A selection of approximately 25 souvenir buildings from Bob Kneisel’s Collection will be among the many offerings at the 2018 SBCS Convention SWAP MEET and AUCTION. Ten of Kneisel’s buildings are shown below. Don’t miss out on this opportunity at the 2018 SBCS Convention in Boston, July 13 – 15.Here is a link to the Registration Information.
The Old State House, Boston, MA. Oldest (1713) Public Building extant in Boston. Cast Iron and Wood, Doorstop, 14 1/2” high.
Start planning TODAY! The 2018 SBCS Convention has something for everyone! The convention hotel, Worcester HILTON GARDEN INN, is situated between the treasure-filled meadows of Brimfield and the historic buildings of Boston. Worcester is the where the SMILEY FACE was born, a sign of the good times that await SBCS conventioneers.
The Convention is Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, July 13 – 15. Visit the 2018 Convention Tab/Page for the hotel details and make your reservation early. The Convention Schedule and Registration details will soon be available.
The stories are swell at a SBCS Convention “Show and Tell.”
Original Irish Hill Tower and Gray Tower, Lenawee County, MI. Souvenir Buildings / Salt and Pepper Shakers.
Bill H. and Michael E. brought the tale and the evidence of the IRISH HILLS TOWERS saga. Apparently in the 1920s a farmer, who owned part of a hill that the Michigan Observation Company (MOC) sought to purchase for a tourist-based observation tower, refused to sell his portion. Whereupon, the enterprising company purchased the adjoining piece of land and built the IRISH HILLS OBSERVATORY and opened it to the public in September of 1924, to great success. By November of the same year (just 2 months later), the envious nay-sayer had built his own tower adjacent to the first and made it a bit higher to attract the tourists to his site. Reacting to challenge the Michigan Observation Company added a second observation platform atop the first and called their tower the ORIGINAL IRISH HILLS TOWER. The farmer then evened the height of his tower with the “Original” and named his tower the “Gray” tower. MOC then countered with the threat of tearing down their tower and erecting a metal edifice so large that the challenge would be over. From then until the 1950s the towers were competing attractions. In the 1950s they were operated as one attraction with a gift shop between. As of today, they are on the US National Register of Historic Places. Bill’s and Michael’s Salt and Pepper Shakers depict the Original Irish Hills Tower and the Gray Tower.
Sofitel Hotel (a former City Hall), Amsterdam; Dordrecht City Hall, Netherlands.
From the KLM and Goedewaagen collection of Simon H. comes a pair of rare Goedewaagen porcelain buildings. The building on the left is the Sofitel Legend Grand Amsterdam Hotel, the site and building has a long and storied history, prior to it’s re-incarnation as a hotel. The building on the left is the City of Hall of Dordrecht.
McPherson Opera House, McPherson, KS; Log Cabin (wood box interior); University Hall, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.
Piazza San Pietro and St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, Rome, Italy
Steve B. and Terry M. went building hunting with Joe K. at the start of the weekend in Chicago. To the delight of all, the finds were special and the swapping even better. Terry found the very nice St. Peter’s Basilica in the same mall that Joe found the University Hall and a mutually-agreed-upon swap was executed.
McPherson Opera House souvenir building and as pictured in a iPhone photograph.
Steve also shared his acquisition of the McPherson Opera House and the photo he had taken of the actual building.
There are lots of convention photos to be seen in the Members Only portion of the website. Head on over to MEMBERS ONLY / CONVENTION PHOTOS and click one of more of the links under 2017.
Convention Goodie Bag with brochures, maps, and schedule. 2017 Convention Building Souvenir: Wrigley Building Bank
Memories of: Architecture, Friends, FLW, the Bean, Museums, the River, Shopping, Swapping, and lots of Little Buildings! They’ve all been packed up and are headed for home ……………….
Elizabeth and Joe selling Souvenir Buildings at Chicago’s Randolph Street Market.
Carolyn’s haul is photographed in front of the iconic parking garage.
Hollywood Bowl and Big Ben from Raffle 2017.
Alaska State Bank, Museum of Science and Industry, Grand Coulee Dam
Chris delivering the Kneisel Report at the 2017 SBCS Business Meeting
Magic Mountain Coaster
Lincoln, Wrigley Building
Jay at the Swap Meet checking out the buildings.
One of the Dog Sculpture guarding the entrance to the Homewood Suites, Downtown – the SBCS Convention hotel.
Kudos to Mark and Michael for a well-executed Convention with lots of options, camaraderie, and plenty of opportunities for acquisition of small buildings. As plans for the next conventions crystallize they will be conveyed via The Journal of the Souvenir Building Collectors Society and this website.
SBCS members from across the land and around the world are packing, planning, and heading to Chicago. By car, van, SUV… by planes small and large, it is the Gathering of the Clan.
***********WE ARE ON OUR WAY! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Governor of Illinois and the Mayor of the Windy City had a joint press conference this morning , and their message was simple. “Citizens of Chicago, bring out your little buildings and monuments, the SBCS is coming to town!” ………..OK, maybe I’m making that up. I might be a little excited!
Michael and I have been finalizing… emailing, writing, phoning, initialing, signing, printing, photocopying. Checking our lists. Making new lists.
In less than a week we will all come together to celebrate our obsessions.
How great is that?
When you get there…
Look for the SBCS signage after you check in.
Come and see us at Registration – Pick up your Convention Package.
REGISTRATION
Have breakfast every morning in the lobby.
Enjoy coffee with the gang! Buy Raffle tickets.
Thursday night – Early Bird pizza night!
Friday morning – Frank Lloyd Wright time. An early morning bus tour.
Friday night – Reception at the hotel.
Schmoozing, socializing, Show & Tell. Buy Raffle tickets.
Saturday – Early morning Architectural River Cruise. Buy Raffle tickets.
Then it’s…the Business meeting, then the SWAP MEET!
Architectural River Cruise
Buy more Raffle tickets.
Saturday night – Banquet – Auction – Raffle(Did I mention the tickets?)
Raffle – This is really a numbers game!
Where, Oh Where, Does this Ticket Go?
Sunday morning – A walking tour in the Loop.
And don’t forget the Randolph St. Antique Market.
SEE YOU IN CHICAGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But where do we Park?
In less than 100 hours – very early on Wednesday morning – two cars will pull out on the road – one from Nashville and one from Toronto. Both cars will head towards Chicago, Illinois. Other cars from other places are heading there as we speak. And what happens when we all reach Chicago? Where will we park?
Parking in Chicago is a thing.
At the Homewood Suites, Valet Parking with In & Out privileges is $59 a night. That’s somewhere between the best deal in town and Ouch!!
Next door to the Hotel, at the Grand Plaza parking lot, it’s $45 for 24 hours, with no In & Out.
Then there are crowd-sourced APP’s that you can download – like SpotHero and ParkWhiz.
They will tell you where you can park and for how much. It won’t be at the hotel, and probably nowhere near the hotel, but it will be cheaper.
Cab or Uber it back to the hotel.
Keep Smiling – Use transit
Have a great Convention!
Souvenir Building Collectors’ collections focus on souvenir or miniature buildings. However, many of these small treasures are also utilitarian – banks, bookends, tape measures, ink wells, paper weights, salt and pepper shakers – therefore the SBCSociety has a number of cross-collecting members.
On Saturday, August 26, during the 2017 SBCS Convention at the Homewood Suites by Hilton Chicago Downtown, many different varieties of souvenir building will be up for sale through the SWAP MEET or AUCTION or RAFFLE.
These are some of the banks from the Kneisel Collection that will be available in the various venues.
Peripatic traveller and souvenir building enthusiast, David Savanyu, reminds us that there are lots of interesting things to see and do around Chicago this August. Filling the days surrounding the SBCS Convention is easy. Given the various Frank Lloyd Wright special exhibits (150th Birthday anniversary) around the country this year those exhibits near Chicago for this mighty midwesterner are appealing. The SBCS Convention has a scheduled 4-hour Frank Lloyd Wright tour visiting sites in Illinois from downtown Chicago to Oak Park. David also recommends sites in the neighboring state of Wisconsin, all within driving distance and some with free reservations.
SBCS Member paying homage to Frank Lloyd Wright statue at Florida Southern College. Lakeland, FL. 2015.
David also suggests visiting Farnsworth House (Mies van der Rohe, German/American architect), in Plano, IL
If you collect miniature buildings – not for the architects – but for what they hold or represent – here are some other sites to check out during your Chicago visit as represented by Kneisel Collection pieces that will be available at the Convention – Shop & Swap, Raffle, or Auction.
SBCS members from across the land and around the world are packing, planning, and heading to Chicago. By car, van, SUV… by planes small and large, it is the Gathering of the Clan.
SBCS 