thank you supercharger96… just contact us and we can let you in during the day when our staff is present. there are several smaller fragments that you can take along w/ you. best, eric
we certainly respect your appreciation for the nortown; however, it would be much appreciated if you simply contact us via email or phone for permission to gain access. we will be more than happy to offer you w/ plaster fragments, bricks, etc. (free of charge) as mementos…simply pay your last respects legally. on a more important subject, we have discovered several items the plasterers left behind in walls, etc. if anyone is interested, email us (too much to write here). thanks again.
please do not be offended, but only authorized individuals (i.e., dmd wrecking co. and urban remains architectural salvage co.) are allowed in the structure. granted, the security is not as tight as it should be, but regardless, you do not belong in there. as for the plaster, along w/ any and all fragments, we have shelled out a lot of money to earn the salvage rights. several areas containing plaster have already been badly damaged by ill-equipped people. regardless of what people think of us, we remove these artifacts as a way of honoring the workmanship of the past, along w/ making items avail. to the public as mementos, design elements, etc. in fact, several pieces will be going into our chicago building artifact museum. so please, if you unauthorized to be in there, stay out. thank you!
we have taken over 200 photographs as we continue to carefully remove decorative plaster, lighting, ironwork, etc. please email us at for photos of the interior.
as stated earlier, i’ve put that topic to rest…snweb.org is more than welcome to contact me regarding the plaster issue…i’ll address any and all your concerns in a professional manner. i apologize for making public, an argument between myself and another user.
patrick—
as stated earlier, that issue is dead… at this point, i’m simply addressing questions regarding building materials. …and no legal threats have been made. thank you pat, eric
we have a very solid and reputable business involved in preserving and/or saving architectural artifacts representing buildings undergoing demolition. although (and like other dealers) we buy from estate sales, other dealers, etc., nearly 90% of our inventory comes from demolition sites that we actively engage in regarding relic removal. if you are so concerned about saving structure x or structure y mr. snweb, then try being a bit more proactive yeah? what have you done personally to either save a building in it’s entirety and/or rescue remains from an unstoppable demolition? at this point, you simply are a blogger who clearly screams out unprofessionalism, and your commentary is a direct and wonderful represenation of that!
concerning the consequences of “snweb.org” and/or his accusatory commentary
Defamation is an injury to the reputation or character of someone resulting from the false statements or actions of another. Defamation is a false attack on your good name. Your good name is regarded as a proprietary interest, not a personal interest. Defamation is an improper and unlawful attack against your proprietary right to your good name, your reputation.
A legal claim based on defamation entitles the victim to recover against the defamer for his or her emotional damages. In addition, the victim will be entitled to sue for punitive, or punishment, damages.
…and for an exact reference scott, the authors of the book “common clay” are george a. berry and sharon s. darling. a cautionary note: the book is hands down expensive, but well worth it in terms of the wealth of information it provides. if you or anyone else for that matter have additional questions and/or would like to see some of our orig. catalogs, or even want copied snipets of information most applicable to your research, please feel free to call and/or email… 312-523-4660 or if and when calling, ask any of our staff for the owner. i’ll be more than happy to share any and all information i have regarding the historic building materials used in making these grand theatres you all appreciate so dearly. thank you, eric
scott— regarding your other question… terra cotta is essentially, baked clay. indeed, the application of the ornament can be looked at as a veneer of sorts. a few other things though for scott and tim. i’ll begin by demystifying the markings and/or finger grooves found on the back. the markings seen along the sides (and painted in black) and/or found imprinted in the clay itself are simply “instructions” so-to-speak… the markings allow the masonry workers on site to place the pieces in the correct configuration along the facade. the finger markings on the backside are actually made during the process of preparing the clay for the kiln. the cavities behind the pieces are “gouged” out in order to allow for the mortar, brick and anchors to be set in place during installation. those three components — tie rods, brick and mortar are essential to anchor the pieces into the facade.
okay, i need to take blogging 101… so, the molds are most likely gone…discarded. if any of the venetian was to be recreated, one would have to make a mold off the existing pieces recovered from the demolition. …and we recognize the importance of this…prior to making the items for the public to enjoy (and yes, there is a price ((we are a business) we photographically document, draw to scale and create a “rough” mold of existing pieces…of course, this tedious process only applies to incredibly unique items like the venetian fragments for example. if anything, this information makes a great supplement for the historic american building survey via the national park service.
whoops, sorry about the grammatical errors here…i write carelessly sometimes… and i meant to say “accusatory” regarding the above…so much for my graduate school training… scott, i recommend you check out the book entitled “commnon clay.” the book includes facimiles of the company’s newsletter (provides great insight into the sculptors involved in making the actual molds used to create the terra cotta), along w/ detailed information regarding the manufacturing prcoess itself. to answer your question directly scott, you will not find the terra cotta used on the venetian in any catalog. although some companies had “common stock” (i.e., used time and again), for the most part, projects such as the venetian were treated as a unique case by case situation. hence, the importance of rescuing the fragments — any and all! to make matters worse, the orig.
plaster molds used in making the terra cotta are likely lost or have k
hello scott…and others—
i’m so very sorry that people like “snweb” exist to infuse their self righteous, self absorbed accusary opinions regarding issues that steer away from the focal point; that of course being the presentation of information regarding the acknowledgement and respect for structures of the past. that being said, i’ll address you question… my name is eric and i own urban remains. in addition to our artifact collection, we have a large collection of orig. catalogs, etc. from terra cotta companies based in the chicago area. the amercian terra cotta co., along w/ northwestern, produced some of the greatest terra cotta ornament for commissions involving louis sullivan, etc. the “master” sculptor at the time was a man named kristian schneider, who created almost all of louis sullivan’s ornament. cont…
dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddo not
again, not to be redundant, but “snweb” and his claims against our company are unfounded. we are not sure what the motives are here…perhaps an intentional ploy to boost his ego and/or website and/or so-called “decay” photography? we bought the coffered ceiling fragment from a reputable chicago dealer, who sold several of these items across the country to a number of salvage companies. please step forward and contact us “snweb”. your accusations are rather unprofessional yeah? what does that say about yourself? perhaps you should be charged w/ defamation of character?
after reviewing this blog, we had no choice but to comment on the wonderfully gifted detroit “decay” photographer who posted incredibly inaccurate and/or unfounded information…please, step forward and reveal yourself…and what made you arrive at your conclusion that our company is “bad and shady”. please feel free to contact us at 312-523-4660 for further discussion regarding senseless defamation of character. clearly, your comments reflect upon the type of person you are…and frankly, we find it saddening. do you find us attacking your “photography” on your website? think about it…
thank you supercharger96… just contact us and we can let you in during the day when our staff is present. there are several smaller fragments that you can take along w/ you. best, eric
we certainly respect your appreciation for the nortown; however, it would be much appreciated if you simply contact us via email or phone for permission to gain access. we will be more than happy to offer you w/ plaster fragments, bricks, etc. (free of charge) as mementos…simply pay your last respects legally. on a more important subject, we have discovered several items the plasterers left behind in walls, etc. if anyone is interested, email us (too much to write here). thanks again.
please do not be offended, but only authorized individuals (i.e., dmd wrecking co. and urban remains architectural salvage co.) are allowed in the structure. granted, the security is not as tight as it should be, but regardless, you do not belong in there. as for the plaster, along w/ any and all fragments, we have shelled out a lot of money to earn the salvage rights. several areas containing plaster have already been badly damaged by ill-equipped people. regardless of what people think of us, we remove these artifacts as a way of honoring the workmanship of the past, along w/ making items avail. to the public as mementos, design elements, etc. in fact, several pieces will be going into our chicago building artifact museum. so please, if you unauthorized to be in there, stay out. thank you!
we have taken over 200 photographs as we continue to carefully remove decorative plaster, lighting, ironwork, etc. please email us at for photos of the interior.
as stated earlier, i’ve put that topic to rest…snweb.org is more than welcome to contact me regarding the plaster issue…i’ll address any and all your concerns in a professional manner. i apologize for making public, an argument between myself and another user.
patrick—
as stated earlier, that issue is dead… at this point, i’m simply addressing questions regarding building materials. …and no legal threats have been made. thank you pat, eric
we have a very solid and reputable business involved in preserving and/or saving architectural artifacts representing buildings undergoing demolition. although (and like other dealers) we buy from estate sales, other dealers, etc., nearly 90% of our inventory comes from demolition sites that we actively engage in regarding relic removal. if you are so concerned about saving structure x or structure y mr. snweb, then try being a bit more proactive yeah? what have you done personally to either save a building in it’s entirety and/or rescue remains from an unstoppable demolition? at this point, you simply are a blogger who clearly screams out unprofessionalism, and your commentary is a direct and wonderful represenation of that!
concerning the consequences of “snweb.org” and/or his accusatory commentary
Defamation is an injury to the reputation or character of someone resulting from the false statements or actions of another. Defamation is a false attack on your good name. Your good name is regarded as a proprietary interest, not a personal interest. Defamation is an improper and unlawful attack against your proprietary right to your good name, your reputation.
A legal claim based on defamation entitles the victim to recover against the defamer for his or her emotional damages. In addition, the victim will be entitled to sue for punitive, or punishment, damages.
…and for an exact reference scott, the authors of the book “common clay” are george a. berry and sharon s. darling. a cautionary note: the book is hands down expensive, but well worth it in terms of the wealth of information it provides. if you or anyone else for that matter have additional questions and/or would like to see some of our orig. catalogs, or even want copied snipets of information most applicable to your research, please feel free to call and/or email… 312-523-4660 or if and when calling, ask any of our staff for the owner. i’ll be more than happy to share any and all information i have regarding the historic building materials used in making these grand theatres you all appreciate so dearly. thank you, eric
scott— regarding your other question… terra cotta is essentially, baked clay. indeed, the application of the ornament can be looked at as a veneer of sorts. a few other things though for scott and tim. i’ll begin by demystifying the markings and/or finger grooves found on the back. the markings seen along the sides (and painted in black) and/or found imprinted in the clay itself are simply “instructions” so-to-speak… the markings allow the masonry workers on site to place the pieces in the correct configuration along the facade. the finger markings on the backside are actually made during the process of preparing the clay for the kiln. the cavities behind the pieces are “gouged” out in order to allow for the mortar, brick and anchors to be set in place during installation. those three components — tie rods, brick and mortar are essential to anchor the pieces into the facade.
okay, i need to take blogging 101… so, the molds are most likely gone…discarded. if any of the venetian was to be recreated, one would have to make a mold off the existing pieces recovered from the demolition. …and we recognize the importance of this…prior to making the items for the public to enjoy (and yes, there is a price ((we are a business) we photographically document, draw to scale and create a “rough” mold of existing pieces…of course, this tedious process only applies to incredibly unique items like the venetian fragments for example. if anything, this information makes a great supplement for the historic american building survey via the national park service.
whoops, sorry about the grammatical errors here…i write carelessly sometimes… and i meant to say “accusatory” regarding the above…so much for my graduate school training… scott, i recommend you check out the book entitled “commnon clay.” the book includes facimiles of the company’s newsletter (provides great insight into the sculptors involved in making the actual molds used to create the terra cotta), along w/ detailed information regarding the manufacturing prcoess itself. to answer your question directly scott, you will not find the terra cotta used on the venetian in any catalog. although some companies had “common stock” (i.e., used time and again), for the most part, projects such as the venetian were treated as a unique case by case situation. hence, the importance of rescuing the fragments — any and all! to make matters worse, the orig.
plaster molds used in making the terra cotta are likely lost or have k
hello scott…and others—
i’m so very sorry that people like “snweb” exist to infuse their self righteous, self absorbed accusary opinions regarding issues that steer away from the focal point; that of course being the presentation of information regarding the acknowledgement and respect for structures of the past. that being said, i’ll address you question… my name is eric and i own urban remains. in addition to our artifact collection, we have a large collection of orig. catalogs, etc. from terra cotta companies based in the chicago area. the amercian terra cotta co., along w/ northwestern, produced some of the greatest terra cotta ornament for commissions involving louis sullivan, etc. the “master” sculptor at the time was a man named kristian schneider, who created almost all of louis sullivan’s ornament. cont…
dddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddo not
want to
again, not to be redundant, but “snweb” and his claims against our company are unfounded. we are not sure what the motives are here…perhaps an intentional ploy to boost his ego and/or website and/or so-called “decay” photography? we bought the coffered ceiling fragment from a reputable chicago dealer, who sold several of these items across the country to a number of salvage companies. please step forward and contact us “snweb”. your accusations are rather unprofessional yeah? what does that say about yourself? perhaps you should be charged w/ defamation of character?
after reviewing this blog, we had no choice but to comment on the wonderfully gifted detroit “decay” photographer who posted incredibly inaccurate and/or unfounded information…please, step forward and reveal yourself…and what made you arrive at your conclusion that our company is “bad and shady”. please feel free to contact us at 312-523-4660 for further discussion regarding senseless defamation of character. clearly, your comments reflect upon the type of person you are…and frankly, we find it saddening. do you find us attacking your “photography” on your website? think about it…
urban remains staff