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Throwback Thursday: Deadly Milwaukee/Sawyer Building Collapse Circa 1909

By Mina Bloom | April 20, 2017 12:17pm | Updated on April 21, 2017 9:45am

LOGAN SQUARE — For #ThrowbackThursday, check out a candid image of a deadly building collapse in the early 1900s.

A building at Milwaukee and Sawyer avenues was under construction when it suddenly collapsed on Sept. 17, 1909, killing three people and wounding 18 more. An old photograph shows folks standing around the collapsed building.

Here's what Logan Square Preservation has to say about the photo:

This building under construction at Milwaukee and Sawyer collapsed suddenly on Friday, Sept. 17, 1909. Three people were killed in the incident and 18 were injured. The head carpenter was on the roof when it happened and was saved only because he grabbed hold of the only wall that remained standing during the incident. The noise from the collapse was heard for blocks around and neighbors converged on the site to help the injured. The cause of the collapse was ultimately deemed to be an insufficient foundation and the city's building commissioner and architect were charged with manslaughter. This photo is unusual for the medium of a “real photo postcard" because of "candid" nature of the image. It also shows Milwaukee Avenue in an "unimproved" state and the Logan Square Baseball Park is visible through the trees across the street. The second image, also candid, is another view of the crowd and shows a building which still stands on Sawyer in the background.

DNAinfo is partnering with Logan Square Preservation on a "Throwback Thursday" post each week. All photos are the property of Logan Square Preservation unless otherwise indicated.

For more photos and information, visit Logansquarepreservation.org or Facebook.com/logansquarepreservation.