Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation

05/21/2026

Join the Charnley-Persky House Museum and the Society of Architectural Historians on June 14 for an afternoon of Chicago history, architecture, and inspiration on a walking tour of Astor Street led by fourth-generation Chicagoan Sally Sexton Kalmbach. You'll be introduced to the story and architects behind one of Chicago's most famous happenings—the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893.

The tour will be followed by a reception at the Charnley-Persky House. Proceeds support the Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation.

Reserve your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/astor-street-tour-tickets-1989862980741?aff=Facebook

05/12/2026

We're excited to announce that the Charnley-Persky House Museum has a new website! 💻 Visit charnleyperskyhouse.org to book tours of the house, learn about its history, check out our events calendar, and more.

04/29/2026

Tickets are going fast for the next Charnley Conversations lecture, The Life and Work of George W. Maher, on May 14! Architectural historian Kenneth Jellema will go back to George W. Maher's roots in Charleston, West Virginia in 1864, discussing his apprenticeships, as well as his independent work starting in 1887. GW Maher created many works all over the Midwest, including over 40 buildings in Kenilworth, Illinois, where he lived.

Join us for a glass of wine and light bites at 5:30 p.m., followed by the presentation, and more conversation afterwards. Proceeds support the Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation and The George W. Maher Society.

Reserve your ticket: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-life-and-work-of-george-w-maher-tickets-1982197872195?aff=Facebook

Photo by Kevin Brown of Pleasant Home Foundation/The George W. Maher Society

03/12/2026

Our colleagues at Preservation Chicago are circulating a petition to stop the demolition of the Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room, designed in 1893 by architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler. The room was recently included in Preservation Chicago's 2026 Most Endangered list.

Read the full statement: https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-demolition-of-the-chicago-stock-exchange-trading-room?recruiter=909035684&recruited_by_id=f4ba7710-dc52-11e8-9250-c7e231158f8a&utm_source=share_petition&utm_campaign=psf_combo_share_initial&utm_term=psf&utm_medium=copylink&utm_content=cl_sharecopy_491064505_en-US%3A4&share_id=ndsqBkt5c5

Help save the fabulous Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room that the Art Institute of Chicago wants to demolish for a new building that could go elsewhere. Sign the change.org petition -- the link is below. Legendary photographer Richard Nickel lost his life while saving architectural remnants and photographing the destruction as the Stock Exchange Building was being demolished. Dedicated architects and philanthropists spent years and more than a million dollars to reconstruct it at the Art Institute. It's amazing to be able to walk into the space today. Don't let it disappear.
https://c.org/ndsqBkt5c5

03/06/2026

Tickets are available now for our next Charnley Conversations lecture: The Fight to Save Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower. Barbara Gordon, Executive Director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, will discuss how the Chicago-based nonprofit protects Wright’s legacy nationwide—and how it stepped in during one of the most critical moments in the history of Wright’s only realized skyscraper.

Join us at the Charnley-Persky House for a glass of wine and snacks at 5:30 p.m., followed by the presentation and a reception and more conversation afterwards. Proceeds will support the Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation. Reserve your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-fight-to-save-frank-lloyd-wrights-price-tower-tickets-1982050794281?aff=Facebook

Photo by Dell Upton

03/03/2026

Last week, architect Matt McNicholas shared insights on the restoration of the atrium ceiling of the famed 1889 Auditorium Theatre designed by Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan at our second Charnley Conversations lecture. Attendees had the opportunity to see close-up images of the recently uncovered original Sullivan stencil work revealed on the ceiling (unseen in more than 100 years)!

🗓️ Save the date for our next lecture on March 19: The Fight to Save Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower. Tickets are available now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-fight-to-save-frank-lloyd-wrights-price-tower-tickets-1982050794281?aff=Facebook

02/23/2026

Tickets are still available for our February 24 Charnley Conversations lecture, New Renovations of Adler & Sullivan’s 1889 Auditorium Theatre, at the Charnley-Persky House!

Join us for light bites as architect Matt McNicholas discusses the restoration of the Atrium ceiling of the famed 1889 Auditorium Theatre designed by the dynamic duo of Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, and their (later famous) draftsmen Frank Lloyd Wright and George Grant Elmslie.

🎟️ Reserve your tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-renovations-of-adler-sullivans-1889-auditorium-theatre-tickets-1982049278748?aff=Facebook

Proceeds support the Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation.

02/10/2026

Today’s warm front has us dreaming of summer on Astor Street! ☀️

02/04/2026

Join us for our next Charnley Conversations lecture, New Renovations of Adler & Sullivan’s 1889 Auditorium Theatre, on February 24 at the Charnley-Persky House!

Architect, preservationist, and ornamental designer Matt McNicholas will discuss the restoration of the Atrium ceiling of the famed 1889 Auditorium Theatre designed by the dynamic duo of Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, and their (later famous) draftsmen in Frank Lloyd Wright and George Grant Elmslie.

🎟️ Tickets are available now: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/new-renovations-of-adler-sullivans-1889-auditorium-theatre-tickets-1982049278748?aff=Facebook

Proceeds support the continued preservation of the Charnley-Persky House Museum.

01/23/2026

Thank you to everyone who attended our first Charnley Conversations lecture at the Charnley-Persky house last evening! 🌟 This lecture, Past & Present Preservation: Women in Architecture & Preservation, was produced in partnership with the Edith Farnsworth House, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and generated great conversation about how women are shaping the field of preservation.

🗓️ Save the date for our next Charnley Conversations lecture on February 24: Architect Matt McNicholas will discuss new restoration projects at Louis Sullivan’s Auditorium Theatre. Tickets will be available on Eventbrite soon.