Salvages

near the intersection of grand and halsted, demolition was recently handed to a 19th century building which, until relatively recently, housed chicago’s oldest italian food importer -- a family business that operated from 710 w. grand for over a century. in documenting and salvaging the interior and exterior 4-story brick structure shortly before it is razed in the coming weeks...

a recent dig site has proven to be a fruitful source for 19th century bottles and artifacts. the site, along the north branch of the chicago river, is unassuming, sitting in a dead space between a glass and steel skyscraper and an industrial warehouse undergoing extensive restoration. while discussing the site with a friend who has been digging around chicago for decades...

though it isn't the first time they've been threatened with demolition, two late 19th century buildings within chicago's downtown area, at 317 and 321 evergreen street, received a death sentence this month. before they are reduced to rubble, however, i was able to document the exterior and ornamental elements of these neighboring residential structures in detail. at the western-most structure, 321 evergreen...

as i document existing wood-framed cottages around the city for an ongoing study, i continually find myself gravitating to structures that are outside the parameters of my research-- buildings that hide in the shadow of newly-built residential homes. when i spot these, i approach as closely as i possibly can without imposing on existing occupants, and try to photograph the exterior in greater detail. perhaps some...

within the past month, demolition commenced and then quickly finished on two wood framed cottages located at 455 and 457 aberdeen street (just west of the site where the john kent russell house once stood) in west town. since the excavated lots have been emptied of wrecking crew and salvager alike, there is little to keep them from passing away...

a multi-story masonry building at 1756 north cleveland avenue was placed on the demolition delay list just last month, meaning its death sentence is likely imminent. the white painted brick structure is a classic italianate style building, with bracketed cornice and ornate rounded window hoods surrounding unusual carved keystones. though real estate listings indicate the house was constructed in 1891, the facade...

i recently detailed the partial demolition of a pre-fire, multi-story brick structure once occupied by nicholas eckhardt, whose family lived in the building while operating a saloon on the street level during the post-civil war era and on. after the wreckers had torn down the rear section, an excavation began which has proven to be overwhelmingly fruitful. the demolition effected a...

as of this morning (june 1, 2016) urban remains finally launched its new website, a more elegantly designed and technologically advanced platform, utilizing the latest ecommerce software available today. if you have any questions, concerns, or comments please feel free to contact a sales associate by phone or email. we have come a long way in the past ten years, with...

a pre-fire building that has stood on chicago avenue for 149 years is now undergoing a partial demolition and redevelopment, bringing changes which have already significantly altered the existing building. the 3-story red brick facade has been shuttered for some time and notably suffered the removal of an iconic neon sign earlier this year. now, without the lit up "rothschild...

i've spent hours pouring over j.t. palmatary's illustrated "birdseye view" of chicago as it looked in 1857. in fact, i had the entire map blown up so large, i had to use a truck to deliver it to my downtown office. although it is remarkably detailed, especially in its geographical features and notable buildings, the artist appears to have distorted the many cottages...

the following sequence of images - with the exception of lintel ornament, and a deeply incised keystone recovered from the dumpster - capture the long and painful facadectomy of a milwaukee avenue commercial building (1875). its face had been adorned with the distinctive yellow-hued joliet limestone that is becoming increasingly rare on extant chicago buildings dating to the 1870's. well over a...

  across the alley, jst a stone's throw from the john kent russell house (1855) stood two houses facing aberdeen street, or curtiss street at the time of their construction and/or move to the block. when these side-by-side houses landed in my daily demolition notifications, i quickly revisited an 1857 birdseye view of chicago that i'd once used to pinpoint the...

in a previous post i alerted my readers to the impending demolition of this finely-built workers cottage, constructed between 1875-1881. the first time i visited the house i documented the exterior as well as the interior. after stepping back and taking shots of the facade my eyes wandered toward neighboring houses, and i found myself walking up and down both sides...

unearthing detritus from the lives of 19th century chicagoans often means coming across mundane fragments of glass, bone and broken bottles. sometimes, though, even a shard of glass or a broken object can prove to be an exceptional oddity- evidence of victorian customs or a clue to some small detail of daily life for the resident of a recently demolished...

when i got wind that a late 19th century two-story brick commercial building was set to be demolished, i modified my schedule immediately to allow for a visit to the building. sadly, the structure waiting to be wiped away from van buren street sat abandoned, exhibiting a high degree of neglect. still, it was adorned with its decorative tin cornice and exposed load-bearing i-beam. at some...

when i arrived at the partially demolished house, i felt relaxed and more than prepared to get lost in "the zone" of traveling back in time, carefully analyzing and deconstructing - at least in my head - the fully exposed 19th century wood-framed cottage. since i was the only one present on the site, i proceeded with little distraction, grabbing my camera...

the great majority of extant 19th century chicago commercial building facades have succumbed to those 20th century remuddlings that greatly disfigure or altogether destroy the integrity of a building's original architectural character. the replacement of windows to make them more energy efficient is one thing, but more often than not the cornice and street level storefront are heavily targeted, with the latter catering to...

  when salvaging a house slated for demolition, i first and foremost size up both the interior and exterior elements that need to be removed, documenting the "before and after" as a critical facet of the narrative which i set out to capture on each site. and yet, often the most interesting finds may not reflect the architectural merit of...

sadly, i missed salvaging and/or documenting the death of this steeply-pitched gabled roof masonry chicago cottage constructed around 1890-1895. when i did make it to the site, all that remained were partially intact brick foundation walls, with the heavily notched interlocking pine wood sill plates resting on top, and plenty of "insulation" (in this case, a mixture of mortar, wood...

shortly before the last wave of demolition left the original 1865 foundry building standing alone, as the only reminder of crane's bustling fabrication of steam and valve fitters, urban remains was able to salvage and document the event. the crane manufacturing company lasted well into the 20th century before moving the central manufacturing district on the south side of chicago...