Remodeling

Junk and Howe is remodeling. Updates to come soon. There are items in the store, but no new items will be added as of now.

Thanks, and sorry for the inconvenience...

- Junk and Howe

First National Bank of Dwight - Dwight, IL

As I traveled to central Illinois for the holiday weekend, I stopped in Dwight to snap a couple pictures of the First National Bank of Dwight. I've been through Dwight dozens of times throughout my life and have never stopped to see the bank. What makes this bank special is that it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Built in 1905 to house both a bank and real estate offices, it is one of only two banks Frank Lloyd Wright designed (and built). It was originally named Frank L. Smith Bank, after the man who owned it and commissioned the project. Wright even designed the interior (furniture and all, of course), which couldn't be pictured due to obvious reasons, and after a remodeling in the 1950s and later preservation/restoration in the '60s, the bank remains almost unchanged from its original Wright design.



Urban Remains in Chicago has an oak standing desk supposedly from the time the bank opened in 1906. I can only imagine the price.

Here's a picture of the roman brick fireplace, found at The Prairie School Traveler website:



Its facade is Indiana Limestone (Bedford Limestone), which was also used for the Empire State Building and Pentagon. Its front exterior is the only thing I photographed.

picture of Frank L. Smith Bank unknown date 1970s

Junk and Howe's 4th of July Sale!!!

Once a year we celebrate Independence Day, and we are knocking 10%-50% OFF a third of our store's merchandise for you! All Made in the USA items. All classic vintage.

Sale starts 7/1 and goes through the end of day on 7/4.

Go to the store's sale section to see the items that are marked down for this limited time sale. Some truly amazing deals. You'd be crazy not to take advantage of it.

Here are some highlights:


Vintage American Tourister Escort Marble Red Suitcases – set of 2
SOLD




The Hamilton Metal Products Co. Climax Vintage Industrial Metal Blue File Box
Sale: $13.20 Reg: $22.00




Vintage Fire King Painted Fruit Colonial Nesting Mixing Bowl Set of 3
Sale: $16.80 Reg: $24.00




Vintage Jordache Leather Belt
Sale: $9.10 Reg. $13.00




Mid-Century Metal Gooseneck Desk Lamp
Sale: $20.30 Reg. $29.00




Vintage Crocodile Framed Brown Handbag
Sale: $26.60 Reg. $38.00




Vintage Pyrex 6-Cup Percolator – model 7826
Sale: $24.50 Reg: $35.00




Vintage American Tourister Tiara Brown Suitcase-Briefcase-Attaché
Sale: $16.10 Reg. $23.00




Vintage Women’s Dingo Cowboy Boots
Sale: $21.60 Reg: 27.00




Vintage Industrial Metal Blue Tool Box
Sale: $9.60 Reg: $12.00




Vintage Jackson Pollock Glass Pitcher
Sale: $19.20 Reg: $24.00




Vintage Griffith Laboratories Milk Glass Spice Jar Set of 10 – Red Lids, Red Rack
Sale: $59.40 Reg: $66.00




Vintage Griffith Laboratories Milk Glass Spice Jar Set of 12 – Turquoise Lids, White Rack
Sale: $75.60 Reg: $84.00

Ohio, USA

I posted about Paul Newman in The Hustler earlier in the week - born in Cleveland. Today, I give you a few other interesting things from the great state of Ohio.

Bob Feller: Hall of Fame pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, mid 1930s to mid 1950s. Missed four years of baseball 1941-1945 to serve in World War II.




Jim Jarmusch: Filmmaker. One of the most regarded and critically acclaimed independent filmmakers ever - Stranger Than Paradise, Mystery Train, Dead Man, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, Coffee and Cigarettes, Broken Flowers, among others. Here's the trailer for Mystery Train:




Screamin' Jay Hawkins: Musician, most famous for his hit "I Put A Spell On You", seen below in a somewhat creepy (and yet pretty awesome) video. You can also see a glimpse of Hawkins in a red suit in the Mystery Train trailer:




Soledad Brothers: Musicians/Band. Independent rock and roll band from Toledo. Now defunct, they once toured the world with big names like The White Stripes (good friends with the Whites), and were even adopted by Detroit as one of their own.




The Big Red Machine: The Cincinnati Reds 1970-1976. Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Dave Concepcion, Joe Morgan, Tony Perez, George Foster, Cesar Geromino, and Ken Griffey Sr.




Langston Hughes: Writer. One of the trailblazing African-American writers that defined the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s. "Hold fast to your dreams, for without them life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly."

Paul Newman - Cleveland, OH

It’s an old story. A young man with unlimited potential – with unmatched talent – confident, but cocky – trying to have it all at once – getting it all and losing it all – finally getting it all back at a terrible cost. Loss and redemption. It is the schooling you get from Life itself. It’s a comeuppance, and it’s even for the blessed.

Paul Newman, portraying pool shark Fast Eddie Felson in the 1961 film The Hustler, plays that character to perfection. The desperate confidence fills the screen – the need to be the best – to live up to his potential – drives him to sell his soul to the devil – personified here in Bert Gordon, portrayed magnificently by George C. Scott.

Newman’s performance is dynamic in every moment – his subtleties are poignant and his flare is cool. He displays a vulnerability that evokes empathy for the anti-hero. It’s a classic performance, setting the bar high in the early 1960s – just as American film was beginning to change dramatically. Amidst amazing performances by Jackie Gleason (Minnesota Fats) and Piper Laurie (Sarah Packard), Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson is one of the best moments in cinematic history.

Crisp black and white. Skinny ties, with the suit jackets still a little boxy. Jazz. Pool. Gambling, drinking, and sex. Violence, sorrow, and glory.

25 year later, Newman would resurrect Eddie Felson in The Color of Money, directed by Martin Scorsese. He won an Academy Award for best actor for that role – his first after eight nominations.

Home Workspace - Chicago, IL

It simply came to be. I had a desk - it worked just fine - but then I saw this beautifully worn wooden kitchen cabinet. The yellow Formica top happened to match our dining table, which is why we got it in the first place. It wasn't until we got it home that Julie suggested I use it as my desk. And just like that, the search was on for a stool. The next week, I landed an industrial metal stool at a garage sale for just about nothing. Suddenly, I had a new workspace.

Other notables in the picture:

Large Charlie Parker painting...
Miller High Life aluminum cooler...
Black & Decker metal saw box (for files)...
Brown canvas duffel and black doctor's bag...
Groucho Marx Esco statue...
Wool houndstooth Dobbs hat (on Groucho)...
Hamilton Industries (Chicago) collapsible desk lamp (made in Japan)...
Small Roseville crock (for writing utensils)...
Large Moleskine notepad...

Individuals 3

Grover Cleveland Alexander - 1917

A picture of "Old Pete" taken as he arrives in Chicago, after being traded from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Cubs. He is third on the list for all-time wins as a pitcher of 20 seasons - from 1911 to 1930. World War I veteran - made sergeant. He suffered from shell shock when he came back, but still managed a few great years. Alexander was also an epileptic and alcoholic. Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1938. Looking dapper and somewhat annoyed here in 1917, carrying what looks to be a (cool) leather duffel bag.




Girls Waiting For Bus - July 1940

Taken in 1940 in Chicago's 1st Ward, which is where I've lived for most of the last 14 years. Unfortunately, I can't identify the building in the background (if it still exists). Bus (trolley) stops look a bit different today. I bet I see a few similar vintage hats being used for shade this summer though.