Christmas Candlelight Tours Of The Clarke And Glessner House Museums

Glessner House Museum, located at 1800 S. Prairie Avenue in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood, will conduct its annual Christmas candlelight tours on Saturday December 14 and Sunday December 15, 2013, with tours offered at 5:30, 6:00, and 6:30 p.m. each evening.

These special 90-minute docent led tours will highlight Christmas customs and decorations of the 19th century. The Clarke House will feature decorations of the 1850s, when the celebration of Christmas as we know it today was just starting to take root. The Glessner House will feature more elaborate decorations of the late 19th century, including a live Christmas tree decorated with glass and paper ornaments, and the dining room table set for the elaborate holiday feast. After the tour, participants are invited to stroll over to the landmark Wheeler Mansion (now a boutique hotel) for light refreshments and to view their beautifully restored rooms decorated for the holidays.

Glessner House Museum is a National Historic Landmark and the last surviving work by H. H. Richardson in Chicago. Completed in 1887, the museum is recognized nationwide for its groundbreaking architecture as well as its important decorative arts collection.

The Glessner House main hall

The cost for the tours is $18 for adults and $14 for children 8 to 12.  Prepaid reservations are required and may be made by calling 312-326-1480. The museum is easily accessible by taking the #3 or #4 bus south on Michigan Avenue to 18th Street, and then walking 2 blocks east.

Lecture On Architect H. H. Richardson To Mark 175th Anniversary Of His Birth

The this portrait of H. H. Richardson hangs in the
National Gallery of the Smithsonian Museum.

Glessner House Museum, located at 1800 S. Prairie Avenue in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood, will host a lecture entitled “H. H. Richardson and his Chicago Legacy” on Sunday September 29, 2013 at 2:00pm.

Glessner House architect Henry Hobson Richardson, born September 29, 1838 in New Orleans, was one of the most influential architects of his time. Architectural historian John Waters will present a talk on Richardson’s own body of work, and the impact that work had on other architects in Chicago, notably Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Henry Ives Cobb.

Glessner House Museum is a National Historic Landmark and the last surviving work by Richardson in Chicago. Completed in 1887, the museum is recognized nationwide for its groundbreaking architecture as well as its important collection of arts and crafts decorative arts.

Admission is $10 per person. Reservations may be made by calling 312-326-1480. The museum is easily accessible by taking the #3 or #4 bus on Michigan Avenue to 18th Street, and then walking 2 blocks east.

Second Presbyterian Church to Achieve Landmark Status

Only Church in Chicago to Achieve National Historic Landmark Recognition.
While other old Chicago churches have been razed, the Second Presbyterian Church of Chicago will celebrate its National Historic Landmark designation with a dedication ceremony. National Historic Landmark status, conferred by the U.S. Department of Interior and the National Park Service, reflects the church’s significance in American culture and history.

The interior is an example of the Arts and Crafts style.

WHY: The sanctuary of the church, dating to 1901, is one of the largest and best preserved Arts and Crafts interiors in the nation. It also contains a wealth of stained glass windows including nine by the firm of Louis Comfort Tiffany.

Founded in 1842, Second Presbyterian Church has been an important cultural institution and community center serving a multi-cultural congregation and community.

WHAT: National Historic Landmark Dedication for Second Presbyterian Church

WHEN: 6:00 p.m. June 20, 2013

WHERE: Second Presbyterian Church
               1936 S. Michigan Ave.
               Chicago, IL 60616

There is no charge for this event and everyone is invited to attend.

A Walk Through Time on the "Sunny Street of the Sifted Few"

The William W. Kimball House at
1801 S. Prairie Ave., a Chicago landmark
built in 1892, Solon S. Beman, architect.
One of the homes featured on the 2013 tour.

Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Avenue, Chicago, will present its annual house tour of the Prairie Avenue Historic District entitled “A Walk Through Time” on Sunday June 9, 2013 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.  The tour will feature the interior of six private homes constructed between 1868 and 1894; an 1870 mansion now serving as a boutique hotel; the Glessner and Clarke house museums; and historic Second Presbyterian Church with its large collection of Tiffany windows.  Tickets are $50.00 per person and may be purchased in advance or at the door.  For reservations, please call 312-326-1480, or visit Glessner House Museum Web site for further information.

This very special tour presents attendees with the rare opportunity to see the interiors of several mansions built in the late 19th century on what was then known as the “sunny street of the sifted few.” These homes feature a breath-taking array of beautifully carved wood moldings, leaded glass windows, and fireplaces faced in elaborate tile, mosaic, and marble. For a complete listing of the homes on the tour click here.

Following the tour, participants are invited back to the Glessner House Museum coach house for a reception and silent auction, featuring an array of wonderful items old and new!

Book 2 takes place during
The 1893 World’s Fair.

For a fictional account of what life on Prairie Ave. was like, you might enjoy the “Avenue of Dream” series, which is set on that “sunny street of the sifted few.” The books take place during the years 1892 through 1896, during one of the most exciting eras in Chicago history. Book 1, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning and Books 2, The Dilemma of Charlotte Farrow, in the series are available at bookstores everywhere and at Amazon.com. Book 3, The Invention of Sarah Cummings, releases this September.

Check out the review of The Pursuit of Lucy Banning in USAToday. 

Glessner House Museum to host lecture on Japonisme Movement

Glessner House Museum, located at 1800 S. Prairie Avenue in Chicago’s South Loop
neighborhood, will host a lecture by Rolf Achilles entitled “The Glessners’ Kutani ware bowl and Chicago’s take on Japonisme” on Tuesday May 14, 2013 at 7:00 p.m.

John and Frances Glessner were among the early connoisseurs of Japonisme in Chicago and their ownership of a Kutani porcelain bowl speaks to their leadership in taste. The recently restored Kutani bowl and Chicago’s nationally influential give-and-take on Japonisme will be the subject of this illustrated talk by Rolf Achilles. Selected pieces from the Glessner collection will be on display, including the first showing of the Kutani bowl after restoration.

Glessner House Museum is a National Historic Landmark and the last surviving work by Richardson in Chicago. Completed in 1887, the museum is recognized nationwide for its groundbreaking architecture as well as its important collection of arts and crafts decorative arts.

The cost for the program is $10 per person and reservations may be made by calling
312-326-1480. The museum is easily accessible by taking the #3 or #4 bus south on Michigan Ave. to 18th Street, and then walking 2 blocks east.

To stay on top of events at the Glessner House Museum, you can find them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Book Series Set on Historic Prairie Avenue to Debut in 2012

A new book series set on historic Prairie Ave. during the late-nineteenth century is scheduled for release next year. Book one, The Pursuit of Lucy Banning will be published in June 2012.

Avenue of Dreams
Boasting the three richest men—Marshall Field, Philip Armour, and George Pullman—in the city among its residents, Prairie Ave. was Chicago’s original “Gold Coast.”Author Olivia Newport created a “fictional wealthy family [the Bannings] and put them smack in the middle of this historic neighborhood.” Newport lives in Colorado Springs, but lived in Illinois for a time. The series name is “Avenue of Dreams,” which perfectly describes Prairie Ave. during its heyday. The series starts in 1892 and concludes in 1896.

The Biggest and Most Spectacular

The Harriet F. Rees home is seeking landmark status.

Probably the most exciting time to live on Prairie Ave. was during the World’s Columbian Exhibition of 1893. The World’s Fair was one of the great turning points in Chicago history. With the eyes of the world focused on the Windy City, Chicago had a lot riding on the fair’s success. Many prominent Prairie Ave. residents campaigned to bring the exhibition to the city; they also worked hard to ensure it was the biggest and most spectacular World’s Fair in history.

Survivors Remain
Most of the beautiful homes that lined the avenue are long gone. A few remain, including the Glessner House Museum at 18th and S. Prairie. Another survivor, the Harriet F. Rees home is seeking preliminary landmark status. The home at 2110 S. Prairie sits just outside of the protected Prairie Ave. historic district.

To keep track of Lucy Banning and the rest of the series set on Prairie Ave., be sure to read Olivia Newport’s blog and feel free to leave a comment or ask a question; she’d love to hear from you.