Reconstructing the Garrick

A beautifully designed and lavishly illustrated biography of one of Chicagos greatest lost buildings For six months in 1961, Richard Nickel, John Vinci, and David Norris salvaged the interior and exterior ornamentation of the Garrick Theater, Adler & Sullivans magnificent architectural masterpiece in Chicagos theater district. The building was replaced by a parking garage, and its demolition ignited the historic preservation movement in Chicago. The Garrick (originally the Schiller Building) was built in 1892 and featured elaborate embellishments, especially in its theater and exterior, including the ornamentation and colorful decorative stenciling that would become hallmarks of Louis Sullivans career. Reconstructing the Garrick documents the enormous salvaging job undertaken to preserve elements of the buildings design, but also presents the full life story of the Garrick, featuring historic and architectural photographs, essays by prominent architectural and art historians, interviews, drawings, ephemera from throughout its lively history and details of its remarkable ornamentationa significant resource and compelling tribute to one of Chicagos finest lost buildings. A seventy-two-page facsimile of Richard Nickels salvage workbook is tipped into the binding.