Boston Valley Terra Cotta’s Master Sculptors Restoring Chicago’s Gage Building
Boston Valley Terra Cotta has been making progress on the very detailed, ornamental terra cotta facade restoration of the Gage Building in Chicago. Designed by architect Louis Sullivan in 1899, the Gage Building’s Art Nouveau façade is emphasized with intricate vine and ivy motifs that complement geometric patterns. 3D renderings were taken of the original terra cotta pieces and hand pressed. Then Boston Valley Terra Cotta master sculptors worked on hand-finishing each individual piece. The same replication process was used on another Louis Sullivan project, the famed Guaranty Building (1894) in Buffalo, NY, one of Boston Valley Terra Cotta’s very first architectural restoration projects.
Eric Nordstrom of Chicago’s Urban Remains recently paid a visit to the Boston Valley factory to get a behind-the-scenes look at our extensive restoration process. Read his Building 51 blog for details and exclusive photos of his factory visit in a post titled, “Gage Building Facade Restoration Leads To Boston Valley Terra Cotta Company Visit”.
Check out some of the photos below that Eric shot on his visit to Boston Valley Terra Cotta. Check back for more posts on this project as it moves closer to completion.
An in-progress piece that is being hand finished by Boston Valley Terra Cotta’s Michael Fritz. Photo by Eric Nordstrom.
Close-up of the very detailed, ornate design of the terra cotta by Louis Sullivan. Photo by Eric Nordstrom.
Original pieces of the Gage Building sit next to replication units for reference at Boston Valley Terra Cotta. Photo by Eric Nordstrom.
View other posts on some of our ongoing and completed architectural terra cotta restoration projects.
Read Eric Nordstrom’s article titled, “Gage Building Facade Restoration Leads To Boston Valley Terra Cotta Company Visit”.
