The Iconic Architectural Artifacts Inc., Closes After 37 Years in Chicago April 15, moves to Texas

After a 37-year legacy in the heart of Chicago, the iconic Architectural Artifacts Inc. is set to embark on its next thrilling adventure in Round Top, Texas, the newfound capital of antiques in America. Founder Stuart Grannen has acquired an original 1880’s cowboy saloon, dance hall, farmhouse, and three acres of land in Round Top, establishing a new home for the renowned and treasured Chicago store.Architectural Artifacts will close its doors in Chicago on April 15th. In his 37 years in Chicago, Grannen has sold over 100,000 items, from a Louis Sullivan designed elevator surround from the Chicago Stock Exchange to a complete terra cotta facade from the Sheridan Theatre to a granite folly from St Andrews, Scotland to marble tables and benches from the Bank of France. “It is with a heavy heart and a warm smile that I make this announcement…It has been a truly extraordinary 37 years in Chicago for Architectural Artifacts and myself. I have grown the business and grown personally in many ways. Some needed, some fun, some painful, but always with the idea to move forward,” said Grannen. “Thank you from my heart to all of our customers, vendors, friends and fans. I will still have a foot or two in Chicago so please stay tuned for what is next. As always, I have some plans and surprises up my sleeve.” Architectural Artifacts’ founder, Stuart Grannen, has been collecting, displaying and selling antiques and artifacts from around the world since 1987. Located for many years in Chicago’s historic Ravenswood neighborhood, the original 80,000-square-foot building/showroom dated from the early 1900’s (originally the Boye Needle Company, the world’s largest manufacturer of knitting needles). In 2022, it moved to its current location at 1065 N. Orleans, Chicago. The nation’s leading treasurologist, Grannen has been playing lost and found with high quality antiques and architectural elements for over 50 years, scouring the globe to acquire unique items. Feeling that Chicago was a receptive launching pad for his forays into far-flung corners in search of artifacts — and was also a city in the midst of a wave of demolition, Stuart relocated his business to the city in 1987. He set up shop in an old factory building on the city’s north side in Ravenswood and flung open the doors on a wonderland of architectural treasures. The love child of an antiques store, a museum, and a curiosity shop (complete with a swashbuckling proprietor) Architectural Artifacts quickly became a place of fascination for the generations of Chicagoans who wandered through. Over the years, Stuart cemented his reputation as one of the world’s premiere dealers of architectural antiques and one of a rarefied group who helped rescue some of the city’s lost architectural heritage. When Architectural Artifacts closed its doors with a no-holds-barred auction in 2019, the story arc was far from complete. Architectural Artifacts opened its doors in a reclaimed school building in 2022, offering an all-new, radical assortment of the treasures Stuart started collecting as soon as the old place closed. The new concept allowed him to do what he does best: travel the world in search of amazing finds and amazing stories, and share them with customers, collectors and all those who care to wander. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Architectural Artifacts, 1065 N. Orleans, is a world of lost treasures from original fireplace mantels, stained and beveled glass, period lighting, garden furnishings, cast and wrought iron, gargoyles and griffins, carved stone, church artifacts, decorative tile, American and European furniture, and industrial furnishings. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.architecturalartifacts.com or call (773) 348-0622.

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