While looking at a buildings, via Google Street View, I noticed that it had a stone carving of a woman's face above two of its doorways. The building is in my old Lincoln Park neighborhood, and although I have walked past it many times in the past, in 1940s and early 50s; it was a new discovery for me.

This is the street view at 518 West Armitage Ave:

http://goo.gl/maps/3hTUA


After some research, I learned that the stone face carving that decorate the keystones above doorways and windows, is an architectural ornament called a mascaron, and that it appears in Beaux-Arts style of architecture. Two additional buildings in the neighborhood that I have looked at and walked past many times and failed to notice its unusual mascaron ornament are shown below.

917 W. Armitage Ave.; Math Hibbeler Building; Apartment; Commercial building (constructed in 1895)

http://digicol.lib.depaul.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/lpnc1/id/186/rec/2


1967 N. Halsted St.; Apartment; Commercial building (constructed in 1892)
http://digicol.lib.depaul.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/lpnc1/id/104/rec/6


852 W. Armitage Ave.; Apartment; Commercial building (constructed in 1895, Style Beaux Arts)
http://digicol.lib.depaul.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/lpnc1/id/155/rec/5

http://goo.gl/maps/rLKkJ



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/09/2013 07:00PM by nordsider.