Urban Remains Chicago News and Events

i'm never terribly thrilled when a demolition bleeds into the weekend, especially with family in town, but that's the price you pay if you want to remain committed to documenting the death of 19th century chicago at any and all costs. the house set to be demolished was located on fry street (in west town), a late 1870's two-story brick...

hand-painted wood sign with shadowed lettering, jennaro brothers produce, milwaukee, wisc. the vacant building was purchased for redevelopment. dock 4, john pritzlaff hardware company, milwaukee, wisc. founded in 1850, closed in 1958. detail (figural zinc ornament), chamber of commerce building (1879), milwaukee, wisc. detail (figural terra cotta), pabst theater (1895), milwaukee, wisc. restored ornamental figural terra cotta frieze, milwaukee...

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...

the glow of a stormy sky reflected the situation perfectly: at the intersection of lake, ogden and loomis, a queen anne style structure (and long-time residence of the italian restaurant "la luce") is slated to be reduced to a pile of rubble. the ornate four-story building was constructed in the early 1890's, and is not only a rare and irreplaceable element of the surrounding...

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...

over a month ago, the existing building standing at 1443 n. wells street (in the heart of "old town") landed on the demolition delay hold list, a sure sign it will be wrecked and replaced when the "hold" is released. the multi-story commercial masonry building occupying a single lot with garage located in back (currently occupied by a cleaner and tailor), clearly retains elements of 19th century italianate architecture...

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...

approaching the probable demolition of the post-fire cottage at 1241 state street, it seems tragic not to commemorate the building, or make some effort toward appreciating its survival through the past century and a half. i have floated the idea of creating a pop up museum during the house's last days, using the site to display artifacts i have collected...

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...

an unexpected acquisition was made this week, in the form of two historically important and all original sullivan-designed, white glazed ornamental terra cotta lintels from the facade of the sullivan center (formerly known as the carson pirie scott building company). the landmark commercial building was designed by louis sullivan for the retail firm schlesinger & mayer in 1899, and expanded by...