Chicago Museums – Clarke House & Glessner House

Chicago Museums – Clarke House & Glessner House

It’s sort of a nerdy way to spend your time, but I really enjoy going to a Museum. I have always been fascinated by history and love Chicago so I was very interested in learning about the early settlers of Chicago. I am very fortunate to have a flexible schedule and with my Mom retired we were able to go to the Glessner House & Clarke House on a Wednesday when the guided tours are free ($10 on any other day).

Clarke House & Glessner House Museums

We decided to see both houses at the same time so the tour started at noon and ended at 2pm with an hour for each house. Both houses are located in the Prairie Avenue Historic District which is on the south side of Chicago in the midst of some of the city’s most recent high-rises just south of the Loop. Within its confines are many homes built in the middle to late nineteenth century and they are absolutely gorgeous.

Prairie Avenue Historic District

Our first stop was the Clarke House which is the oldest structure in Chicago, built in 1836. It’s not in its original location although is close to it (it was moved twice) but it’s the original building (with a new foundation). I was blown away to hear part of the relocation involved lifting the Clarke House over Chicago’s El tracks (the Englewood-Jackson line). It was a cold night in December and the hydraulics responsible for lifting it froze! The house stood elevated over the tracks for two weeks before the city of Chicago could complete the move.

Clarke House

The Glessner House tour was our next stop, which is located just a block from the Clarke House. The Glessner House was completed in 1887 by architect Henry Hobson Richardson. The house is a Richardsonain Romanesque style with heavy, rough-cut stones of Romanesque architecture.

Glessner House

The grounds around the Glessner House are beautiful. From the street, it feels like the house might just be a fortress, but there is a large central courtyard that bathed the rooms of the house with natural light. The house seemed to be like a snapshot of its time as the owners were huge patrons of the arts and crafts movement that you can see throughout the house.

Both houses are architecturally-significant structures in Chicago, so whether you live here or are visiting, it is absolutely worth it to take the time to visit!

So tell me, when was the last time you went on a tour of a Museum?

 

 

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Comments

  1. Very cool. I love museums as well. I read “Devil in the White City” and it tells a lot about that era in Chicago.
    Pete B recently posted..Pint Night and Comparing Two Track Workouts A Year Apart

    • The “Devil in the White City” is one of my favorite books! I was telling my Mom she really needs to read it. Chicago is such an amazing city with so much to offer.

  2. Michael M. Stachnik says

    Hello Ms. Runs,
    I am glad you decided to do something Geeky I worked at the Glessner House in the 1980s and it is a wonderful home. May I suggest you also go to the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the Chicago area, Robie House on the campus of the University of Chicago and his own Home and Studio in Oak Park are fantastic designs? If I may also put in a plug here, feel free to visit our 1856 farmhouse. Not an extraordinary building, but one that shows the sort of house that was part of the agricultural history of the Chicago area.
    Michael M. Stachnik
    Program Manager
    Elk Grove Historical Museum
    Elk Grove Park District
    399 Biesterfield Road
    Elk Grove Village, Ill. 60007
    (847) 439-3994

    • Hi Michael,

      Thank you for visiting sararuns.com. My Mom and I plan on making this a monthly ritual and would love to visit these sites you mentioned. Thanks for the recommendation!

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