dmercer.bsky.social

@dmercer.bsky.social

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Look up and stay curious. Mostly architecture.

1889
Cover of a catalogue for S. A Maxwell and Company, manufacturers of wallcoverings. It's done in the Arts Nouveau style with purple stylized tips with green intertwined stems "growing" out of brown flower boxes. The name of the company is at the botton in a very lovely font.
1876--Mrs. J. H. Daniels, 115 S. Leavitt (old address for 22 S. Leavitt) is hosting a meeting of the Mignon Club.
Two-story building with an Art Deco terra cotta facade, including ribbed terra cotta panels in mint green with yellow stripes, a cream central panel, and gray granite terra cotta window surrounds. There is a Mexican restaurant on the first floor.
Two-story corner building clad in orange brick with dark red brick along the sidewalk and around the windows. Windows have rough stone lintels. The main entrance is on the corner and above it is a bay window topped with a tall triangular pediment containing its own arched window.
Black and yellow tiger swallowtail butterfly balancing on the yellow center of an orange zinnia
Corner portion of a corner store with a chamfered corner and a ziggurat-shaped parapet topped with a fluted green border. I can't tell what the border is made of--maybe just painted concrete?
Two-story cube-shaped mid-century modern two-flat clad in cream brick and light colored stone. There is a flat canopy over the entrance on the right, obviously to protect the awesome door with a triangular window. Above the door is a 4 x 6 square panel of Girl Scout green glass blocks in the leaf pattern by Pittsburgh Corning.
Cover of something called "The Bon Ton Directory Giving the Names in Alphabetical Order, Addresses and Homes of Reception of the Most Prominent and Fashionable Ladies Residing in Chicago and its Suburbs." 1879-80. Every line is in a different font.
Section of the 1918 Sanborn map that shows this house colored yellow, which means it is frame construction, not brick.
Two-story frame house with a gable roof. The entire facade is covered in white faux stone with dark gray mortar/grout. In the peak of the gable and above the entrance on the left are two diamond shapes filled in with black and white stone. There is also a rectangular stripe of black and white stone below the gable window. The entrance is on the left and to the left of that is a stone grotto containing a bright red, green, and blue statue of the Virgin Mary.
Sky streaked with orange clouds
One story mid-century building of cream brick and possibly Lannon stone. The roof is flat and painted red on the edges of the eaves. /there is a two-car garage on the lower level. Above that is a balcony with decorative black metal railing. There are no windows or doors visible on the balcony, although the back wall might actually be a pull down metal shade, painted red to match the eaves.
See ALT text in previous post because this is the same photo. Here, there is a red circle around a nonsensical sloping area at the top left
Three-story 1960ish apartment building with a flat roof. The photo shows the elevation facing the street, which is clad in beige brick, made less boring by a pattern of bricks slightly protruding from the wall. On the right side, individual blue plastic letters spell out "Kenilworth Arms." The elevation on the left, partly visible, includes the use of turquoise glazed brick as borders around the windows.
Here's the building permit from 1924. It was a synagogue for the Beth-El Congregation, Louis Simon, architect.
Three-story cream brick building with retail on the first floor and apartments on the other two. There are narrow bands of brown faux stone running across the facade in three places, panels of faux brown boulders between the windows, and battlements atop the parapet. In the center of the 2nd and 3rd floors is a narrow opening filled with clear glass block and the occasional red, yellow, green, or turquoise block, placed randomly.
Assortment of colorful figurines for sale on a city corner, including Virgin Mary, Sonic the Hedgehog, the Mandalorian, and a couple of roosters.
Part of the side elevation of a one-story commercial building. Mostly windows at street level but glorious terra cotta decorates the upper wall and the parapet. Across the parapet are large gold roses set against black terra cotta with red stripes between each rose. Below that are beige tiles divided by cream-colored vertical stripes and narrow gold stripes. On the far right there is a green terra cotta in a basket weave pattern stuffed with small gold squares. On the left, obscured by a shadow and a light pole, is a polychrome terra cotta panel that looks to me like an Art Deco corn stalk bordered by small gold roses. At various spots the beige, cream, and some of the black terra cotta has fallen off.
Parking lot full of cars
In Elmwood Park, Illinois, a Swiss chalet has crashed into the top of a yellow brick bungalow.
One story building with a mansard roof with wide overhanging eaves.
Long, low ranch house of yellow brick and red siding with a gradually sloping gable roof with an off-center peak. There is a second floor under the peak of the gable but the roof slopes dramatically to the left, leaving no room for living space on that side. )I am struggling to describe this because it's so strange. )
1990s brick cottage with a steep side-facing gable roof and a round turret/tower with a very pointed roof on the right side. The building is clad in variegated red brick with square stone tiles embedded here and there. The most distinguishing feature is the huge concrete stairway leading up to the door, which is in the turret. The bottom step is almost as wide as the house and each succeeding step gets a bit narrower. It completely dominates the front of the house.
Two-story mid-century modern 2-flat clad in beige brick and what look like lumps of coal (actually black faux stone boulders.) Above the entrance on the left are two columns of glass block in the Cameo pattern--clear and black.
Pink double zinnia playing host to a wasp
Male house finch, with a bright red-orange head and neck, sitting on the side of a bird bath
This is a historic, cast-iron recessed manhole cover once used by the Metropolitan Electric Supply Company (commonly known as METESCo) in London. It features a square cast-iron outer frame detailed with a distinctive geometric triangle-patterned border. The center is recessed and filled with concrete to blend seamlessly into the surrounding concrete pavement stones. (Google)
Three-story apartment building clad in alternating stripes of yellow and red brick. On the side, in black metal? letters it says "Coachlight Courts."
10¢ US postage stamp featuring a drawing of a statue of Justice and the words "People's Right to Petition for Redress."
Mid-century modern 2-flat clad in sand-colored brick with fake brown boulders in the spandrels between the windows on the left side. The entrance is on the right and has its own little gabled roof to protect those who knock. The best part is the panel of black glass block above the little gable. Each block has a half-circle design--on smooth and one fluted. When they are arranged the way they are here, they look like polka dots.
Obituary of Judith Telingator, co-author of "The Lake Is Always East." She died on January 7, 2026.
Two-story mid-century modern apartment building at 325 S. Laramie in Chicago. It is clad in wide stripes of blonde and dark orange brick. The entrance is in the center under a flat canopy. The door has a large triangular window in its center. Above the door is a vertical panel of black wedge-style glass blocks.
The building is clad in buff brick and includes a large, boxy, main sanctuary with a wall of stained glass on the facade. The entrance bay projects out from the sanctuary and is clad in variegated stone and has a flat roof. To the left of the sanctuary in this photo is a tall rectangular bell tower with a series of small rectangular openings punched into the side. A simple metal cross rises up from the top of the bell tower.
Online order form for Pollito Asado spicy Mexican lollipops, 40 for $15.99. The ad includes the brand name in yellow letters with a red border, a cartoon drawing of two people roasting a chicken on a spit, and a photograph of a red-orange roasted chicken-shaped lollipop. The word "enchilada" is also there but I'm not sure why.
Two story Vampire's Castle with a facade of faux grey stone, wooden crenellation, windows with "Gothic" arched openings, and various shields and gargoyles to further confirm its authenticity.
Looking up at the facade of the Cicero, Illinois, post office, built of red brick with stone trim and decoration. The design is symmetrical, with a center entrance and tall windows rising from street level up to a carved frieze below the parapet. Art Deco-style flowers and foliage decorate the frieze and a sort of keystone in the center of the parapet, between "United States" and "Post Office" On the upper corners two stone eagles keep watch.
Mid-century modern two-flat plus garden apartment clad in yellow and orange brick. Above the entrance on the right is an amazing section of stacked narrow orange brick alternating with turquoise glass block.
Mid-century modern two-flat with added garden apartment clad in yellow brick on the facade. On each floor on the right side is a group of three windows separated on each floor by a panel of stacked red bricks. The entrance is on the left and has a slightly slanted canopy above it. Above the entrance on the second floor is a vertical stripe of yellow petal design glass blocks, 2 x 8.
Newspaper clipping from 1927 featuring two photographs. One is a group of people, some of them wearing band uniforms, standing around a drum with the words "Chicken Dinner Candy 5¢" on it. The other is a truck belonging to the Sperry Candy Company, also advertising Chicken Dinner "Good Candy."
Cover of a book called "A Total Work of Art: The Story of Edgar Miller" by Hannah Dykstra and Jeff Kruse. The cover design features part of Miller's red door with a round cut out through which you can see a drawing of his head in profile.
One-story brick, stone, and glass mid-century modern house. The garage is on the far left, the entrance in the center, and a wall of windows at far right. The main roof has a very slight gable at right rear, but the garage and front of the house have flat roofs.
Front entrance area of a variegated brown brick two-story school building. The entrance surround appears to be stone with piers on each side decorated with hexagonal shapes and stylized foliage. The stone piers become brick farther up the wall and then stone again at the top, where they are decorated with Dr. Seuss-like flowers. In the center is a shield and the Roman numerals MCMXXVII.
Color advertisement for Frosty Boy, a soft serve ice cream franchise that still exists, at least in Michigan and Australia. The ad depicts a Dennis-the-Menace-like boy licking his lips as he ponders a giant soft serve ice cream cone. At the bottom it says "Frosty Boy Often licked-Never beaten"
A yellow tin of "Fried Chicken Candy," written in red and blue. A drumstick with happy eyes and mouth adds to the advertising appeal. This is part of an online order form for Fried Chicken Hard candy lozenges that taste like fried chicken. You can get yourself a tinful for $14.79.
Two-story red brick building with a chamfered corner and cream brick corbeling acros the top. The facade has been altered in numerous ways. The entrance at the corner has white siding replacing the brick. Some window openings are either bricked or boarded up. The brick has been painted red in some places and replaced in others. There is also a two-story frame addition at the back. The parapet, with corbeling and stone stringcourses and coping, appears original and gives a sense of what a handsome building it was.
Shelves full of household cleaners