“Perhaps you and those who come after you may be interested to look this record over on some rainy day, when lacking better occupation… It may recall happy experiences of your own youth here and lead in your imagination to pictures of the happy hours your forebears had here.”

John Glessner, The Story of a House

About Tours

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.  Tours are timed so that the two houses may be toured back-to-back.  Advance reservations are not accepted.

The Clarke House Museum, located at 1827 S. Indiana Avenue (within the boundaries of the Chicago Women’s Park and Gardens) is owned by the City of Chicago. The collections are owned and maintained by The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The State of Illinois.  Glessner House Museum is responsible for coordinating all tours of this site.  For further information on the history and architecture of the Clarke House, please visit www.clarkehousemuseum.org.

Groups

Groups are limited to 12 visitors per tour and are on a first-come, first-serve, walk-in basis. However, custom tours for groups of 10 or more are available with at least 4 weeks advanced reservations. Please contact 312.326.1480 for more information or to make a custom tour reservation. Free days (Wednesdays) do not apply to groups of ten or more.

Tours with the Executive Director

Bring a group for an intimate behind-the-scenes tour of Glessner House Museum. Our Director will take you on a private tour sharing stories and information not included on regular tours, and exploring areas of H. H. Richardson's "urban masterpiece" that are not shown to the general public. Get an up close and personal look at your favorite objects in our collection, experience the rooms from a different perspective, and view collections rarely seen by museum visitors. Available by appointment only. Cost is $25 per person and the tour lasts two hours.  Group size limited to eight people.

Neighborhood Tours

A walking tour of the historic Prairie Avenue neighborhood is available on selected Sunday afternoons during the summer (see Events page) or by appointment for groups of 10 or more people.  The tour includes stops in front of the exterior of the surviving mansions, historic photographs of the lost houses, and an optional interior tour of historic Second Presbyterian Church, featuring nine Tiffany windows.  The tour lasts two hours (with the church) and is led by the executive director.

Directions

Glessner House Museum is located on the southwest corner of Prairie Avenue and 18th Street. Prairie is 2 blocks east of Michigan Avenue. 18th Street is 2 miles south of downtown Chicago. The Visitor's Center is located inside the front entrance of the house facing Prairie Avenue.

Public Transportation
From outlying neighborhoods, take any inbound bus or subway/elevated line into the Chicago downtown "Loop" area. Once in the downtown area, walk to Michigan Avenue and catch the #3 King Drive or #4 Cottage Grove bus. Ride the bus southbound to the southwest corner of Michigan Avenue and 18th Street. Walk 1-1/2 blocks east to the Glessner House Museum Visitor's Center.

Call 312.836.7000 or visit www.transitchicago.com for further public transit travel information.

Parking

Parking near Glessner House is limited. There is on-street parking on 18th Street and Indiana Avenue. Parking is not allowed on Prairie Avenue.

Map

Get customized directions to Glessner House using Google maps.

Tour Schedule

We are open year-round, except for Easter Sunday, Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. 

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. 

Glessner House Museum
Wednesday through Sunday

at 1:00 and 3:00 p.m.

Clarke House Museum
Wednesday through Sunday

at 12:00 noon and 2:00 p.m.

Admission

Wednesday is our free day; spaces are filled on a first-come, first-serve, walk-in basis. Advance reservations are not accepted.

Thursday through Sunday:
Glessner House or Clarke House
Adult - $10.00
Student/Senior - $9.00
Children (ages 5 -12) - $6.00

Combo Tour (Glessner AND Clarke)
Adult: $15.00
Student/Senior: $12.00
Children (ages 5 -12) $8.00
No charge for children under 5 years of age.

We accept American Express, VISA, MasterCard, and Discover.

Download the walking tour of historic Prairie Avenue

Take a tour of historic Prairie Avenue on your own, using this free, four-page pdf brochure as your guide.

Page One

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Page Four

Other things to do

in the area

Looking for something else to do after your visit to the Glessner House? Nestled within the Prairie Avenue Historic District and footsteps away from South Michigan Avenue, the Glessner House is surrounded by many other historical sites, cultural organizations, and restaurants.