Urban Remains Chicago News and Events

note: the following links represent some of highlights accomplished in 2023. the posts are arranged chronologically, from beginning of 2023 to end.  BLDG. 51 ARCHIVE ACQUIRES SIZABLE PRIVATE COLLECTION OF IMPORTANT RICHARD NICKEL PHOTOGRAPHS ROOKERY BUILDING BLUEPRINTS, RARE BOOKS, ORNAMENTAL TERRA COTTA, BUILDERS' HARDWARE, AND PLYMOUTH BUILDING ARTIFACTS ADDED IN JANUARY 2023 LARGELY INTACT PAINTED PINE WOOD EXTERIOR ORNAMENT SALVAGED...

the conroy building, located at 725-729 north milwaukee avenue, milwaukee, wisc, was built in 1881 by noted victorian architect edward t. mix & company. the distinctive 4-story queen anne style commercial building was occupied by james conroy's confectionery and catering business. the commercial building's facade is notable for its use of early terra cotta ornament. i have a suspicion that...

portals to the past. original interior architectural ornament found in d.h. burnham's fisher building (1896), located at 343 south dearborn street, chicago, ills. the gothic style ironwork (designed by charles b. atwood and peter j. webber) was executed by the winslow brothers, chicago, ills. courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023. 

series of detailed images of robert bruce watson's white glazed terra cotta ornament on the imposing 1897 central park avenue pumping station, located on the west side of chicago, ills.  courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023. 

the following american architectural ornament joined the ever-expanding, chicago-based bldg. 51 museum in the fall-winter of 2023. captions will be provided when time permits.  images and ornament courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023. 

photographic survey of edward morris house or swift mansion (1892, willett and pashley, architects) a day after it caught fire. story in progress.  images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023. 

the bldg. 51 archive acquired some glass negatives taken by or for the chicago tunnel and/or illinois tunnel company (the latter took over construction and operations beginning in 1905). the work was subcontracted out to the illinois telephone construction company with george w. jackson acting as head engineer. the photos were likely taken by the chicago architectural photographing company. note...

schoenhofen brewing company administration building (1886, adolph cudell, architect) and powerhouse (1902, schmidt, garden, and martin). detail of the schoenhofen building's exterior terra cotta ornament fabricated by the northwestern terra cotta company. the administration building was designed by adolph cudell. note the six-pointed brewers's star surrounded by richly designed leafage.   beginning in the mid-1880s, peter schoenhofen was among a...

  four original red slip-glazed gothic style exterior terra cotta fence segments salvaged from northwestern terra cotta executive henry rokham's house (1887) in the 1980s, joined the bldg. 51 museum collection of historically important terra cotta earlier this month. rokham's victorian-era home was designed by architect theodore karls to showcase the use of ornamental terra cotta on a residential building...

"church built without a nail." photographic study of henry j. schlacks-designed st. paul church (1897-1899), located at 2127 w. 22nd place, chicago, ills. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023.

i was introduced to this building in 2001, when i saw it in camilo jose vergara and timothy j. samuleson's book "unexpected chicagoland," which is one of my favorite books on chicago architecture and oddities. pride cleaners, designed in 1959 by gerald a. siegwart, is located at 558 e. 79th street, chicago, ills. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and...

the getty tomb's ornamental cast bronze gates and inner-door were executed by the yale and towne mfg. company. plaster casts were made of the sullivan-designed ornament and exhibited in paris and the art institute of chicago. the indiana limestone mausoleum was completed in 1890. adler & sullivan, architects. frank lloyd wright considered the tomb one of sullivan's greatest works. images...

images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023.

photographic study of claude bragdon-designed exterior polychromatic ornament on the three-and-a-half story bevier memorial building (1910), located at the corner of spring and s. washington streets, rochester, ny. bragdon designed the building in 1908 as a classroom and lecture space for the rochester athenaeum & mechanics institute (predecessor to the rochester institute of technology) arts program. the richly colored glazed...

flying to pieces. hermann v von holst's southside chicago massive comed substation (also known as the gaitan building, 1924) is standing, but the degree of deterioration since i've been documenting it (beginning in 2018) is very alarming. moisture penetration deeply embedded in exterior walls has caused the facade to buckle in some places. spalling of original face brick continues to...

exterior and interior images of claude bragdon's distinctive ornament found throughout his chamber of commerce building (1916-17), located at st. paul street, rochester, ny. the building was not only one of bragdon's last major commissions in rochester, but also led to a falling out with one of his most important clients, george eastman (founder of the eastman kodak company), who...

exterior images of claude bragdon's two-story ymca maplewood branch building (1916), located at 25 driving park avenue, rochester, ny. the glazed polychromatic terra cotta (colors specified by bragdon), was executed by the atlantic terra cotta company, perth amboy, nj. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023. 

exterior photographic survey of harvey ellis's grace episcopal church (1885), located at 9 browns avenue, scottsville, ny. ellis's brother charles, and the boston-based firm of rotch and tilden were also in involved in the building's construction. i found it be a rather unusual, but charming little church with its fieldstone base and rounded apsidal and transept ends, topped of conical-shaped...

masterpiece. exterior images of henry h. richardson's allegheny county courthouse (1883-1888), located at 436 grant street, pittsburgh, pa. the four-story building, with five story tower, interior courtyard, and prison connected by the "bridge of sighs," was erected by the norcross brothers (richardson's contractor of choice) using massive rusticated solid pink milford granite blocks. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and...

a partially completed exterior photographic survey of claude bragdon's italian presbyterian church (1914), located at 774 west broad street, rochester, ny. the church was completed around the time bragdon's published his seminal book entitled "projective ornament."  the sgraffito pamel surrouning the main entrance was also executed by bragdon. courtesy of eric c. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights...