Urban Remains Chicago News and Events

in previous posts (here and here) i've discussed my concern over the number of buildings being demolished that have facades bedecked with glazed white "sullivanesque" terra cotta ornament. this unusual terra cotta, "inspired" by organic design motifs original to louis h. sullivan and his chief draftsman (later an architect in his own right), george grant elmslie, was fabricated as "common stock...

i spent a few hours over the weekend at the chicago art institute photographing their collection of architectural artifacts on display along the outer walls of the light court or atrium. nearly a year has passed since i finally had time to carefully document both the artifacts on display and later marvel at the reconstructed chicago stock exchange trading room...

the photo gallery below offers a glimpse of some of the newest artifacts recently acquired from last week's listings (15 new items are added daily in their respective categories) on the urban remains website. as of this writing, we have 26,800+ meticulously documented and well-organized artifacts in the urban remains online and/or virtual catalog.   the ultimate goal since day one is to have each...

i was informed earlier in the week that the art deco style palmolive building's new two-story storefront was nearing completion, with the west facade (facing michigan avenue) outfitted with cast aluminum ornament (mimicking a bronze finish) in place with light treatment added to accentuate the "details" of the pilasters, which were promoted as a highlight of the ongoing facade restoration. aside from being grossly...

finally, with time to spare, i wanted to tie up loose ends on some of the demolitions projects that were sitting restlessly on my back burner and/or not completely documented to my satisfaction. these "projects," now in the form of a growing number of digital folders containing imagery and information that have yet to be added the urban remains/bldg.51 blog, are both a...

the "chatter" of several concerned chicagoans with a keen eye on the rapidly diminishing residences and commercial buildings constructed in the 19th century may have been overheard by the developers who brought national wrecking onboard to clear a group of extant buildings/structures located along a strip of lake street in preparation for the construction of a new high-rise. unfortunately, the clearance protocol involves the...

in 1912 an apartment complex was built above a small land fill, one that night scavengers (i.e., privy vault cleaners) likely dumped their wagons filled with refuse in, beginning around 1878 up until the 1890's. according to an 1886 sanborn insurance map, this large tract of land west of western avenue had not even been parceled out, nor were the surrounding lots built...

earlier this year i purchased a massive copper severed head from the 19th century "spirit of progress" thirty foot gargantuan weathervane (built by sculptor john massey rhind) that sat atop the montgomery ward building, designed in 1898 by the notable architectural firm of schmidt, garden & martin. as the recently relocated bldg. 51 museum continues to take shape, the severed head of goddess...

as the year comes to a close i look back in amazement at the amount of disruption and damage done by demolitions of late 19th and early 20th century structures in downtown chicago and its surrounding neighborhoods. according to the daily demolition permit notifications i receive, the urban landscape will continue to be altered through the swift actions of developers and wreckers. i'm...

for the past ten years, i've invested thousands of dollars in building trade catalogs, with builders' hardware, millwork, architectural house plans, and stained glass window makers comprising the bulk of my research library. in recent years i've eagerly latched onto "google books" as a resource -- as more and more of its collection has become downloadable -- and pumped the brakes on acquiring...

despite leaving the jobsite of a mostly non-nondescript building with no "salvageable" artifacts of significance, i still felt the need, or perhaps "duty", to document the building before its remains are trucked off to the dumpsite. i'm especially saddened when i witness the demolition of buildings anchored on the corner of street intersections, regardless of architectural merit or condition. this...

after days of negotiating between multiple parties, the bldg. 51 museum secured an early strongly geometric leaded glass window designed by frank lloyd wright for the queen anne style robert p. parker house completed in 1892. the historically important parker house was one of three "bootleg houses" along chicago avenue in the chicago's oak park suburb. the two other neighboring...

the photo gallery below offers a glimpse of some of the newest artifacts recently acquired from last week's listings (15 new items are added daily in their respective categories) on the urban remains website. as of this writing, we have 26,800+ meticulously documented and well-organized artifacts in the urban remains online and/or virtual catalog.   the ultimate goal since day one is to have each...

nearly a month ago, i basically dropped what i was doing after notification that the two iconic downtown chicago cedar hotel neon signs were about to be removed and tossed into an awaiting dumpster -- slated to be hauled to the scrapyard and destroyed. the work was being done by taylor excavation in preparation for the painstaking deconstruction of the ornate brick and...

after the demolition delay hold was lifted for 209 west lake street, i knew that within a week the wreckers would be onsite to rapidly tear apart the former osborne and adams leather company building -- a shame since it was constructed shortly after the great chicago fire of 1871 wiped out the downtown district. over the last two days i've...

long after a heavily modified 1870's-era two-story building was demolished last month, the excavators rolled in to begin laying the foundation for yet another new structure that is devoid of character. sure enough, shortly after the backhoe began digging, pockets of artifacts left long ago by 19th century chicagoans were pulled from the mud. for an entire week i would sporadically...

with only two days before demolition of an early 20th century two-story brick residence began, we had very limited time to salvage an interior outfitted in pristine golden oak wood millwork on both the first and second floors. from door headers to built-in cabinets, and everything in between, there was a great deal of work cut out for us. unfortunately...

the photo gallery below offers a glimpse of some of the newest artifacts recently acquired from last week's listings (15 new items are added daily in their respective categories) on the urban remains website. as of this writing, we have 26,700+ meticulously documented and well-organized artifacts in the urban remains online and/or virtual catalog. the ultimate goal since day one is to have each and...

while on a brief weekend vacation to madison some time ago, i was determined to visit the harold c. bradley residence (1909), designed by notable architect louis h. sullivan and his chief draftsman, george grant elmslie. this would be elmslie's last commission with sullivan - shortly after, he would join william gray purcell. after we arrived at the house, i could...

while scrolling through the daily chicago demolition permits my heart quickly sank when i discovered that the fate of a 19th century italianate style red brick two-story residence had been sealed, with the city signing off on its destruction.   the house was constructed sometime between 1879-1885. it boasts a projecting bay, intact ornamental sheet iron cornice, and decorative (i.e., carved bedford...