(Glessner House) emerge(s) as Richardson's archetype for an attached urban house... The enduring brilliance of Richardson's artistic achievement was to give unified architectural expression to seemingly incompatible planning and social and aesthetic issues associated with this project in the context of Chicago's urban industrial growth.

Thomas C. Hubka, "H. H. Richardson's Glessner House: A Garden in the Machine" Winterthur Portfolio, Winter 1989

TOURS OF GLESSNER HOUSE MUSEUM

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. Glessner House and Clarke House do not offer self-guided tours of the interiors at this time. 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.

Tour Schedule

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

We will not be offering public tours of either the Clarke or Glessner house on Sunday,

June 8, 2008, due to our annual fundraiser "A Walk Through Time."  See the Events page for more information on that exciting once-a-year event!

Glessner House Museum:
Wednesday - Sunday at 1:00 and 3:00 pm

Clarke House Museum:
Wednesday - Sunday at 12:00 noon and 2:00 pm

A Tour 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 through 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 never seen by museum visitors. Available by appointment only.  Group size limited to 8.

Admission

Wednesday is our free day, spaces are filled on a first-come, first-serve, walk-in basis. Free day does not apply to groups of ten or more. Group tours must be scheduled in advance.

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 VISA, MasterCard and Discover.

For information on Prairie Avenue Walking Tours, please visit the Events page

Click here for location and travel directions