten years in chicago alone. i just hope my mind and body remain strong enough to continue this line of work for another ten years, when i will pass the torch to someone else.

update as of 12/21/2015: the last of the trio is mostly demolished.