Glessner House Museum

I really enjoyed my tour of this museum. The tour guide could have been a bit more energetic, but other than that it was perfect, especially because I went on a Wednesday and it was free. The house is so unique, after touring many historic homes this is just one of a kind. The courtyard especially is so cool and I enjoyed just how much of the house we got to see — it is one of the first houses where the tour showed the servant’s quarters, for example. The house is no longer connected to the Clarke and I have to say this tour is much better than theirs!

After looking at multiple venues in the city, we finally settled on the Glessner House as the site of our wedding, and we are so glad we did. It provided a perfect location for our wedding and reception (actually, the ceremony was supposed to be at the park but since the weather didn’t cooperate, it was held in the coach house at Glessner). The building is beautiful on the inside, perfect for wedding photos, and guests were able to tour the house during the cocktail hour. The courtyard offered a beautiful and classy backdrop for the reception. As fans of Chicago history and architecture, it was the ideal place for us. Glessner House will always hold a special place in our hearts for helping make our wedding an unforgettable event. — Lon Wehrle (groom)

I’d do three and a half stars on this one if I could. The Glessner House is very unusual. I“couldn’t quite figure it out”.It’s actually pretty big and was a rich mans house. It looks like a fortress from the outside. Inside you could isolate yourself rather easily. Combine this tour with the Clarke House Tour .Both leave from here. They make an interesting contrast.

BRIDES BEWARE:
I had my wedding at the Glessner House this past August. The location is beautiful and very close to our house which is why we chose it as our wedding venue. My husband and I met with Lynn to tour the venue and schedule a date, this went well and Lynn seemed nice. My next few meetings with Lynn were without my husband, and my opinion of her plummeted. I was planning a very small intimate wedding of about 40 guests; when Lynn was helping me set up a plan for the day and how it would go she became very pushy. I specifically told her that I didn’t want to do certain things, for example: have appetizers, Lynn insisted that we serve apps as well as several other things I didn’t want. If it was presented as an opinion based off her experience, it would have been fine but the way she insisted after several «No, we’re not doing that» was rude and pushy. I understand that she is probably used to planning more traditional weddings with more guests, but after all this was MY wedding, not hers, and her job is to plan the wedding schedule around what the bride and groom want not what she wants…
The day of the ceremony was beautiful, except for Lynn. She was downright bitchy to my wedding guests and several, my mother, my mother in law, sister, sister in law, aunts, and a few friends, complained about her multiple times. She would not let my mother and mother in law help decorate, and flat out yelled at a couple guests for entering through the wrong door (when there was no sign indicating the correct entrance…) She did a great job of keeping everything organized and on time, but her attitude was not warranted nor appreciated. Why be in the wedding business if you can’t treat the bride and her guests with respect?! I spent weeks after the wedding, a time that should be spent happy and glowing, crying because I was so embarrassed by the way my family was treated on my big day, I even refused to pick up the refund check even though it is 3 blocks from my house because I could not stand to see Lynn again.
Again it’s a gorgeous wedding venue and if you are assertive for what you want and don’t mind people with terrible attitudes then this might be a great choice for you…

My daughter recently got married at the Glessner House. The venue had a beautiful garden setting and the coach house worked well for our meal. We had about 40 people and a wonderful caterer.
The downside to this was the person in charge of the venue, organizing etc. (Lynn) — she was the rudest thing ever! My thought would be, perhaps she should get a job that if she is crabby and rude, it wouldn’t affect the people around her.
There were numerous people that thought Lynn was out of line and wondered who she was and what her problem was.

Wedding Venue!
The moment we saw the venue we knew it was where we wanted to share the best day of our lives. Our ceremony was in the Chicago Woman’s Park and Garden. This made for a beautiful urban garden setting. The reception was in the courtyard of the Glessner House. We had about 120 guests that fit perfectly. The incredible lighting and charm of the venue was enough to have our guests raving. Lynne, works with excellent vendors that know the venue well. This made it simple to coordinate the equipment rentals, lighting, and catering.
So not only is the venue itself incredibly gorgeous, charming and vintage chic, but the event coordinator is the BOMB! Lynne made sure everything went as planned and on schedule! the whole day was smoothly orchestrated. If there were any snags in the day… I had no idea! Lynne made sure our grandpa, our only 90 year old guest, was comfortable and taken care of the whole night. Which meant a lot to us.
I could not have asked for a better venue. The Glessner House provides the whole package. I would highly recommend this venue for a wedding, or any other event for that matter!

What a hidden gem! Tonight’s wedding was absolute magic and the staff at this lovely venue is fantastic. The grounds themselves are stunning and hold some great spots for portraits and small to medium size ceremonies. Lynn, the wedding coordinator on site was amazing! Delicious steak, great appetizers and the perfect backyard space with lots of room for a tent and dance floor! Love and love.

After walking by this monstrosity of a (former) private residence every morning and evening we decided to go into its bowels for a tour one lazy Saturday. The tour entrance is off of Prairie Ave and in the basement where the gift shop/​office is.
The house isn’t very pretty honestly, but it is a fascinating piece of architecture to be sure! The story behind the house is also quite interesting to hear. It’s pretty incredibly designed and I really enjoyed seeing it.
Be sure to catch the Clarke House tour at the same time for a discounted rate. Tours run in tandem, one after another, and you can see the two houses in either order.
***************
Unilocal Binge #6

Two things I absolutely love — architecture (specifically Frank Lloyd Wright but I enjoy it all) and Chicago history. The history of the greatest city in the world intrigues me and it doesn’t hurt that my family has some ties to the beginning making it all the more relevant to me.
The best deal for the Glessner House is touring both this estate and the Clarke House for $ 15. A lot of how great your tour is depends on your docent and I was very lucky to have the lovely and knowledgeable Joan as mine. Fantastic lady! She went into details of the family, tidbits about the times, the architecture of the house and the history of the house up until present day. She was very rarely stumped by a question. Tours happen W-​Sunday at 1 and 3pm but come an hour before that if you want the tour of both homes. Wednesdays are free!
The Glessner House is one designed by HH Richardson who is quite an interesting fellow and a pillar of Chicago architecture although he was quite the architect in many cities. He influenced FLW, Louis Sullivan and many other notable architects.
Quite a bit is known about the Glessner family and home so this tour is very informationally accurate with less assumptions than made in the Clarke House. There is a lot in the home that’s original and they are still working on acquiring more of the original pieces and parts.
While we were there for our tour (of about 15 people), we witnessed them setting up a wedding in the outdoor area. This area looks like an English small courtyard and the wedding setup looked beautiful and perhaps budget friendly, as well. Noted!
I can’t believe it took me so long to swing by here. If you’re into Chicago history or architecture like myself, this is a must do in the city. You’ll thank me after.

Best. Wedding Venue. Ever. Ok ok, I know it was my own wedding I had there, but all biased feelings aside, this venue is incredible! We got married in August 2013 the park next door and celebrated in the courtyard of the Glessner House which was like something out of a movie with beautiful architectural features highlighted by the lighting crew from Art of Imagination (also a big thumbs up to them). Our guests were able to take tours of the museum during the cocktail hour, and who doesn’t want to dance in the backyard of a piece of Chicago history?
The venue came with a day-​of-​coordinator, Lynne, who was flawless. We met with her several times to go over logistical details, including back up plans in the case of rain, and on the day itself (the weather was gorgeous, but even if it had rained, I am confident Lynne would have had it covered), she kept everything running so smoothly that I never had to answer a single logistical question all day! I’ve heard of brides stressing out and crying because of all the work they have to do on their wedding day — not for me. I was able to enjoy it entirely because Lynne was managing all the details in the background. She even placed signs in glass frames for my guestbook table because my little handmade ones were too light and might have blown away. She thinks of everything.
I’m still getting compliments on the wedding from both guests and from facebook friends who just saw photos. Some of my friends are already asking if I would be offended if they chose this venue when it came time for them to get married.
The Glessner House is a beautiful and unique gem that I would highly recommend to anyone who wanted a truly unforgettable wedding venue.

On Wednesdays tours are free, so I drove down there around 11am since I had the day off. The first tour starts at noon, and they say they only accept 12 people — I think we had more in our group. The woman who received us in the visitor’s center was very crabby and rude… I’ve never dealt with anyone like that in a museum before. Our tour guide was a 30 year veteran and obviously knew her stuff, but was sometimes hard to understand her (maybe because she kept popping hard candy or cough drops). She kept telling us to hurry up and wait to ask questions, when she would stop in odd places and talk for 10 minutes about topics that were lost on me (ie — how the neighbors used to have windows facing the house, and if we wanted to go look at where the neighbors windows used to be, to take a photo???)
The Clark House is pretty much the bones of the house, which has moved from its original location. All of the interior is guessed upon — there were no photos of the interior or its occupants.
The Glessner House is the real gem — beautiful home with an interesting layout not typical to the walk-​ups of the time. Many of the original items were recovered.
Just make sure if you drive that there is no solider field event that day. Either park at a meter or where the signs say «no parking 2 hour prior to soldiers field event unless you have a residents permit». There was no event, so I was ok.

We recently had our wedding reception at the Glessner House and it was amazing! We had the ceremony in the park next door, which the event planner, Lynn, was able to assist us in planning as well. The courtyard is such a beautiful space for a reception (we had around 120 guests) and the staff are so incredibly helpful, kind and professional. All of our guests found the space very unique and were thoroughly impressed by the setting. We received many compliments of «best outdoor wedding I’ve ever been to». We’re probably biased, but we completely agree :) If you are looking for a neat place with a lot of Chicago history to have a wedding reception in Chicago, we highly recommend the Glessner House Museum. So long as you do your part, the staff there will certainly do theirs and more! We can’t recommend them enough!

An interesting house to take a tour of. The price to take the tour is $ 10, a bit steep. But you get an hour’s worth of being shown around. Very Old World environment, beautiful architecture, antiques, etc. Arts and Crafts movement. A bit like Frank Lloyd Wright. In a beautiful, historical neighborhood. Great for those who are interested in old mansions owned by people with tons of money.

Went to go for a free Wednesday tour and lady at the front desk was rude. It was clear they didn’t seem to want little kids, plus the tour was full. The lady has attitude as if we were a bother as another Google reviewer had written. They need a lesson on how to not be pretentious.
Their website is crappy as there’s no info how to register for a paid tour and when I signed up for another one by phone the other day the lady was very rude. Again management if there is one there should know about the Glessner /​Clarke house rude women…

The Glessner house was the venue for our July wedding. Being Boston based architecture nerds, getting married at a Chicago Landmark was a no brainer.
We held the ceremony in the adjacent Chicago Women’s Park and Gardens, and the ceremony in the courtyard of the Glessner house, with dinner served in the carriage house. The scale was perfect for our wedding of about 90 guests, and the high brick ivy colored walls of the courtyard made the reception feel so romantic and secluded from the city.
While Lynne at the Glessner (who essentially served as our wedding coordinator) may first come across as too direct for some people’s taste, she was invaluable in making sure everything from the ceremony to the reception flowed seamlessly, lifting all worry off of the wedding party and bride and groom the day of.
the only thing I would caution– if you are booking this venue, check to see what is happening at nearby soldier field. In our case, a major concert was released at about the same time as the wedding, leaving our guests cab-​less for hours.
The price was very reasonable for a wedding venue, and a good value considering you are essentially getting a day-​of wedding coordinator as well. I would highly recommend the Glessner as a wedding venue for a couple who is looking for something unique and beautiful.

I enjoyed checking out this house built around 1880. The interior is largely decorated like and with the original things.
It’s a nice bit to Chicago history. Do a walking tour of the nearby «prairie avenue mansions» that made this neighborhood a short-​lived park avenue before they all moved up to the Gold Coast.
I also did a tour of the Clark house, which was a little more boring.
This neighborhood is a bit away from the action, but worth the solitude.

I spent 2 and a half hours here on a class tour, and two thoughts ran through my mind the whole time:
1. I don’t want to leave.
2. How did I not know about this place before?
If you’re a Chicago history nerd like I am, you need to visit the Glessner House. It’s a beautiful piece of the city’s history and almost like a time capsule with the meticulous work done by the staff to try and save or replicate as much as they can. It’s still a work in progress, but considering what the house has been through over the years, they’ve done a wonderful job bringing it back to its former glory.
The design of the house is smart and thoughtful. There are small details you wouldn’t necessarily realize that went into the design. You get a sense of what the family was like from how the house was set up – warm people who were interested in reading and the arts. I’ve been to a lot of other house museums and I’ve never had the overwhelming sense of feeling like a welcomed visitor like I did here. I may have gotten a better tour than normal, considering the director led us around, but even with his wealth of information, I still found myself online today looking for more information on the family.
The grounds are also great. From the street, it feels like the house might just be a fortress without character, but there is a large, inviting courtyard out back that connects the Glessner House to the Clarke House. I live on the North Side and am not native to Chicago, so I had no idea what kind of neighborhood I was going into when I came here, but that part of the South Loop is definitely on the up.
If you’re strapped for cash, Wednesdays are free, but if you can, consider going some time when you have to pay. It’s worth the $ 10 and the money is going to a worthy cause. It would be a shame if this place isn’t around to visit in the future.

I’m not a tour fan, I’d rather enjoy the peace and quiet of observing and reading for myself instead of an interjecting and pushy tour guide. When my class went we were split in half, the other group said their tour guide was awesome, apparently my group got lucky to get the crazy one who kept making up statements at whim about the lady of the house who had control over the staff and therefore was a real feminist despite the whole not being an equal thing and other ramblings that made everyone look at each other with baffled looks.
It’s quite beautiful and inspiring aside from all that drama and a great place for an art history major.

Went here today and had a nice time. Our docent was very good, and I think she explained every little thing in the place, and related things in the house specifically to what was happening in the world/​in the US/​in Chicago at the time.
All the home’s architectural features were pointed out to the group (both indoor and out) and this house had almost all original furnishings inside as well. Pretty impressive considering it is from the late 1800s.
This tour lasted one hour, and it was Wednesday– so the tour was free. But they recommend you come early on Wednesdays because the tours fill up fast.
If you have time, I recommend strolling along down Prairie Avenue and even checking out W omen’s Park next door.

Well, it has been two months since our wedding and we are still in love with our wedding venue just as much as the first time we went there. I would highly recommend the house as an event site. The property is gorgeous and is large enough for a 150 person wedding. The space has a lot of character and can work really well in a creepy, romantic and serene way. I love the Glessner House and am so glad we had our wedding here. We rented the space for 10 hours and was worth every penny. Our cocktail hour, ceremony and after party took place outside while our meal was eaten inside.
Our contact was Adella and she was a little too uptight for us, but she eventually relaxed and let us have our way a bit more. The director Bill seemed really conservative until he was at our wedding and then he let lose and hooked it up. He gave us an extra hour and a half of his time (we paid for it, but still they said everything must end by midnight and he gave us that extra time) so our party could go on longer. We were able to drop everything off the day before the wedding and pick everything up on Sunday and Monday.