The Fifties are returning rapidly to a location near you -- I hope! The north facade of our new Multi-Purpose Building has been revealed, and it looks absolutely stupendous to your typical disinterested observer, such as myself.
The windows have not yet been installed, as you will have noticed. The interior of the building also still needs a lot of work, but that should be feasible during the winter now that it's pretty much enclosed.
I don't know of any place like this in the US that has been accomplished without government support. All of us at IRM can be very proud of this development, and our thanks to those whose dedication and determination are making it all possible.
But after all that, there's still lots to be done back in the various shops. John Sheldon is making good progress on the 306. Here he is working on the floor at the #2 end of the 306.
Jon Fenlaciki continues on the roof of the 65.
I must admit I didn't get all that much done on the 451, since some of the parts I need seem to be unfindable. But progress is being made on putting the vestibules back together.
Among other things, there's only one of the wooden frames for the roll sign boxes to be found, and it's rather shabby. So I plan to make two new ones, since at least I have a good pattern to work from. And I will soon take the rusted-out trap door to a nearby metal-working shop to be repaired.
8 comments:
That is going to be a great addition to the scene at the Illinois Railway Museum! But I have a question, the picture on the main web site shows a theater marquee as part of the building.
Did that turn out to be too expensive to re-create?
And it is good to see the #306 coming together after all these years. It is a local piece of rolling history, short of building a replica car from the Elgin & Belvidere Railway.
Ted Miles, Member for 2020
Ted- Wrong building! The theater goes in the Visitors Center, across the street. That will be a much larger building than this one.
R. W. Schauer
And since no one else wants to answer Lucas's question, I'm pretty sure these decorations are new. It's not completely unusual for modern buildings to have some retro styling like this.
Perhaps at least some ornamentation was salvaged from Chicago buildings?
https://preservationchicago.org/newsletter_posts/loss-new-chapter-for-lincoln-montana-building-sullivanesque-terra-cotta/
"
Preservation Chicago, Allan Mellis, Alderman Smith and other community partners were unable to prevent the demolition of the Lincoln-Montana Building, we were able to ensure, through a signed community development agreement, that the building’s decorative ornamental “Sullivanesque” terra-cotta would be carefully removed and donated to the Illinois Railway Museum in Union, Illinois, where it will be incorporated into the facade of their new visitors center and part of its new $7.5 million, two-block Vintage Main Street exhibit.
We wish to express a special thanks to Fred Ash and David Diamond of the Illinois Railway Museum for their dedication to preserving this ornament, integrating it into their new visitors center, and for coordinating the transportation of the materials to Union, Illinois. Work began to remove the ornamental “Sullivanesque” terra cotta on July 26, 2017. The salvage work was completed by Jimmy Nuter of American Vintage Reclamation."
Yes, Bob, but once again that's for the visitor center across the street.
By the way, what we really need next is an SRO hotel. One just like in the Blues Brothers.
sorry - danger of making posts without any first hand knowledge - I stand corrected - but - glad to see that the architectural salvage will eventually be used.
So I understand that it's going to be a long time before all of the Main Street buildings are completed.....but any idea when the streetcar line will be rerouted there? Historically speaking, that current scene looks almost identical to early 1940's Chicagoland. You had clusters of buildings and then open prairie right next door. Just like you have there!
I really don't know, but I'm afraid that's going to be a long time also. The south car line extension is another huge infrastructure project that will need major funding. In the meanwhile, we can pretend it's a line that was abandoned in the 30's.
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