Photos: Forgotten Mural Unearthed At Historic Loop Building's Demolition Site

By Mae Rice in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 2, 2016 6:20PM

One of the Loop’s oldest buildings, located at 209 W. Lake—slated for demolition in December—has officially been torn down. Originally built in the early 1870s, just after the Chicago fire, it’s now a pile of rubble.

Every ending is a beginning, though. Or, based on this case, every building demolition is also the debut of a sweet mural. Many El riders have glimpsed it from the train, and Curbed did a deep-dive into its origins. First, the site noted that “the image shares many characteristics of work by Austrian symbolist painter Gustav Klimt who rose to prominence in the 1880s and 1890s.”

Then, upon further research, they discovered it had been painted in the 21st century to decorate a nightclub. Curbed wrote in an update:

Nightclub owner Dion Antic has confirmed that the mural was a part of his Superlounge club from 2002-2003. Unfortunately, this mural is not a long-lost Gustav Klimt, instead Antic tells us that a friend and artist Kristin Swain painted it sometime around 2002. Antic did confirm that Klimt was the inspiration for the design and style of the mural.

I followed up with Ward Miller, Executive Director at Preservation Chicago, about the building’s status. (We first spoke about it for Chicagoist's December piece on the demolition.)

Though back then, he was talking with the developers and architects about preserving elements of the building’s facade, he said Tuesday, “It’s my impression that they may not be keeping the entire facade, but that there’ll be some elements [of the facade] that will be integrated into some of the interior spaces of the [new] building.”

Miller also added that he thinks historic buildings, like the one torn down to reveal the mural, should be considered art, too. “I think it’s quite ironic that a mural has been uncovered, and really captivated people… great buildings are works of art.”

A shot of the building that was once there, for reference:

The north side facade of 209 W. Lake, facing Lake St. (Photo by Matt Tuteur/Chicagoist)

We reached out to artist Kristin Swain for comment, and will update if we hear from her.