Urban Remains Chicago News and Events

latest photographic images from bldg. 51 archive's chicago architectural ornament survey (caos) are provided below. the ever-expanding photo-documentation project focuses on systematically recording any and all architectural ornament located on historically important 19th and early 20th century extant buildings located in downtown chicago and surrounding neighborhoods. note: same approach was applied towards documenting architectural ornament in the following cities (see...

latest detailed images of louis h. sullivan's purdue national bank building (1914), located at 10 west state street in west lafayette, indiana. the richly colored polychromed glazed terra was designed by louis h. sullivan, modeled by kristian schneider, and executed by the american terra cotta company, chicago, ills. with exception to the entrance (plugged with an atm machine), modification of...

latest arrivals and arrangements below: images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom, urban remains llc, and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023. 

another louis h. sullivan-designed polychromed lithographic steel stoveboard, executed by the american stove board company, was acquired in the first week of may, 2023. the stoveboard is nearly identical to the one shown directly below, with the only difference being size - the recent one measuring 33 x 33 inches (an unusual size), versus the board added in 2018, which...

the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the latest american architectural artifacts added to the ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 75,000 items digitized/cataloged over the past 17 years). the newly acquired items for the month of APRIL, 2023, have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be) and photographed prior to being added to their respective website categories. any and all cataloged inventory...

the time finally arrived - and within a day of the senseless destruction of nearby 1870s italianate residence - for the humble bell avenue workers cottage, erected between 1884-1887, to fall to the wrecking ball the other day. after documenting the brick cottage before, during, and after its disappearance from the cityscape ever since it landed on the demolition delay...

despite a sizable public outcry and preservation efforts (i.e., petitions, etc) to save a rare post-chicago fire wood-framed italiante residence located at 2240 n burling, the demolition permit was released (after 90  days in a holding pattern), and the wreckers arrived and quickly reduced the well-maintained historic house - likely built around 1874 - to rubble in two days. sadly...

a truncated attempt at documenting - in detail - exterior ornamental terra cotta adorning holabird and roche's century building (1915) and jenney, mundie, and jensen's consumers building (1914). both buildings are threatened with demolition and the prolonged neglect or rather, deferred maintenance shows in the images below.  images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights...

Citation Below: The 2023 Antoinette Forrester Downing Book Award Committee of SAH has unanimously chosen as this year’s recipient John Vinci (ed), Chris Ware, Eric J. Nordstrom, and Tim Samuelson, Reconstructing the Garrick: Adler & Sullivan’s Lost Masterpiece. Reconstructing the Garrick represents a notable achievement in both book design and content. The volume traces the history and destruction of one...

partial exterior photographic survey of edmund r. krause's 21-story french renaissance style majestic theater building taken in the spring of 2023. the richly detailed cream-colored terra cotta ornament was executed by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, ills. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023. 

upon receiving news that the 19th century chicago workers cottage on bell street was released from demolition delay earlier this week, i went to shoot the exterior before the wrecking machine arrives. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom, bldg. 51 archive, and the chicago workers cottage association (cwca). all rights reserved. 2023.

the following image gallery offers a glimpse at the latest american architectural artifacts added to the ever-expanding urban remains virtual catalog (over 75,000 items digitized/cataloged over the past 17 years). the newly acquired items for the month of APRIL, 2023, have been documented, cleaned/refinished (if need be) and photographed prior to being added to their respective website categories. any and all cataloged...

multiple glazed terra cotta fragments (including a largely intact border module) salvaged from the exterior of louis h. sullivan's home building association bank (1914) located in newark, oh., have joined the collections of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 museum. the ornament was designed by louis h. sullivan, modeled by kristian schneider, and executed by the american terra cotta...

photographic survey of knox and elliot's 17-story rockefeller building (1905), located at 614 west superior avenue, cleveland, oh. the interior and exterior ornament was executed by the winslow brothers, chicago, ills. the custom-designed ornamental bronze and brass hardware was fabricated by the p.f. corbin company, new britain, ct. interior ornament salvaged during remodelings over the years: images and ornament courtesy...

detailed exterior photographic survery of william strudwick arrasmith's super-streamlined greyhound bus station (1948), located at 1465 chester avenue, cleveland, oh. images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023.      The Greyhound Bus Terminal By Chris Roy & Joseph Wickens Streamline Moderne was all the rage in the 1940s. Architect A.S. Arrasmith was a leading proponent—designing...

recent images of frank lloyd wright's k. c. derhodes house (1906), located at 715 s. washington street, south bend, ind. the k.c. derhodes house, which was built after wright’s first trip to japan, reflects the importance of this pivotal journey, as well as the great talent of wright’s draughtsman, marion mahony, who played a major role in the design of...

latest images, taken in march of 2023, of louis h. sullivan's home building association bank building (1914), located at 1 north 3rd street, newark, ohio.   the ornamental terra cotta was modeled by kristian schneider and executed by the american terra cotta company, chicago, ills. the richly colored tiled mosaic panel (one of two), caramel-colored slag glass transoms, and clear leaded...

exterior (and a few interior) images of burnham and root’s 10-story red sandstone society for savings building (1890), located at 127 public square, cleveland, oh. interior: images courtesy of eric j. nordstrom and the bldg. 51 archive. all rights reserved. 2023.

a work in progress... images documenting the careful extraction of willoughby j. edbrooke-designed interior residential fireplaces, cabinets, and other design elements from a south side chicago three-flat bedford greystone built in the 1880s. the edbrooke and burnham-designed three-story greystone (one of three adjoining buildings) was built as a group around 1887-88 by james c. thomas, a real estate investment broker...

with a surprisingly large number of frequent acquisitions populating both museum and gallery these last three months, i have been deeply entrenched in documenting and displaying ephemera and artifacts in a satisfactory manner before another acquisition – big or small – arrives and leaves everything once again in disarray. the following images provides a glimpse at some of the latest...