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Tour InformationIMPORTANT NOTE: The museums will be closed on Sunday May 20, 2012 due to their proximity to the site of the NATO Summit. Glessner House Museum offers guided tours of Glessner House (1886), a National Historic Landmark and Clarke House (1836), the City's oldest surviving building located in the adjacent Chicago Women's Park and Gardens. Tours are led by trained docents and last approximately one hour in each house. All tours begin at our Visitor's Center located at Glessner House Museum and are timed so that the two houses may be toured back-to-back. We
are open year-round, except for major holidays. at
1:00 and 3:00 pm at 12:00 noon and 2:00 pm |
Events Calendar |
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Prairie AvenueWalking ToursUpcoming Tours: Sunday July 15, 2012 Sunday August 19, 2012 Sunday September 16, 2012 (all tours begin at 2:00pm) Also available by appointment for groups of 10 or more.
Starting Point: Glessner House Museum $12.00
for museum members |
Check back often for details
on more exciting events and programs! IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING PARKING Parking is available for all special events (NOT regular tours or Prairie Avenue Walking Tours) in a parking lot located on the west side of Indiana Avenue, one block south of 18th Street. Look for signs that read "HOUSE MUSEUM PARKING ONLY." A greeter at the gate will provide you with the necessary parking permit when you arrive at the lot.
2nd Annual Clarke House Museum History Symposium - When Chicago Was Young:
Celebrating the 175th Annniversary of Incorporation Program 10:00am - 4:00pm Optional tours of Clarke House at 4:00pm Glessner House Museum coach house $25 per person / $20 for students, docents, and Dames Breakfast and lunch provided Prepaid reservations required to 312.326.1480 The theme of this year's symposium will be "When Chicago Was Young: Celebrating the 175th Anniversary of Incorporation." Presentations will focus on early Chicago history near the period of the city's incorporation in 1837. An exhibit of c. 1837 artifacts from the collection of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The State of Illinois collection at Clarke House Museum will be on display. Booksigning: The Pursuit of Lucy Banning Tuesday June 5, 2012 Reception at 6:30pm, program to follow Glessner House Museum coach house $10 per person / $8 for museum members Reservations requested to 312.326.1480 The museum is pleased to host a booksigning for the release of the first of three volumes in the "Avenue of Dreams" series, written by Olivia Newport and published by Fleming H. Revell. The title character in the series, Lucy Banning was born on October 8, 1871 (the same week as George Glessner, and also the date of the Great Chicago Fire) and is turning 21 at the time the novel opens. Banning has enjoyed the privileges of a Prairie Avenue upbringing, but yearns for more than a life of ease and the obligatory marriage to a banker that her family expects. Although the story is fictional, it is deeply rooted in the history of Prairie Avenue, with countless references to the actual people who lived on the street during its heyday in the 1890s. Just like Arthur Meeker's fictional Prairie Avenue which was published in 1949, the novel brings to life the "sunny street that held the sifted few" during one of the most remarkable periods in Chicago's history, including the World's Columbian Exposition. The series was conceived by Glessner/Clarke House docent Stephen Reginald in collaboration with author Olivia Newport. Reginald did the research and Newport did the writing and character development. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. A Walk Through Time Annual interior tour of the mansions of historic Prairie Avenue 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.
1800 block of Prairie Avenue Treasures from the Collection V A special members-only event Thursday June 28, 2012 6:30pm - wine and dessert 7:00pm - program Free of charge to current members of the museum Reservations requested to 312.326.1480 This popular annual events provides attendees with the rare opportunity to see fascinating items from the museum collection not normally on display. Silver, decorative arts, textiles, rare books, design drawings, photographs and much more will be exhibited and interpreted by museum curator William Tyre. Prairie Avenue Walking Tour Sunday July 15, 2012 at 2:00pm See details in the sidebar at left Lecture: Weeping Sad and Lonely:
Mourning Customs in Mid-Nineteenth Century America Clarke House Museum double parlor $25 per person Reservations required to 312.326.1480 On the 163rd anniversary of the death of Henry Brown Clarke, the museum offers an intimate look into mourning customs of the mid-nineteenth century. Historian Glenna Jo Christen will use authentic artifacts to provide a unique glimpse into how mourning was experienced by families like the Clarkes. Sample period funeral foods and see Chicago's oldest building draped in mourning. Prairie Avenue Walking Tour Sunday August 19, 2012 at 2:00pm See details in the sidebar at left 125th Anniversary Gala Thursday September 13, 2012 at 5:30pm Symphony Center 220 South Michigan Avenue, Chicago $125 per person Reservations required to 312.326.1480 Celebrate the 125th anniversary of the building of Glessner House at this very special gala event. John and Frances Glessner were deeply committed to the establishment of a symphony orchestra in Chicago and were major donors and supporters for more than 40 years, so the venue itself is a testament to their legacy in Chicago. The cocktail reception with generous hors d'ouevres is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the history of the house and museum, and launch the next chapter in its history. The founders of the museum, who rescued it from demolition in 1966, will be honored. The event is generously underwritten by Richard H. Driehaus, and as such, the full ticket price will go directly to support the 125th Anniversary Fund for the ongoing restoration of the museum and its collection. John Bryan is the Honorary Chair for the event. Prairie Avenue Walking Tour Sunday September 16, 2012 at 2:00pm See details in the sidebar at left Landmarks Illinois Preservation Snapshot Lecture: Glessner House at 125 - History and Preservation Thursday October 18, 2012 at 12:15pm Chicago Cultural Center, Claudia Cassidy Theatre Free admission Celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2012, Glessner House has long been recognized as the urban residential masterpiece of Henry Hobson Richardson, and a critically important building in the development of a truly American architectural style. But the story doesn't end there. In the 1960s, the building was threatened with demolition until a group of architects and early preservationists came together to rescue the building - an important success story in the decade when the preservation movement first gained momentum in Chicago. Join William Tyre, Executive Director and Curator of Glessner House Museum, as we explore the history of the Glessners' amazing home, and how its preservation strengthened, solidified, and expanded the preservation movement in Chicago. Glessner House Symposium - Glessner House at 125: Richardson's Urban Residential Masterpiece Reconsidered Co-sponsored by the Victorian Society in America Saturday November 10, 2012 $50.00 per person (cost includes breakfast and lunch) OPENING RECEPTION, FRIDAY NOVEMBER 9 AT 6:30PM $15.00 per person / $12.00 for members PRAIRIE AVENUE WALKING TOUR, SUNDAY NOVEMBER 11 AT 10:00AM $15.00 per person / $12.00 for members Prepaid reservations required to 312.326.1480 CLICK HERE FOR BROCHURE AND REGISTRATION FORM In honor of the 125th anniversary of the completion of Glessner House in December 1887, an examination of the architect Henry Hobson Richardson, the furnishing and decorating of the house, and its rescue in the mid-1960s as the start of the preservation movement in Chicago. The keynote speaker will be
James F. O'Gorman (author of several books on Richardson including Living
Architecture: A Biography of H. H. Richardson) who will speak
on the Hubert von Herkomer portrait of Richardson that has hung in the
Glessner House since the late 1880s. Other speakers on Richardson
include Kevin Harrington and Mary Alice Molloy. Speakers on the
furnishing and decorating of the house include Elaine Harrington, Rolf
Achilles, and Monica Obniski. The symposium will conclude with an
examination of the early preservation movement in Chicago during the 1960s
by Ted Hild, recently retired from the Illinois Historic Preservation
Agency after 35 years of service.
Last Thursday of each
month from 9:30 to 11:30am Free for ladies and gents ages 10 and up (Children must be accompanied by an adult) Clarke House Museum,
1827 S. Indiana Avenue, Chicago $5 per child / $3 for Junior members Glessner House Museum, 1800 S. Prairie Avenue, Chicago Reservations requested to 312.326.1480 Come every Tuesday this summer for a new adventure each week! Learn about life in early Chicago and on Prairie Avenue while making different craft projects. Recommended for ages 3 through 13; children must be accompanied by an adult. Enter the museum at the coach house on 18th Street. June 19 - Butter Making June 26 - Dominoes July 3 - Candle Dipping July 10 - Stained Glass Windows July 17 - Embroidery Designs July 24 - Silhouettes July 31 - Basket Weaving August 7 - Cornhusk Dolls
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