Prairie Avenue comes alive with special events this week

Chicago’s First Gold Coast

The Pursuit of Lucy Banning is set on Prairie Ave. during
the late nineteenth century.

Prairie Avenue was Chicago’s first “Gold Coast” where the richest of the rich lived during the Gilded Age. We have a few reminders of those glory days and this week celebrates, in various ways, that history. Below are some of the unique events happening in the Prairie District this week.

Debut novel set on historic Prairie Avenue
The publication of The Pursuit of Lucy Banning, book one in the new “Avenue of Dreams” series will be celebrated June 5, 2012 at the Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Ave. at 6:30 p.m. Author Olivia Newport will be signing copies of her debut novel. The Pursuit of Lucy Banning is set on Prairie Ave. during the late 1890s. Lucy Banning and her family are involved with the planning of the World Columbian Exposition of 1893, an event that changed Chicago and the world. Newport and research partner and Glessner House docent, Steve Reginald, will be discussing the series and how it came to be.

Farmers Market in the Prairie District

The Wheeler Mansion was built in 1870.

The Wheeler Mansion Market, 2020 S. Calumet, will make its debut June 6, 2012, 4:00 p.m. - 8 p.m.

The Wheeler Mansion Market is a an upscale farmers market featuring “local farmers, artisan producers, and independently owned and operated businesses; including an artfully curated selection of jewelry, furniture, art, and handcrafted products by local designers.”

The Wheeler Mansion, like the Glessner House, is one of the few remaining mansions that once populated the Prairie District. Today is an upscale bed and breakfast.





Take a walk through time

A Walk Through Time is the “annual tour of historic mansions of Prairie Avenue” presented by the Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Ave.

Sunday June 10, 2012 from 1:00 to 4:00pm
$50 per person / $45 for museum members
Prepaid reservations recommended to 312.326.1480

This very special tour, the annual benefit for Glessner House Museum, presents attendees with the rare opportunity to visit the interiors of several historic homes along and near Prairie Avenue.  Visitors will be treated to a breath-taking array of beautifully carved wood moldings, leaded glass windows, and fireplaces in elaborate tile, mosaic, and marble.  The Glessner and Clarke House Museums are also included on the tour as well as historic Second Presbyterian Church, with its important arts and crafts interior and collection of windows, including nine by Tiffany and two by Edward Burne-Jones.  Following the tour, attendees are invited to return to the coach house of Glessner House Museum for a reception and silent auction, featuring theatre tickets, Chicago memorabilia, collectibles, and other items of interest.

Coming This June: The Wheeler Mansion Market

Upscale Farmers Market

The Wheeler Mansion is a popular Bed & Breakfast Inn
within walking distance of
McCormick Place Convention Center.

On June 6, 2012 a new farmers market will open in the South Loop’s Prairie District Neighborhood. The Wheeler Mansion Market  at 2020 S. Calumet, will host a European-style artisan market featuring food from local farmers and independently owned businesses.

Evening Hours
The market will be open every Wednesday starting in June from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m. rain or shine. The market will take place on the grounds of the Wheeler Mansion and will include live entertainment every week. Vendors currently signed on include fresh-baked breads from Crumb, Natures Pasture: Healthy, Humane, Grass-fed Beef, Brockway Farm, a small local farm featuring seasonal vegetables. For more information on The Wheeler Mansion Market, check out their Web site.