At first glance, seems boring.....

[kurt]

Until you look a little closer.......

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This neighborhood is, ummm, colorful, to say the least.

A denizen on patrol.......

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[Brian G]

The lady on the building looks like she's had a few late nights in a row. [:-party] [:-dev3]

Brian G.

Speaking From Experience (Jimmy's) [:-headach

[Bain]

Very cool. Last time you posted something ornate like this, I asked about how one keeps the paint intact, and you explained that it was glazed.

How is the sculpture attached to the building? And what prevents water from running down m'lady's back and causing problems?

[kurt]

Originally posted by Bain

How is the sculpture attached to the building? And what prevents water from running down m'lady's back and causing problems?

Spoken like a building inspector.

It's glazed terra cotta, set in a mortar bed, secured w/iron wall ties. The ties rust out, the terra cotta falls off and tunks someone on the head.

When you're looking at these, you boilerplate comment on wall ties, how you can't see 'em, how they fail, how you fix them, why it's expensive to replace, etc.

This was in Uptown, which is full of decorative terra cotta from the 20's. It's right up the street from the Green Mill, one of Capone's joints.

[John Dirks Jr]

Looks like they stole her off the front of a viking ship or something.

[hausdok]

She looks constipated.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Bain]

I think she just looks sad and weary of war.

What a loss it would be to have something like that jangle off a building and wind up as a pile of shards on the sidewalk.

[kurt]

I think it's the Norse Goddess Freya, Goddess of War, Magic, Wisdom, Love, and Beauty.

You'd look tired too if you were in charge of all that stuff.

[fqp25]

OK Kurt, I've got to ask. Where is that?

Frank

[kurt]

Uptown. Corner of Sheridan Rd. and Leland. 4600 north, 900 west.

Used to be one of the most glorious neighborhoods in Chicago, then (essentially) one big crack house, now it's coming up again.

Incredible housing stock. All built in the boomtime 1920's, when all the decorative component fabrication shops were still active on the South Side.

It's impossible to describe how this terra cotta looks live. The glazes and colors are breathtaking.

[hausdok]

I'm surprised that some kook with a paintbrush and white paint hadn't made it disappear decades ago. They can't seem to wait to obscure stuff with white paint around here.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[ghentjr]

Originally posted by kurt

Until you look a little closer.......

This neighborhood is, ummm, colorful, to say the least.

A denizen on patrol.......

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Do he be the police?

[kurt]

Nope. He just wears lots of badges and weirdness. Village People on parade.