revisiting the documentation and salvage of objects and artifacts from the pre-fire crane factory demolition

in the upcoming year, i will be revisiting the sites of once notable buildings now reduced to rubble and trucked off to the landfill. before their demolition, i documented and rescued artifacts from these pre and post-fire buildings, most of which were commercial, all located in and around downtown chicago. beginning with a pre-fire crane factory building located near the site of the haymarket riots of 1886, i've written extensively about the building in part from what was found both in the building and underground during excavation. in these previous posts, there are a wealth of images of the building before, during, and after its demolition. any and all posts pertaining to the crane building salvage are presented below - from the moment before its demise to the very last object unearthed from the site.

HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT PRE-FIRE CRANE COMPANY PLUMBING SUPPLY FACTORY BUILDING FACING DEMOLITION LATE THIS WEEK

LONG-FORGOTTEN BUILDINGS OF THE CRANE BROTHERS COMPANY DESIGNED BY ARCHITETS C.S. FROST AND LOUIS SULLIVAN

URBAN REMAINS SALVAGES CRANE BROTHERS FACTORY SHORTLY BEFORE ITS DEMOLITION

PRE-FIRE CRANE BROTHERS FACTORY BUILDING RIVETED JOINT HAND-FORGED IRON VAULT DOOR SAVED FROM DEMOLITION

HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT PRE-FIRE CRANE BROTHERS FACTORY ADDITION (1870) SMASHED INTO OBLIVION

FORMER CRANE FACTORY SITE UNEARTHED - BOTTLES, BUILDING MATERIALS, AND BASEMENTS FOUND INTACT

PRE-FIRE CRANE BROTHERS FACTORY BUILDING RIVETED JOINT HAND-FORGED IRON VAULT DOOR SAVED FROM DEMOLITION

further reading: