
Auction / 13 April 2017 Noon ct
Architectural Artifacts, Inc.
30 Years
Wright is pleased to present Architectural Artifacts, Inc. 30 Years. Founded in 1987 by Stuart Grannen, Architectural Artifacts, Inc. has become a Chicago institution offering an eclectic mix of objects from around the world and fragments of the city’s most important architecture. After years of traveling around the country buying and selling antiques, Grannen settled in Chicago as the ideal place to acquire and sell architectural artifacts. Three decades later, Grannen and his team have amassed a vast collection of objects and pedigreed architectural fragments, a selection of which will be offered at auction.
Eccentric and unmatched, Architectural Artifacts, Inc. 30 Years is a celebration of Grannen’s unique vision and tireless passion for collecting.


Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan T-plate from the Chicago Stock Exchange $30,000 – 40,000


The building's identity resides in the ornament.
Louis Sullivan
Form Function Fun
30 Years of Architectural Artifacts, Inc.
Most children collect things: rocks, string, shells, or Matchbox cars. Stuart Grannen was not like most children. Grannen’s parents were avid collectors and his eye for the curious was nurtured and encouraged with visits to museums and antique shops up and down the East Coast. By the age of ten, he was actively buying and selling stained glass windows with money he earned mowing neighbor’s lawns.
While studying Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Tennessee, Stuart amassed an impressive collection of antiques that filled several rented barns in Knoxville. He traveled around the country for a few years after college, working for dealers in New Orleans and Minneapolis before landing in Chicago in the late 80s. Chicago would become his home base for the next 30 years.


Navajo Blanket $3,000 – 5,000


Bavarian Hunting Lodge sofa $5,000 – 7,000


Early 20th Century Snake Skeleton $1,000 – 1,500
An Interview with Stuart Grannen
Architectural Artifacts, Inc. celebrates thirty years, a surprising milestone for the founder, Stuart Grannen. Opened by chance in 1987, the store has become a must-visit Chicago destination for architectural enthusiasts and collectors alike. From important remnants and remains of some of Chicago’s greatest architecture to unusual and fascinating objects from around the globe, the eclectic selection speaks to Grannen’s distinct and interesting eye.
We sat down with Stuart early in March to discuss the store, its history and its future.


Great architecture has only two natural enemies:
water and stupid men.Richard Nickel
Architectural Artifacts, Inc. 30 Years
For more information about
the sale, please contact:
312 563 0020
sales@wright20.com
Auction / Chicago
13 April 2017
12 pm central
Wright
1440 W. Hubbard Street
Preview / Chicago
24 March – 13 April 2017
10 am – 5 pm
Architectural Artifacts, Inc.
4325 N. Ravenswood Avenue