Take a virtual tour of Glessner House and discover a unique urban dwelling filled with objects from the Arts and Crafts movement.

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Entrance Vestibule

The entrances of most homes of the period featured a tall flight of exterior steps so that visitors entered on the house’s first level. With its grand staircase on the interior, the Glessner house was unusual. The design made practical sense, however, since this was a winter house. The more narrow stairs on the interior also increased the drama of the entrance and the contrast with the wide staircase leading to the second floor.

Schoolroom

Both George and Fanny were homeschooled in this room because of George’s poor health, and it’s possible to slip in and out of it without disturbing anyone in the rest of the house. The door on the south wall leads to the courtyard and connects with a spiral stair ascending to the children’s bedrooms and the attic. The door in the northwest corner opens into the basement. The schoolroom’s floor is eighteen inches below the basement level, in order to create a high enough ceiling. On the north wall close to the basement door once stood a shelf holding George’s telegraph and fire alarm system. The system connected several nearby houses and the fire department telegraphically so that when the fire alarm sounded, it rang in the schoolroom as well.

Main Hall

William Morris urged Richardson to recreate the medieval Great Hall as the center of a family’s activities, and here Richardson did just that, even as he fulfilled the Glessners’ hope for a cozy hall. The whole house seems to rotate about this space with its fine stair and welcoming fireplace. A visitor standing in the hall can see five different levels: the landing at the bottom of the entry stairs, the floor of the cork-lined gallery, the main stair landing, the raised level leading to the spiral staircase, and the floor upon which she stands. The living hall symbolizes warm but informal hospitality, and light from the wide stairwell leaves the room feeling open and bright. The curved wall at the top of the entry stairs directs visitors subconsciously to the public rooms, and a large portrait of Henry Hobson Richardson occupies a place of honor across from the fireplace.

Library

The library and the partners desk demonstrate the Glessners’ forward thinking. In most homes at the time, the library was the man’s domain, but here Frances and John Glessner shared the room equally. The desk in the center of the room is one of the few pieces of furniture in the house that has remained here continuously since installation in 1887. The Glessners collected books throughout their married life, and virtually all of the books lining the shelves are theirs. In addition, the library serves as both public and private space, its dual role reflected in its location between the family wing and the public rooms composed of the living hall, parlor, second floor hall and dining room.

Parlor

The dual entrances to the parlor underscore the ways in which Richardson manipulated space in the house. Richardson’s scheme allows someone standing in the living hall to feel the presence of the adjacent parlor but not to see too far into it. The parlor would have been a reception area for guests, and Richardson lowered the ceiling ever so slightly here to emphasize the intimacy of the setting. A southern wall of windows provides abundant natural light. The Steinway in the room was delivered two weeks after the Glessners moved in, and many artists from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed in this room.

Dining Room

Aside from the living hall, the dining room is the largest room in the house. Its ceiling is higher than that of adjacent rooms, increasing its ceremonial appeal. This room’s south end bellies into the courtyard with a demi-octagonal end, and gold leaf on the ceiling reflects light, but the room is otherwise simply paneled. The dining room was the scene of frequent entertaining and the original Coolidge table could accommodate eighteen people. Iznik-style tiles grace the fireplace, and Mrs. Glessner embroidered both of the tablecloths according to an Isaac Scott design.

Butler’s Pantry

The butler’s pantry features a copper sink whose softness would be appropriate for the fine china and crystal to be washed. The cupboards here contain several different china services owned by the Glessners. The simple gold and white china by Copeland Spode in the cupboard closest to the dining room is monogrammed with the Glessners’ initials.

Kitchen

Both the kitchen and the pantry feature Minton tile floors, and the kitchen walls are covered with white glazed brick, which was considered very modern and hygienic in the late nineteenth century. On the east wall, to the right of the butler’s pantry door, hangs an annunciator, a device which permitted the Glessners or their guests to summon servants. Mrs. Glessner had a duplicate annunciator in the master bedroom so that she could track how quickly calls were being answered. A door to the right of the stove leads to the servants’ dining room, and another door on the north wall leads to the servants’ corridor along 18th Street.

Dry Pantry/Cold Storage

An extension of the kitchen to the west leads to a bulk food storage area. The Glessners would bring back huge quantities of food from their summer estate, The Rocks, in New Hampshire and food would be stored here and in the cellar.

Servants’ Hallway

The narrow service running along the north side of the house allows efficient and private communication between the family rooms and the service areas. The corridor acts as an insulating chamber between the dust, noise and clamor of the busy street and Chicago’s wintry weather.

Master Bedroom

The Glessners’ master bedroom represents a precursor to today’s master suite and is unusual because of its position on the first floor. Completely private and clearly separated from the other bedrooms on the floor above, it can be closed off from the living hall with a sliding pocket door. The suite contains a full bath and individual dressing rooms for John and Frances Glessner. The spaces are raised a few steps above the bedroom floor as they are situated directly over the porte cochere.

Coach House

The coach house was originally configured as two large spaces separated by a wall with a sliding door: the front (north) was designed to hold carriages, the back (south) to house six horse stalls. The Glessners remodeled the space after they bought their first automobile, a 1906 Pierce Arrow. With its glazed brick walls and concrete floors, the coach house would have been considered very modern for its time.

Female Servant’s Room

According to Frances Glessner’s diary, bedrooms were assigned to four servants: cook, waitress, laundress, and housemaid. Mrs. Glessner also specifically asked Richardson to change the plans for the servants’ rooms so that every bedroom would have a closet, which was relatively rare. In addition to the other three servants’ bedrooms, this area contains a bathroom that they would have shared and a small balcony facing 18th Street for the servants’ use.

Biedler Room/Conservatory

Half of this room was dedicated to linen closets, the other half to plants. The conservatory originally featured glass panes that ran all the way up to the peak of the ceiling. The Glessners soon discovered that excessive sunlight was burning the plants so they replaced the glass with copper. It was converted into the Francis Biedler Memorial Conference Room in 1971 and is now used for lectures, rentals and other programs.

Courtyard Bedroom

One of two guestrooms on the second floor, this bedroom would have been used by female visitors to the Glessners’ home. The room’s occupants would have shared a bathroom with Fanny Glessner, since this bedroom has only a small washroom. This is also the only room in the house with an asymmetrical fireplace: the fireplace, surrounded by lusterware tiles designed by William de Morgan, does not sit in the middle of the wall. The wallpaper here is an exact reproduction of the original, which was also designed by Morris, and the only rug in the house that belonged to the Glessners is on the courtyard bedroom floor.

Second Floor Hall

The Glessners sometimes used this large space while entertaining. Isaac Scott, who would later design many furniture pieces for the Glessner family and become a close family friend, designed the bookcase on the west wall, as well as the library table, shadow box and double frames. The bookcase in particular showcases Scott’s trademark Modern Gothic style.

Children’s Bedroom/East Gallery

The East Gallery was originally two bedrooms, one for each of the Glessner children. The north half of the space was George’s room, separated from his sister room by a wall of closets. A secret passage in the closet allowed the children to pass between their bedrooms without using the hallway. George shared a bathroom with male guests occupying the corner guestroom, while Fanny shared a bathroom, adjacent her own room, with female guests staying across the hall. Today, the East Gallery is used for lectures, rentals and other programs.

Corner Guestroom/Scott Exhibit

The second of two guestrooms, this corner room now serves as an exhibit gallery, but the colonial revival style is evident in the fireplace. Isaac Scott designed several pieces in the room, including the two mantelpieces and many of the features in the passageway that used to serve as George Glessner’s bathroom. Scott developed a close relationship with the Glessner family, particularly with Fanny Glessner, for whom he designed a playhouse at The Rocks estate in New Hampshire.