Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation

Name: Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation
Address: 1365 N Astor Street, Chicago, IL, 60610, US
Telephone: +13125731365
Price range: $

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Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation

The historic Charnley-Persky residence is a pivotal work in modern residential architecture, designed by Louis Sullivan.

For tour information, visit http://www.charnleyperskyhouse.org/.

11/15/2024

Thank you to everyone who made SAH Celebrates 2024 a huge success! The event spotlights the people who impact and steward architectural heritage while raising much-needed funds to support Society of Architectural Historians' programs, publications, and management of the Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation, its historic headquarters.

The evening was a thoroughly enjoyable festive gathering of more than 150 architectural practitioners, advocates, and enthusiasts from Chicago and beyond. Guests greeted acquaintances old and new, and shared their love of the built environment and architecture during the formal awards ceremony and in lively conversation over hors d'ouevres and drinks.

Can we count YOU in for next year?

View the full photo album: https://www.sah.org/about-sah/news/news-detail/2024/11/14/sah-celebrates-salutes-architectural-preservation-and-innovation

Image: SAH Executive Director Ben Thomas (far left) with the 2024 Class of Honorees (from left to right): Walker Johnson, FAIA, Co-founder and former president of JLK Architects; Laurie Petersen, lecturer, docent, and editor of the AIA Guide to Chicago 4th Edition; Berglund Construction representatives Sarah Horton, Fred Berglund, and Jack Tribbia; Ernie C. Wong, FASLA, Principal at site design group, ltd.

11/13/2024

Introducing a new logo for the Charnley-Persky House Museum. In creating this iconic Chicago residence, architects Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright simplified classic architecture and reinvented the modern home. We, too, are simplifying our brand to create something unique.

We look forward to bringing our fans new programming at the house this winter (stay tuned!) and new ways to show your love for Charnley with products featuring this logo, available exclusively through our tour center.

11/07/2024

"Must see for architecture enthusiasts!" Join us for a 60-minute, docent-led tour Wednesdays and Fridays at noon and on Saturdays at 10a.m. and noon. Wednesday tours are always free, and others are just $15. Grab your tickets here: https://ow.ly/hgvB50TGcIv
Hurry! Slots go fast.

Image: Review text sits inside a rounded rectangle: "Must see for architecture enthusiasts! Located in Chicago's Gold Coast, the house is worth seeing and the story of how it was saved is worth hearing. It's clear this house is special as soon as you pass through the front door and see the hearth. Laurie C via Trip Advisor."

10/31/2024

Feeling a touch of . 🍂 💛

10/25/2024

Join the Charnley-Persky House and the Society of Architectural Historians for our biggest party and fundraiser of the year.

SAH Celebrates
Friday, November 8
The Racquet Club of Chicago

SAH Celebrates will be an unforgettable night out. We gather to toast the achievements of four remarkable individuals and organizations shaping the built environment and advocating on behalf of historic places. Enjoy gourmet bites, a grooving DJ, and exclusive previews of new programming alongside Chicago's renowned architectural community.

Tickets are on sale now for $210. Link in bio. All proceeds support our stewardship of the Charnley-Persky House and the Society of Architectural Historians' educational programs and research. If your travel plans won't allow you to join us in Chicago, we invite you make a gift in support of our work. Your support for CPH empowers us to reach new audiences and foster an appreciation for architectural heritage. Any amount is welcome!

10/23/2024

Happy wedding anniversary to James and Helen Charnley, commissioners and first residents of this historic home, married October 23, 1872.

10/16/2024

Louis Sullivan favored nature-inspired decorations. Frank Lloyd Wright's geometric motifs became his hallmark. The influence of Charnley's architects combine in the carvings on the inner front door. Impressively, the leaves are not inset, they are carved from the same solid panel as the door.

10/09/2024

Two alcoves flank the front entrance to the Charnley-Persky House. The twin spaces are created by default, the result of the entry vestibule in the middle of the floorplan. What were they used for? We really don't know! But we have a few guesses.

It was typical in well-to-do houses of the time to have a separate reception room near the entrance for tradesmen to wait in or for visitors to remove their coats and boots. The built-in seats would have served well for this purpose. The benches conceal radiators underneath, making them a cozy spot when first coming out of the Chicago cold.

It's told that later occupants of the house put a baby grand piano into one alcove. Today, as the headquarters for Society of Architectural Historians the spaces include desks and cabinets. If you lived at Charnley-Persky House today, what would you use the space for?

10/04/2024

Benjamin Marshall and the Charnley-Persky House shine at documentary screening on September 26. The intimate gathering offered unique access to the venue and showcased an often overlooked architect of Chicago's past.

While his name may not be widely known, for Chicago locals, at least, Benjamin Howard Marshall's luxury buildings throughout the city certainly are: The Drake Hotel overlooking Oak Street beach; the Blackstone Hotel on South Michigan Avenue; and the South Shore Country Club – now the South Shore Cultural Center.

The Benjamin Marshall Society and Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) — whose headquarters are located within the Charley House — collaborated on the evening program, which included a screening of a biographical documentary produced by the Benjamin Marshall Society and deep dive into the story of one Marshall-designed home in Hinsdale, Illinois. The owner, who asked to remain anonymous, shared design details of the house and her efforts to find artisan tradespeople capable of repairing and restoring its historical elements, such as leaded glass windows and a brick wall surrounding its meditative garden.

"It is exciting to see this significant and extraordinary architectural landmark become a space to learn about the role and influence of architects and their buildings in society," said SAH Executive Director Ben Thomas. "I look forward to doing more to invite people in to learn more.”

CPH made a fitting venue to discuss Marshall's impacts, despite being created by other architects. The house was designed in 1891 by Louis Sullivan with assistance from his junior draftsman Frank Lloyd Wright and stands in contrast to popular residential architecture of the time.

"While these architects were contemporaries, their paths diverged dramatically," points out Jane LePauw, President of the Benjamin Marshall Society. Whereas Marshall created traditionally detailed buildings and adapted them to urban lifestyles of the day, Sullivan and Wright sought modern form of architecture with the Charnley House design.

LePauw continued: "Seeing the film on Marshall's classical designs in a home that was a precursor of the modernist movement could not have been more striking. It was an educational and memorable experience enjoyed by all the attendees."

09/25/2024

Find a new perspective on the Gilded Age in Chicago. Tour one of the most exceptional homes built at the close of the 19th century and learn why it’s so different from its neighbors.

Visit the Charnley-Persky House for 60-minute, docent-led tours on Wednesday, Fridays, or Saturdays all year long. Reserve your spot: https://www.sah.org/about-sah/charnley-persky-house/visit-the-house

09/23/2024

Benjamin H. Marshall designed many of Chicago's iconic local landmarks, including the Blackstone Hotel on South Michigan Avenue, and the Steger Building in the Loop. He was know for ornate and grandiose designs, which often featured intricate details and luxurious materials. Yet, his traditionally detailed buildings functioned well within their surroundings, juxtaposing conservative and modern features.

Join the Society of Architectural Historians and the Benjamin Marshall Society at the Charnley-Persky House Museum for a unique look at this architect's work on Thursday, September 26 at 6pm.

Following a screening of the Benjamin Marshall Society's recent documentary film, local homeowners will showcase their 40-year project to restore a Marshall-designed residence in Hinsdale, Illinois. A light reception follows the program.

Tickets are $20, and may be purchased through Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/benjamin-marshall-at-the-charnley-persky-house-tickets-1005198865867

09/18/2024

Wonders worked in wood.

Panels with floral-inspired cutout details serves in place of balusters around the atrium on the second floor. Behind, 6-foot wooden spindles form a screen across the stairs leading to the third floor.

09/11/2024

☀️ The final days of summer. A cyclist rolls past the front of the Charnley-Persky House at 1365 N Astor Street.

09/05/2024

09/03/2024

On the 168th anniversary of architect Louis Sullivan’s birth, let’s think of the then 17-year-old as he first arrived in Chicago in 1873. The city was still in ruins after the Great Fire, yet Sullivan saw potential in its reinvention, as he wrote in his autobiography: “There was stir, an energy that made [me] tingle to be in the game.”

The growing and innovative city provided the perfect setting for the development of a new form of modern architecture, culminating in his abstract and geometric design for the Charnley House, which he created in collaboration with his partner, Dankmar Adler. Although Sullivan was renowned for his commercial projects and sometimes referred to as the “Father of Skyscrapers,” he did work on about 60 other residences.

Sullivan was a close friend of the home's commissioners, James and Helen Charnley. Besides the home in Chicago, Sullivan also designed two adjacent “winter retreats” for the couple and himself in 1890.

While the majority of Sullivan’s work has been torn down, the Charnley House is one of 21 structures still standing in the city of Chicago, serving as a significant part of his architectural legacy.

(Written by Rachel Freundt, Charnley-Persky House docent)

08/29/2024

Charnley-Persky House Museum is the only existing historic residence from architects open to the public. 👀

Join us for a 60-minute, docent-led tour Wednesdays and Fridays at noon and on Saturdays at 10a.m. and noon. Wednesday tours are always free, and others are just $15. Grab your ticket soon! Slots go fast.
https://www.sah.org/about-sah/charnley-persky-house/visit-the-house

08/20/2024

Beauty is in the details.

Image: Closeup of cast metal doorknob with a design of beads circling the center dome of its face.

08/14/2024

It’s hot out there! To catch a breeze, the original residents of the Charnley House likely turned to their second-floor covered porch to enjoy some cooling fresh air.

This architectural feature is known as a loggia – an outdoor corridor with a roof and one long wall open to the outside. The loggia at CPH is centered on the front of the home and is nestled into the floor plan rather than projecting very far outward over the sidewalk. Its roof is supported by eight Tuscan columns, above and below which are wooden panels decorated with jig-sawn flat patterns of ovals, beads and foliage — all patterns that repeat inside the house.

For the first owners of the home, blank and blank Charnley, this is the only outdoor space they would have enjoyed at home. While there exists a back alley and small courtyard by the kitchen, these would have been used only by servants taking deliveries and doing chores.

Images: View down a hallway-like balcony with a wood floor, brick walls, and wooden outer columns holding a roof. Front view of a balcony with wooden panels featuring carved geometric and natural patterns.

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Address

1365 N Astor Street
Chicago, IL
60610

Telephone

+13125731365

Website

http://www.charnleyhouse.org/

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Our online auction is open for bidding! Check out our wide array of private architecture tours, book packages, unique artworks and experiences, and objects. All proceeds support the ongoing care and maintenance of the Charnley-Persky House and SAH's educational programs and publications. Thank you for your support. https://event.auctria.com/9594636c-171c-439f-9322-8b0dacf8dc42/

Tickets are still available for SAH Celebrates, happening this Thursday, November 10, at the Arts Club of Chicago! Join us as we honor stewards of the Charnley-Persky House. http://ow.ly/hLjH50LxCFl

The Society of Architectural Historians invites you to SAH Celebrates on November 10 in Chicago, as we celebrate the stewardship of the Charnley-Persky House (1891–1892), designed by Louis Sullivan with assistance from Frank Lloyd Wright. Tickets are available now: https://www.sah.org/conferences-and-programs/sah-celebrates This year marks the 130th anniversary of the house and the 50th anniversary of its designation as a Chicago Landmark. Join us as we recognize some of the stewards and architects who have cared for this architectural treasure. The awards presentation will include a remembrance of Pauline Saliga, who recently passed away and led SAH and the Charnley-Persky House for 27 years as executive director.