Thursday, April 20, 2017

The Arch Awaits

The Gerber Building at Broadway and Wilson as seen today
The CTA and Walsh Construction are setting their sights on the Gerber Building reconstruction now that most major demolition and track removal has been completed.
We spotted steel beams rising from each side of the main entrance today. These will support the the beautiful arched clock tower that will return for the first time since it was removed in the late 1950s.

The Gerber Building sometime after completion in 1923
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2 comments:

  1. GSTROMApril 20, 2017 at 2:06 PM

    Does anyone know why they were removed in the late 50s?

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  2. Uptown UpdaterApril 20, 2017 at 3:40 PM

    Likely because it was in bad shape, but according to Chicago-L.org: "In an unfortunate loss to the building's architectural splendor, the decorative terra cotta arched parapet at the station's corner entrance was removed between 1957 and 1959. It is not clear why it was removed, nor if this was part of the 1958 renovation effort, though it likely was."

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