original early louis sullivan-designed exterior rosenfeld building (1881) red slip terra cotta lunette fragments

richard nickel images of adler and sullivan’s levi rosenfeld building undergoing demolition in 1958. with the help of the wreckers, nickel managed to salvage some of the terra cotta ornament, including the lunettes, window hoods, and panels located below the roofline.

the cast iron ornament on the storefront pilasters (likely designed by edelmann) was fabricated by the union foundry. the terra cotta was made by northwestern.

the mixed-use masonry building was built in two phases, with the first being a three story section completed in 1881 at a cost of $42,850. the second phase, consisting of a five-story section with stores, flats, and a hotel, was built the following year, costing $ 92,091.

the facade was heavily ornamented with sullivan-designed red slip terra cotta (e.g., cornice and window lunettes). the street level storefronts, featured oversized plate glass windows, divided by cast iron rounded and flat pilasters accentuated with simple and restrained floral assemblages comprised of individually cast sections fastened against recessed panels.

cast iron ornament and terra cotta courtesy of bldg. 51 collection. images courtesy of ryerson and burnham, art institute of chicago.