Reviews of Glessner House (Museum)

DMR Virtual 630-479-8944 David

I had the true privilege to work with the curator to do a 360 virtual tour for this amazing property. I was blown away by the amazing preservation of this family’s history and the time period authenticity of this house. As a photographer and one who appreciates historical detail this was an absolute delight to experience and be a part of from behind the lens. Thanks to the tremendous staff for this opportunity. I hope the 360 tour and drone views assist many others in realizing the beauty they can experience at this house. It is a must see for anyone able to stop by for a visit. I particularly enjoyed the library and diverse assortment of time period books. Feels like a true step back in time.

EuroKing

I went on a tour of this house and was blown away by how many of the things in this house are original to it when the Glessners, the only residents of the house, lived there. It is highly unusual for a historic home to have so many of the original furnishings and decorations, but it is much appreciated by me. The house is lovingly cared for and the tour guide was fantastic, knowing a great deal of information on the house and various pieces that are on display in it. They still have a couple of rooms to restore still, but that in no way should discourage you from visiting this architectural jewel in the revitalized Prairie Avenue District of Chicago.

M.

Strange & unique fortress of a house, which is loved fiercely by its docents. Take a tour!

Scott Berken

Went on the short Christmas tour. Great place to learn about some of the people who made History in Chicago.

William Loster

Great tours

Martha Geppert

If you enjoy history and seeing how people loved in the 19th century, this is a beautiful preserved home of a prominent Chicago family. Unusual because the contents were preserved by family members, so you are seeing the house as it truly was when the Glessner family lived here.

Liz Snyder

Not handicap acceptable.

Kelly McCabe

Great knowledge staff, amazing building and back story. I went in a special to hour tour which showed more than the regular tour... Worth the money and getting up early in a Saturday.

Ana Keller

Excelente passeio, visita guiada muito interessante e informativa. Existe um horário de entrada gratuita. Muito para ver. Atendimento simpático e guia competente. Sugiro visitar apenas depois da Clarke House se possível pois a Clarke House é muito mais simples e pode parece sem graça após a Glessner. De qualquer forma os dois são bons passeios e recomendo. Tenha em mente que é uma visita com muito para ver e alguns lances de escada.

Jacob Pfaff

Amazing property on historic Prarie street.

John Wilkie

This was best Chicago house tour I've ever been on ever. First off, everything inside (99.999%) is the original furniture and relics of the house so you get an actual view of how this successful family lived in their heyday. The outside might look castly and maybe even plain, but the inside is one of the most gorgeous interiors that I've ever seen. Strikingly elegant and beautiful. The docent (teacher tour guide) was amazing and took us all through the house and explained how the space was arranged and how the house was so forward thinking in the way it was designed and built. She even pointed me toward a couple other local sites when the tour was finished. This tour is also free on certain days and times so take full advantage.

Ekaterina Soboleva

Loved our knowledgeable guide and the building itself

Joyce Jackson

Love the place .

Nico Dee

Interesting history

Areli Varela-Coleman

Great place to have a party

Christine Sardina

Love, love, love it! The 2nd time last year we couldn't view. The whole house. Not sure why.

Steve Pickens

Incredible home that really takes you back in time once you're inside.

Laykoon Chew

A very organised and well run tour and a surprisingly pleasant experience! From the initial registration, the tour : background, the flow, the details, background, storyline, architectural design..also had another personnel reminding us on safety (eg holding hand rails) .. good fun learning experience... Big thumbs up to our docent, very knowledgeable and very professional .. good job to keep this effort going...

cebmajor

great. nice, lots of people smoking. sewage stuff too. real crowded but a nice place

Thomas SIMON

Superbe visite guidée, très intéressante !

Justyna Z

Worth the trip. Really nice place to visit on a rainy day. Our guide was very knowledgeable.

tir maldonado

I like the arquitecture

Dionne Baux

#historic preservation

Dan Rocha

The most well-preserved connection to the historic prairie district. A must-see.

Karoline Barkjohn

Wonderful venue for a wedding reception in the outdoor courtyard of the house. Took an interesting short tour of the house as well.

Melissa Blank

This house is amazing. It has been impeccably restored and has an astonishing amount of the original furnishings, thanks to William Tyre & staff's recovery work. If you can get a full private tour, you will not be disappointed.

Anette Bauer

A fabulous example of a nineteenth century home that was built by one of Chicago's millionaire families of that period. It is amazing that so much of the furniture and decor on display has been preserved and was actually owned by the family. The tours are kept small and the docents are extremely knowledgeable and interesting. The museum is a short walk from the Hyatt Regency at McCormick Place, and an even shorter walk from the Marriott Marquis Chicago. If you are attending an event at either if these hotels you should definitely check out both Glessner house and the Henry B. Clarke House, which are oft overlooked gems.

Jamielee F

This place is absolutely beautiful and can be rented out for events as well as they give tours. Well worth it

Tina Mulkey

It was a lovely space for the private event I attended. It's a rustic, but warm feel.

Dannielle jackson

I never visit a city without trying to see at least a few restored historic mansions . I have never been to a house museum with the quality and quantity of original furnishings in it !! Docents are super classy and well informed but not snobbish .

Amanda Akin-Palmer

House is definitely different than most of the houses from that time period. Tour guide was great Only negative is parking

Ankur Kothari

Not that impressive of an event venue

Brent Barron

Wow. The gilded age on full display.

cassandra smith

A really well run museum

Jean Pluta

Wonderful look into life in late 1800's at a beautiful architecturally.significant home.

Liberty Jones

Beautiful expansive remnant of Chicago history!

Jake Fishbaugh

Incredible docent, wonderful tour, can't wait to tour again

Ian M

Only got to see about 20% of this house during the open architecture weekend. It was just a house (nice inside though).

Anthony Radulovich

Beautifully restored home and Stewart gave a wonderful guided tour.

Grigol Makharadze

Very Interesting house museum with major historical significance. The tour is quite interesting and tour guide is very well prepared. They have free tours on Wednesdays and the did this free tour despite the fact, that only two people arrived at tour time.

Sarah Kuether

Really enjoyed my visit here. Amazing first-hand experience of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Docents are very knowledgeable and eager to share what they know. Wednesdays are free!

Christian Devotionals

Everyone was excellent, from the tour guide to her assistant. Knowledgeable with stories. I only wish they had a bit more content given the cost of entry. A visit to the Fifa office across the street, which is located in a house that is a contemporary of the Glessner House, would be a welcome addition.

Lance Loiselle

Super cool iconic Chicago museum

Jillian Mayers

Such a pretty place in the South Loop. The summer concert series is pretty cool... sort of like a small Ravinia where you can bring a picnic and listen to live music. The house is in great condition and the docents are very knowledgeable. Check out this hidden gem when you have a chance!

Agencija Web

A National Historic Landmark, Glessner House was designed by noted American architect Henry Hobson Richardson and completed in 1887. It remains an internationally-known architectural treasure in Chicago. A radical departure from traditional Victorian architecture, the structure served as an inspiration to architects such as Louis Sullivan, Mies van der Rohe, and the young Frank Lloyd Wright and helped redefine domestic architecture.

Deanna Haynes

Our guide was amazing and had so much knowledge. Make sure to have 2hrs set aside for the tour.

Jean T Kiwiet

Absolutely beautiful. Went there for a wedding in the courtyard and it was perfect.

Carmen Rivera

I loved the house and grounds. There is park attach, crop garden, and children play area on the side and back of the house. Other sightseeing close by.

Stephanie Webber

I remember when this theater opened. I was there the first few months of opening and of course it is going to be in picture perfect condition. I love this place.

Martin Colianni

Very neat history, architecture, and guided tour.

Josh Walter

A must see place. Very beautiful

Unglaublich Charlatan

Great place to visit as an architectural student or history fan. The house is built by one of the wealthiest in Chicago at that time and remains one of the few that still stands till this day. The house itself inside include furnitures, art collections and chronicles of the family. They are still keeping further bringing in more renovations and collections. Absolutely worth visiting.

John McHugh

Extraordinary decorative arts.

Annick Terrand

Nice time. Good guide. This house is so prety

Jocelyn Clark

Beautiful venue

David Gerding

Beautiful window into the lifestyle of the weslthiest American gilded-age citizens.

Dave Richard

Fascinating architecture and a wonderful tour. Small museum also contains lots of bery interesting history.

Marsha Stanley

Too cold

Samella Johnson

This is beautiful house.

Scott Clark

Excellent house museum. One hour tour with wonderful friendly and knowledgeable docent

Joshua Minden

Very interesting and informative, I would go again just to take it in a second time.

María Vides

(Translated by Google) Interesting and nice to know about this English family (Original) Interesante y lindo conocer de esta familia Ingles

Lindsay Heller

This house is out of this world. Architecturally significant (Henry Hobson Richardson ❤️❤️❤️), and filled with original furnishings and decor. Including some gorgeous William Morris prints.

Sheila Everhart

Beautiful old house wish I could live there. I love old houses.

Ian Devine

The tours are $15 and are definitely worth it. The house is beautiful and the rooms have items that were originally there. If you want a piece of Chicago history you need to check this out!

Bob Bojorquez

We enjoyed the tour. We went during the week and was a very all group. Very interesting and thorough tour. Very nice property. Staff are great.

Alan

Mr. Irving's tour was very thorough, placing the house in context in its time and place and highlighting the ways and means of its restoration and preservation.

Ronney Hunter Jr.

Very nice place any type of reception...

Mike McNally

If you're into house museums, this one is definitely worth a visit. Located a little ways south of the Loop, about a 25 minute walk from the Museum Campus, it's a remnant of a once-regal neighborhood. In that respect, the house stands out as being distinctly out of step. Inside, the house is architecturally fascinating, with lots of dramatic design features. Lots of beautiful (though restrained, especially in comparison to what you'd see at the Driehaus museum) woodwork throughout, and a bright airy design that exploits natural light. The tours include the facilities for the house staff, something that always scores points with me. It's pretty big so the tour lasts an hour or more. Our tour guide was delightfully enthusiastic and quite knowledgeable. One of my favorite house museums ever.

Matt Sherry

Great tour by the docent.

Noor Safadi

The tour was nice, a lot of history behind the place. Wednesday's are free!

Jazan Northrop

Fun/ interesting tour.

K. A.M

Gorgeous

Robert H.

This is a hidden gem. Not only a unique piece of American architecture, but a time capsule of the original furnishings. Whether you enjoy Chicago history or a fan of architecture the Glessner House is a must see. I have visited several times the past twenty years and there is always something new to see. It seems they have been restoring several rooms the past few years. These are great tours!

Julio Eccheli

Glessner house guided tour is amazing. The guide showed the group all the house and told us about Glessner family. It's a very nice opportunity to learn a bit more about how wealthy people used to live decades ago.

Harold Wang

Please don't bring your children to the museum if they are under 10 years old. The woman at reception would give you horrible experience that you have never had if you bring your kindergarten children. We visited the museum on 09/22/18. Since we came in, this woman had been continuously spying on us with bad manners. She shouted sensitively 'No touching' before we got close to the museum model in the tour waiting room and so on and so forth. Even other visitors who are in the waiting room shook their heads with surprise and incomprehension. We have visited more than 50 museums all over the world, and this is the first time we met such an unprofessional staff. We suggest that Glessner House Museum makes a sign 'No kids' or you should treat all the visitors friendly. Although other staffs are nice, we have to give one star.

cassi nunez

Great place for events..atomsphere and community very welcoming

Andrea Cortes

Super interesting. And the front of the house.... wow! it's beautiful.

Alban H

The place is cozy and typical. Great neighborhood.