Glessner House

03/27/2023

Our Mother-Daughter Tea!!
Our annual Mother-Daughter Tea on Saturday, May 6, provides the rare opportunity to dine in the restored dining room and parlor of the house. Attendees will be treated to scones, finger sandwiches, dessert, and a variety of teas, just like Frances Glessner’s friends would have enjoyed more than a century ago. Seating is limited and tickets sell quickly, so don’t delay. Purchase tickets online at:
https://www.glessnerhouse.org/programs/eleventh-annual-mother-daughter-tea
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03/26/2023

Online Programs (Pay-Per-View) — Glessner House

Are you having a lazy Sunday? Why not take a look at our growing Vimeo library that houses past virtual programs? Have you been to our wonderful online programs? Is there one you missed that you wished you hadn't? Take a look and see what might be the perfect indulgence for today, tonight, or any time? Here are the selections below. And do enjoy!

Did you miss one of our online presentations? We have teamed up with Vimeo to make these programs available at your convenience, at a cost of just $14.99 per video. Glessner House members will receive periodic coupons for a 10% discount on the featured video of the month.

03/25/2023

Are YOU doing Spring cleaning this weekend? Here are a few pictures from our “deep clean” of the parlor last Sunday. Two staff and three volunteers spent about four hours doing spring cleaning tasks ranging from cleaning the glass sconce globes to polishing silver, and from removing and cleaning frames to vacuuming drapes, rugs, and textiles. It was a successful day!

03/24/2023

It's Photo Friday!!
This week’s Photo Friday honors the 189th anniversary of the birth of British designer William Morris in 1834. The image shows historic finishes expert Robert Furhoff uncovering an original section of the Morris & Co. “Double Bough” wallpaper hung in the corner guestroom. Original wood blocks in the Morris archives were used to recreate the current wallpaper, which was installed in 2015. , , , ,

03/23/2023

Video from the recent Landmarks Illinois award ceremony!!!

Landmarks Illinois held its annual spring fundraising event, Preservation Forward, on March 2, 2023, at the Old Post Office in Chicago. The event celebrated the statewide efforts of Landmarks Illinois and honored our 2023 Landmarks Illinois Influencers: Amy Mills, Paola Aguirre-Serrano, Amanda Williams, Calvin L. Holmes and Related Midwest, represented by Sarah Wick. Learn more about the 2023 Influencers here.

More than 700 guests attended the event and helped raise $730,000 for Landmarks Illinois’ mission-driven work. The event featured a cocktail hour, a main program honoring the 2023 Landmarks Illinois Influencers, signature dishes from multiple food stations, networking and an after-party. ==Landmarks Illinois held its annual spring fundraising event, Preservation Forward, on March 2, 2023, at the Old Post Office in Chicago. The event celebrated the statewide efforts of Landmarks Illinois and honored our 2023 Landmarks Illinois Influencers: Amy Mills, Paola Aguirre-Serrano, Amanda Williams, Calvin L. Holmes and Related Midwest, represented by Sarah Wick. Learn more about the 2023 Influencers here: https://www.landmarks.org/events/preservation-forward/

03/22/2023

Our porte cochere door!!
Work is proceeding on the recreation of our massive porte cochere doors being fabricated by Joseph Woodworking (with ironwork by John LaMonica). The doors are nearly three inches thick with each weighing over 900 pounds. These two images show the original doors, and the news doors being assembled in the Joseph workshop. Installation will take place in May!
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03/21/2023

Now THIS is historic preservation!!

This 1870s Italianate rowhouse wedged between two high-rises in Chicago's River North has been compared to the Edith Macefield House in Seattle, the inspiration for the Pixar film Up. Gregory Cooper, the home’s previous owner who died in December 2015, had turned down all offers to sell to developers. He even invited friends over for drinks while crews tore down & constructed new buildings around him. After his death the home was marketed and sold as vacant land. A developer bought it, and demolition seemed imminent, but at the last minute the building was saved and turned into office space by Panter Architecture in 2020.

📸 and post: :

03/20/2023

Chicago History Podcast!!
The newest episode of the Chicago History Podcast features the story of Frances Glessner Lee and her Nutshell Studies, in recognition of the life-size “Dark Bathroom” Nutshell currently on exhibit in the coach house, and open for free public viewing on Fridays and Saturdays from 11:00am to 4:00pm through April 14. Listen to the full podcast at:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1022374/12462618-episode-611-francis-glessner-lee-the-nutshell-studies-of-unexplained-death-and-crime-scene-investigation?t=0
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03/19/2023

IT'S SUNDAY! AND OUR LATEST VIRTUAL JIGSAW PUZZLE IS RIGHT HERE!!! A GOOD DAY TO WORK IT!
"Blossom" wallpaper by Morris & Co.
In honor of the 189th birthday of William Morris on March 24, we feature one of the wallpapers produced by Morris & Co. which the Glessners selected for their new home. "Blossom" was designed for the firm in 1885 by Kate Faulkner and features eleven colors in a 23-inch repeat. It was used in F***y's bedroom. The reproduction wallpaper was made by Trustworth Studios and was installed in 2020.
Play the virtual jigsaw puzzle right here: https://www.glessnerhouse.org/blossom-wallpaper-by-morris-co

03/18/2023

The ‘Birthplace’ of House Music Makes Preservation Chicago’s Most Endangered Buildings List for 2023

Interesting segment on WTTW with Preservation Chicago's Ward Miller about the group's recent list of the most endangered buildings in Chicago.

“The Warehouse should be protected as a symbol of the rich history of Chicago’s LBGTQ+ African-American community, the incredible story of house music and the groundbreaking impact that Frankie Knuckles had on the sound of modern music today,” Preservation Chicago said.

03/17/2023

It's Photo Friday!!
This week’s Photo Friday is posted in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. The image shows a carved shamrock, less than one inch in height, which adorns a walnut double frame carved by Isaac Scott around 1880 for the Glessners. The frame features four finials, each with the image of a different leaf.
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03/16/2023

OUR OBJECT OF THE MONTH!

Harvard Associates in Police Science certificate awarded to Frances Glessner Lee!

As part of Frances Glessner Lee’s work with the Department of Legal Medicine at the Harvard Medical School, she initiated biannual seminars in homicide investigation for state police. The first seminar took place in November 1945, bringing together state police officers from around the country, who had been nominated by their respective departments to attend the intensive training. Completion of the three day seminar conferred the status of “Harvard Associate in Police Science” upon the attendee. That designation could be used as a credential in a court of law. Additionally, the Associates would gather at conventions to continue their study of death scene investigation and would often confer on difficult cases.

Frances Glessner Lee not only organized the seminars, she also participated as an attendee at the first seminar, which she was able to do as a result of her having been appointed a Police Captain by the State of New Hampshire two years earlier. This participation resulted in her presenting herself with this certificate, which designates Lee as a charter member of the Associates. The certificate was signed by Lee, who served as President of the Associates, as well as Dr. Alan R. Moritz, chair of the Department of Legal Medicine. The third signature is that of Harrie C. Gill, who Lee appointed as the first Secretary-Treasurer of the Associates. Gill was an officer with the Rhode Island State Police and a nationally recognized expert on polygraph tests. During World War II, Gill used his skills to screen personnel for the Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear bomb.

The discovery of the framed certificate in April 2015 is an interesting story. The Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests was in the process of purchasing Lee’s cottage at The Rocks. They asked Bill Tyre and John Waters of Glessner House to document the structure. During that process, Tyre and Waters stumbled upon a large suitcase in the attic of the cottage, bearing the initials F.G.L. Upon opening the suitcase, they discovered this framed certificate, along with several others designating Lee as a police captain in various states, plus other awards and documents relating to her years working with the Department of Legal Medicine. The suitcase and its contents were donated to Glessner House by the North Country Council, owners of the cottage at the time.

03/15/2023

Ides of March!!!
Today is March 15 – the Ides of March. Shakespeare’s play, Julius Caesar, features the famous line “Beware the Ides of March,” spoken to Caesar by a soothsayer, a forewarning of his assassination in 44 BC. The term has come to mean a warning of betrayal or misfortune, but originally Ides simply referred to the first new moon in a month. This image shows the famous line as it appears in one of two copies of Julius Caesar in the Glessner library.
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03/14/2023

Here Are Chicago’s 7 Most Endangered Buildings And Destinations

For those of us interested in historic preservation, this is a must-see list to read each year from Preservation Chicago!

Preservation Chicago's 2023 list of endangered buildings includes the Century and Consumer Buildings, Taft Hall and Jeffery Theater Building and Spencer Arms Hotel.

03/13/2023

Women’s Work!!
Join us online at 7:00pm this Thursday, March 16, when scholar Diane Dillon explores the varied roles women had in the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. Her talk will examine the work of Bertha Palmer and the Board of Lady managers, the protest of Ida B. Wells, the design of the Woman’s Building by architect Sophia Hayden, and the Congress of Representative Women. Purchase tickets online at:
https://www.glessnerhouse.org/programs/womens-work-at-the-1893-worlds-columbian-exposition
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03/12/2023

It's Sunday! Daylight Savings Day! And a good day to play our latest virtual jigsaw puzzle!!
In honor of the 189th birthday of William Morris in March 2023, we feature the cover from his 1902 biography entitled William Morris: Poet, Craftsman, Socialist by Elisabeth Luther Cary, which sits on a shelf in the Glessner library. The talented designer of the cover is identified only as “MA” in the lower right hand corner; they are not identified by name in the book itself.
Play Our Virtual Jigsaw Puzzle Here: https://www.glessnerhouse.org/william-morris-book-cover

03/11/2023

Shopping for food this weekend? Try "Cooking With Mattie." (She was the Glessners' longtime cook.)

On March 10, 1892, Mrs. Glessner held a simple dinner party. Mattie was new, and she must have been pleased with such uncomplicated fare. You see, every single day, no matter what the Glessner family was planning for dinner, Mattie had to feed the seven or eight servants three meals in addition to the family needs. Some of the fancier dinner parties would take Mattie an entire week to prepare, cooking and baking different dishes every day and keeping them fresh until the night of the party. Rarely, unless it was just the family at home, would Mattie serve the same meal to both guests and servants. Social norms demanded a strict demarcation between the family’s and the servants’ food.

Traditionally, servants’ meals consisted of dishes made from leftovers* from the preparation of the family’s meals, as well as food in more basic forms. For instance, if Mattie had a bushel of apples in the cellar (from The Rocks, the Glessners’ summer home in New Hampshire), the servants might have a bowl on the table in the servants’ dining hall and eat them out of hand. For the Glessners, Mattie would make a compote or a pie. Occasionally, Mrs. Glessner might call for something like roasted duck or partridge on a salad. Mattie would use the breast meat for the guests and cut up the rest of the bird for the servants, making hand pies or a stew.

Here is the dinner party planned for March 10, 1892:

Black Bean Soup
Boiled Turkey—Oyster Sauce
Cauliflower
Cranberries
Potatoes
Plain Lettuce Salad
Sponge Pudding with Creamy Sauce
Cake
Fruit—Coffee

Let’s imagine what Mattie would have made for the servants’ table with the ingredients from this meal.

Black Bean Soup

This was a Glessner House favorite. We see it in many menus. (You can find the recipe in the March 2, 2021, Cooking with Mattie column.) It is a hearty, filling offering. Mattie would probably have made a large pot to serve both the guests and the servants. Hard-boiled eggs are the traditional garnish for black bean soup, but Mattie would probably have not garnished the soup for the servants. Instead, she might have chopped up any extra eggs and created an egg salad which could be made into sandwiches. She might have made them ahead, wrapped them in waxed paper, and stored them in the cold closet so they could be taken out for meals as needed. Honestly folks, make the black bean soup and have an egg salad sandwich on the side. It’s delicious!

Boiled Turkey with Oyster Sauce

For the servants, Mattie might have taken all the small pieces of turkey, those not conducive to lovely slices for the guests, and chopped them into a hash. The remaining oysters and sauce could be added, along with carrots and potatoes and put into a casserole with a biscuit or dumpling crust. Modern cooks could use the meat from a rotisserie chicken with the addition of some stewed carrots and potatoes to make a lovely pie. Place all the turkey or chicken with the vegetables into a pie or casserole dish.

Dumpling Crust

2 cups unbleached flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ cup butter, lard or other solid fat
1 cup milk

Mix all together, roll into a simple circle. Top the pie or casserole dish. Score for six or eight servings. Bake in a 350˚ oven until entirely brown on top, about 45 minutes.

Cauliflower

Mrs. Glessner does not give instructions as to how the cauliflower was to be served in this menu. Boiled or steamed with a sprinkling of cheese and breadcrumbs was most likely, but the cauliflower that was overcooked or not consumed by the dinner guests could easily be turned into mashed cauliflower. With the addition of some parmesan cheese and more breadcrumbs, the cauliflower could become a simple, frugal dish to serve the servants.

Cranberries

It is not specified here, but in other places, “Cranberry Relish” is mentioned. Mattie would make this in the fall and can it. There would be glass jars on the shelf in the pantry ready for use. A bit of fresh butter and a dollop of cranberry relish would make another sandwich for servants’ evening meal, or supper. The servants would have their most substantial meal in the middle of the day, just before or just after the family luncheon depending on the timing and how many guests there were. I imagine that Mattie herself did not always have time to sit down at table with the rest of the staff at regular meal times, and that she often ate standing up near the stove with one hand stirring something. I’ll bet you wonder how I know this.

Plain Lettuce Salad

In March, the expensive delicacy of hot house lettuce would not be wasted on the staff. Certainly, servants would eat lots of lettuce and other fresh-from-the-garden vegetables in the summer months at The Rocks, but it is doubtful that Mattie would have served such a fancy treat in the servants’ dining hall at this time of year. To provide a salad for the staff, Mattie would be more likely to serve canned peaches or another fruit.

Sponge Pudding with Creamy Sauce

Sponge pudding is simply a custard. For the guests, Mattie would have made individual ramekins of pudding for each guest and garnished them with the creamy sauce and perhaps a piece of candied orange peel to honor Mr. Glessner’s love of oranges. For staff, the same recipe would be made in a large casserole dish so it could be dished out one serving at a time. The servants might or might not have received creamy sauce.

¼ cup sugar
½ cup flour
2 cups milk, boiled
¼ cup butter
5 eggs, separated, yolks beaten, whites whipped
Large pan of hot water

Mix the sugar and flour, wet with a little cold milk, and stir into the boiling milk. Cook until it thickens and is smooth. Add the butter, stir until smooth. Stir in the well-beaten egg yolks, then add the stiffly-beaten whites. Pour into cups, or into a shallow dish. Set your cups or dish into a large pan of hot water about halfway up the sides of your container. Bake at 325˚for about an hour until knife inserted halfway between center and edge comes out clean. You may also wait until the top cracks for certain doneness, but this will not yield as jiggly a pudding.

For the Creamy Sauce

2 cups milk
2 eggs
3 ounces (⅓ cup plus 2 teaspoons) raw sugar
1 Tablespoon of brandy
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Boil the milk, beat the eggs while the milk is coming to a boil and stir them in as soon as it does, then add the sugar. Stir thoroughly. Put the mixture into a double boiler (modern cooks can use a metal mixing bowl that fits inside one of your saucepans). Boil the water in the double boiler and continue to stir until the mixture thickens, remove from heat. Keep warm over hot water until ready to serve over pudding or cake. Do not permit to re-boil. When just ready to serve, stir in brandy, spoon over desired treat, and sprinkle with freshly-grated nutmeg.

Cakes

Cake was ubiquitous at Glessner House, almost as popular as oranges. A simple 1-2-3-4 cake (recipe in the April 22, 2020, Cooking with Mattie column) would probably be made on a nearly daily basis by Mattie. It was just there, like sunshine, daily milk deliveries, and oranges for Mr. Glessner. It is a simple pound cake that pleases every palate and is always available to be dressed up or down at a whim. Just the perfect cake for servants and family alike. A bit of Mrs. Glessner’s honey drizzled over the top doesn’t hurt a thing, or maybe some of those peaches?

Now, off you go, there are family meals to prepare. Always think, in the back of your mind, as Mattie certainly did: what am I going to do with the leftovers*?

* The word “leftover” referring to food not consumed but still edible for another meal, dates to the 1880s at least. So, Mattie knew that word, it wasn’t invented in the 1950s.