Museum Launches 125th Anniversary June 1

On Wednesday June 1, 2011, the museum will launch an 18-month celebration commemorating the building of Glessner House.  A full evening of events is scheduled beginning at 6:00pm.  A summary of the festivities is found below.

6:00pm – Reception in the coach house

6:30pm – Welcome and recreation of the Glessners’ groundbreaking ceremony (which took place June 1, 1886).  Official launch of the 125^th Anniversary Fund, the goal of which is to raise $125,000 during the anniversary period to complete numerous restoration projects around the museum.

6:45pm – Presentation of the new reprint of John Glessner’s 1923 The Story of a House, funded by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.  This reprint includes the full text and contains over 60 historic images.  Copies will be available for purchase at the event and the original leather-bound copy presented to the Glessners’ daughter Frances Glessner Lee in 1923 will be on display.

7:00pm – Unveiling of the new permanent exhibit on Henry Hobson Richardson, written by Richardson scholar James F. O’Gorman.   This exhibit, on display in the tour center, explores Richardson’s life, major works, impact on Chicago architecture, and his design for the Glessner house.  A companion booklet with expanded text by the author will be available for sale.

7:00pm – Viewing of the temporary exhibit “The Story of a House” showcasing selected books on architecture and design from the library of John and Frances Glessner.  This exhibit is part of the city-wide celebration “Festival of the Architecture Book, 1511-2011.”  Visit http://www.1511-2011.org/ for further information on events throughout the city.

7:30pm – Presentation by Bill Tyre, Executive Director and Curator of Glessner House Museum, “1886: A Year to Remember.”  A look at events in the lives of the Glessner family as well as events in Chicago, the nation, and the world – as the Glessners started construction on their controversial

Prairie Avenue

home.

For more information on the June 1 anniversary celebration, visit http://www.glessnerhouse.org/Events.htm or call 312-326-1480.  The cost of the event is $15 per person, $10 for museum members.  Advanced reservations are suggested.

Museum to launch exhibit of architecture books

On Wednesday June 1, 2011, as part of the event launching the 125^th anniversary celebration of the building of Glessner house, the museum will unveil a temporary exhibit entitled “The Story of a House.”  This small exhibit of books from the Glessners’ library will focus on their interest in architecture and design.   During the 1870s and 1880s, John and Frances Glessner purchased numerous books that helped shape their desire for the unconventional home that would stand in stark contrast to the other mansions along Chicago's Prairie Avenue.  This resulted in the hiring of America's great architect, H. H. Richardson, to design a home that was immediately praised by architects, but scorned by neighbors.  The exhibition of books will help to explore the complex relationship between a progressive architect and his well-informed clients.  

The title comes from a book written in 1874 by the French architect and theorist Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, a copy of which the Glessners owned.   That book, shown above, is one of many that clearly illustrates the Glessners’ sophisticated level of knowledge regarding architecture and design.  In 1923, John Glessner used the title for his own manuscript about 1800 S. Prairie Avenue.   A full reprint of that manuscript, featuring more than 60 period illustrations, will be unveiled on June 1, and copies will be available for sale. 

The exhibit, part of the city-wide “Festival of the Architecture Book 1511-2011,” will run from June 1 through October 2, 2011.  Located in the tour center, it is open for viewing during normal public tour hours, Wednesday through Sunday from 11:30am to 4:00pm.

For more information on the June 1 anniversary celebration, visit http://www.glessnerhouse.org/Events.htm

For more information on the Festival of the Architecture Book 1511-2011, visit

http://www.1511-2011.org/