Lost Sullivan 'discovered' hiding in Loop

Detective work leads to architectural gold on South Wabash. 'There was some unbelievable stuff back there.'

... Against that dark backdrop comes a small but significant ray of light: the discovery of a "lost" Sullivan-designed, cast-iron storefront at 22 S. Wabash Ave., complete with the architect's renowned nature-inspired ornament.

The public will be able to see Sullivan's artistry, possibly within the next week, when construction workers remove a cloak of scaffolding from the four-story, post-Chicago Fire building. And there will be more to take in.

As part of the same project, another Sullivan-designed storefront, located to the north at 18 S. Wabash, has been magnificently restored and will be able to be viewed in its entirety for the first time in decades.

For good measure, there's a third, handsomely restored building at 28 S. Wabash, the Atwater Building, a five-story structure by the noted post-Fire architect John Mills Van Osdel. Its facade of red brick and Joliet limestone features multiple rounded arches.