a look back at previous posts chronicling richard nickel's documentation of building demolition

i've devoted several hours each and every week at the ryerson and burnham library where the richard nickel archive is housed. there, i get lost in the past, where i carefully study, select, and digitize/edit thousands of images taken by photographer and salvager richard nickel beginning in the 1950's and ending in the early 1970's when he was tragically killed salvaging ornament in adler and sullivan's 1895 chicago stock exchange building.

in addition to over 11,000 negatives, nickel left us with boxes of contact prints, ephemera, notes, drawings, and of course the architectural ornament he salvaged from residential and commercial structures shortly before or during demolition. the largest repository of that ornament was acquired in 1965 by the university of illinois at edwardsville, where it remains on permanent display in the university's lovejoy library.

the collection of image-driven posts/links below offers a seldom seen look at nickel's efforts methodically documenting and carefully and thoroughly extracting ornament from chicago structures before being reduced to rubble at the height of "slum clearance." additional blog entries, pieced together using images and ornament held at ryerson and burnham, bldg. 51 museum, and john vinci, and tim samuelson collections, will continue to be posted for years to come. 

A COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE BLDG. 51 ARCHIVE AND CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE'S RYERSON & BURNHAM ARCHIVE

SALVAGING ADLER & SULLIVAN'S CHICAGO STOCK EXCHANGE BUILDING TERRA COTTA CORNICE REVISITED

CHICAGO STOCK EXCHANGE BUILDING (1894) ORNAMENTAL HARDWARE AS DOCUMENTED BY RICHARD NICKEL

PUBLICATION OF GARRICK THEATER SALVAGE BOOK TOP PRIORITY FOR 2018

REVISITING LONG-FORGOTTEN IMAGES DOCUMENTING EXTRACTION OF GARRICK THEATER'S BRILLIANTLY COLORED MOSAIC FLOOR LUNETTES

RARELY SEEN RICHARD NICKEL PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGES OF THE VICTOR A. FALKENAU FLATS

RICHARD NICKEL IMAGES DOCUMENTING THE DEATH OF HOLABIRD AND ROCHE'S 1899 CABLE BUILDING NOW DIGITIZED

DOCUMENTING THE DISMANTLEMENT OF ADLER & SULLIVAN'S CHICAGO STOCK EXCHANGE BUILDING ORNAMENT IRON STAIRCASE

RICHARD NICKEL'S GARRICK THEATER "ORNAMENT SCRAPBOOK" NOW DIGITIZED

DEMOLITION OF ADLER & SULLIVAN'S 1892 MEYER LOFTS BUILDING DOCUMENTED AND SALVAGED BY RICHARD NICKEL

A RARE LOOK AT BURNHAM & ROOT'S KANSAS CITY BOARD OF TRADE BUILDING SHORTLY BEFORE ITS DEMOLITION IN 1968

RICHARD NICKEL IMAGES OF ADLER & SULLIVAN'S VICTORIA HOTEL BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER ITS DEMOLITION

THE FINAL DAYS OF ADLER & SULLIVAN'S 1884 MARTIN BARBE RESIDENCE AS DOCUMENTED BY RICHARD NICKEL

ADLER & SULLIVAN'S SOLOMON BLUMENFELD BUILDING DOCUMENTED DURING ITS DEMOLITION IN 1963

IMAGES CHRONICLING ORNAMENT SALVAGE FROM LOUIS H. SULLIVAN'S HENRY BABSON HOUSE DURING ITS DEMOLITION IN 1960

DESIGN ELEMENTS FROM ADLER & SULLIVAN'S TRANSPORTATION BUILDING PRESERVED THROUGH ALBERT SULLIVAN HOUSE DEMOLITION