'Lost' Louis Sullivan Storefront Found

'Lost' Louis Sullivan Storefront Found

The legacy of Louis Sullivan, poet of the skyscraper, has taken so many hits lately that you'd think Tony Soprano had a contract to rub out the man's architecture.

Hurricanes, floods and fires, along with human ignorance and carelessness, have all dealt their blows.

Against that dark backdrop comes a small but significant ray of light: The discovery of a "lost" Sullivan-designed, cast-iron storefront at 22 S. Wabash Ave., complete with the architect's renowned nature-inspired ornament.

The public will be able to see Sullivan's artistry, possibly within the next week, when construction workers remove a cloak of scaffolding from the four-story, post-Chicago Fire building. And there will be more to take in.

As part of the same project, another Sullivan-designed storefront, located to the north at 18 S. Wabash, has been magnificently restored and will be able to be viewed in its entirety for the first time in decades.

Read the entire article-- including the story of how the storefront was discovered-- here.

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