theodore karl's 1872 conrad seipp post-fire chicago three-story commercial building (1872) undergoing demolition

post-fire chicago architect theodore karl's building was constructed in the early months of 1872 for brewer conrad seipp on the pre-fire foundation using recycled or salvaged brick from the fire.

the building had storefronts on the first floor (including a saloon), offices on the second, and a spacious masonic hall on the third floor catering to various clubs and lodges.

a fourth floor addition was likely added to the building facing superior street in the late 1870s.

after reviewing several of my building catalogs of the period, i suspect the union foundry works executed the cast iron storefront.

the interior retains the original fluted cast iron load-bearing columns with heavily ornamented corinthian style capitals.

the following crude images were taken with iphone during a brief investigation of the structure and salvaging some ornament for building's current owner. 

images courtesy of bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2024.

special thanks to kelsey kuehn and timothy j. samuelson.