I love architecture. I’ve always loved it.
I grew up in Chicago, its architecture has always been innovative and extraordinary. As I was growing up, I was aware of the spectacular buildings downtown when I went shopping with my mom. The Wrigley building, with its singular glow, Marshall Field’s, (Daniel Burnham) the most stunning department store ever built (now Macy’s.) Carson Pirie Scott was built by the man I consider to be the master of all architects, Louis Sullivan.
Adler and Sullivan’s Chicago Stock Exchange building is notorious in architectural preservation. It was a magnificent landmark building that was demolished despite loud protests from masses of architecture savvy Chicagoans.
I actually have one of the original placards from the Landmark Preservation Council that I carried as a protester “You can Help Save Louis Sullivan’s old Stock Exchange”
But they tore it down anyway. And replaced it with a commonplace parking garage. The building’s entrance archway and interior trading floor were salvaged and moved to the Art Institute of Chicago.
There was an architectural photographer named Richard Nickel, a huge fan of Louis Sullivan and the Stock Exchange Building. The back yard of his house was overloaded with all the decorative ornamentation he could rip out of the dying masterpiece.
On one of the final days of demolition, Richard Nickel wanted to finish collecting items.
While documenting demolition work, tragically, Richard Nickel perished in a partial collapse. It’s hard to believe but he went down with the building.
Hard to believe someone could love a building so much. I believe it because I love the Auditorium Theatre. And I loved Chicago The Stock Exchange.
Richard Nickel went down with the building. I guess you can love a building that much.