Product Description

This riveting biography chronicles the life of a crusader and the early days of the historic preservation movement. Beginning with a portrait of Nickel's youth on Chicago's West Side in the 1930's to his army service as a paratrooper and photographer, it progresses with his studies at the Institute of Design in the 1950's and his attempts thereafter to save Chicago's buildings, especially those of Louis Sullivan. Includes 70+ illustrations and a special portfolio of duotone photos, printed on fine paper, taken by Nickel during his lifetime.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #229462 in Books
• Published on: 1995-06-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Amazon.com Review
If Chicago is an architecture lover's paradise today, it is largely due to the efforts of a single individual. Richard Nickel (1928-1972) was not "just a photographer who happens to take pictures of buildings," as he modestly called himself. He was a soft-spoken missionary whose passionate one-man campaign to preserve Chicago's ornate 19th century architectural masterpieces--earmarked for destruction by Mayor Richard J. Daley in the name of progress--inspired a nationwide movement. Richard Cahan's superb biography of Nickel depicts the photographer's heroic and ultimately tragic struggle to salvage everything he could get his hands on, first with his trusty view camera and then with a hacksaw and chisel.

From Booklist
You wouldn't expect to read about a photographer when you research American architecture, but Richard Nickel is an integral part of the story. A shy yet passionate man, Nickel developed a deep love for architecture and great skill as an architectural photographer. He also became one of the first to publicly demand the preservation of landmark buildings in Chicago, his hometown. Nickels would, undoubtedly, have been remembered for his stunning photographs and preservationist zeal, but his tragic, martyr-like death in the rubble of the once magnificent Stock Exchange Building in 1972 ensured his immortality. Cahan tells Nickel's story with tremendous empathy, setting it within a history of Chicago architecture, especially the work of Nickel's idol, Louis Sullivan. Nickel set himself the task of finding and documenting all of Sullivan's creations but soon discovered that many of those glorious structures were suffering from neglect or, worse, were about to become victims of urban renewal. The master photographer became a witness to those thoughtless demolitions, meticulously documenting the demise of buildings he loved. Not content with pictures, Nickel also became a devoted salvager of Sullivan ornament, enabling museums to preserve fragments of Sullivan's art. Now Cahan has preserved Nickel's memory in this handsome volume illustrated by more than 70 of Nickel's photographs. Donna Seaman

From the Publisher
This riveting biography chronicles the life of a crusader and the early days of the historic preservation movement. Beginning with a portrait of Nickel's youth on Chicago's West Side in the 1930's to his army service as a paratrooper and photographer, it progresses with his studies at the Institute of Design in the 1950's and his attempts thereafter to save Chicago's buildings, especially those of Louis Sullivan. Includes 70+ illustrations and a special portfolio of duotone photos, printed on fine paper, taken by Nickel during his lifetime.

Customer Reviews

A Treasure for Architectural Preservationists
Richard Nickels was a strange fellow, and I don't know if most people would be comfortable in his company. He desperately wanted to save what he considered to be Chicago's architectural landmarks, but in the end grew terribly disconsolate, finding few allies in Mayor Daley or others within the city's power structure. He managed to save many bits and pieces before the wrecker's ball arrived, some of which went to Southern Illinois University, but tons of which ended up in landfills after his death. Do you need this book? If it sickens you to see a beautiful old building torn down, then yes. If you read "Lost Chicago" and were amazed at the priceless treasures we've squandered, then yes. If you think the now burgeoning architectural salvage industry is a good thing, then yes. Nickels fought to save buildings, but when that failed, he saved everything he could. The book doesn't claim he was a pioneer or innovator in that regard, but then I haven't heard of anyone else who dedicated their life to the field. The Trading Room from the Stock Exchange Building - where Nickel's died - survives in the Art Institute of Chicago today only because of his efforts. We almost certainly owe him a far greater debt than the book has claimed, since he helped to publicize the threat to our architectural heritage and started building a consensus towards preservation and salvage. The book will amaze and annoy you. You'll learn much more about Nickels' personal life than you would want to know. You'll wish he had finished some of the writing projects he started. And you'll wonder how much more he might have accomplished if he had lived a bit longer. It's a book that makes you think, and one you won't soon forget. - tjm

Outstanding
I ate this book up! Nickel's photgraphs are outstanding, and his dedication to salvaging historical buildings is heroic. The historic preservation movement owes an enormous debt to this man.

A gripping read- couldn't put it down
This book works on so many levels. Despite the rather dry-sounding title, it tells the story like a thriller novel. I found myself constantly trying to get to the next page to find out what happens next?? The book starts off with the frantic 2 week search for Nickel's body in the rubble of the old Stock Exchange building in 1972. Demolition is stopped while the building teeters on the verge of collapse in the heart of Chicago's business district. The book then flashes back and traces Nickel's career and his odyssey to save what he could of Sullivan's masterpieces as building after building after building was intentionally destroyed in the name of "progress". Along the way, the author weaves in tales of the history of some of the buildings, paints us pictures of the city and the politics of the time, and includes key characters such as Richard J. Daley, Frank Lloyd Wright, Leon Despres, Tim Samuelson, and others. There are tales of payoffs, double-dealing, and night time raids on old buildings. The book is meticulously researched, provides numerous quotes from Nickel's letters, other personal interviews, documents, and photos, none of which are extra baggage, but instead bring the story to life in a most touching way. The real heartbreaker of the book is that so little has changed since Nickel's death. Today, over 30 years later, nearly every week in Chicago, buildings designated as Chicago landmarks are torn down, or irreversibly altered, as Chicago continues to have exceptionally weak preservation ordinances. A building that would be considered the pride of a community in any other town, is ripped to shreds here without a second thought, if there is money to be made on the deal. If you are interested in Chicago architecture, the history of the preservation movement, Louis Sullivan, or Richard Nickel, this book is an essential.