Charnley-Persky House Museum Foundation

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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/.

09/03/2026

Happy birthday to Louis Sullivan, who was born on this day in 1856 in Boston. 🎂 Sullivan first came to Chicago after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 to join in the rebuilding effort before studying architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

In 1879, Sullivan joined the respected engineer Dankmar Adler, who had been practicing in Chicago since 1866. For fourteen years, this relationship produced buildings distinguished by both their design and engineering innovations. Sullivan and Adler’s work contributed to the development of the uniquely American building type, the skyscraper, and their partnership produced such remarkable structures as the Auditorium Building (1886–1889) in Chicago, the Wainwright Building (1890–1891) in St. Louis, the Chicago Stock Exchange (1893–1894, demolished 1972), and the Guaranty Building (1894-1895) in Buffalo, New York. Their most renowned residential design was the commission for James Charnley on Astor Street in Chicago, the Charnley-Persky House, which was completed in 1892.

Photo 1: Sullivaniana Collection, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago. Digital File # 193101.LHS_Portrait_1876
Photo 2: Wainwright Building, St. Louis, Missouri. Photo courtesy of Warren LeMay, Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic.
Photo 3: Guaranty (Prudential) Building, Buffalo, New York. Photo by David Schalliol.
Photo 4: Charnley-Persky House, Chicago, Illinois. Photo by James Caulfield.

09/01/2026

Tickets are on sale now for our biggest party and fundraiser of the year! ✨ Join us at SAH Celebrates on November 13 in Chicago for an unforgettable evening dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of the built environment. Your attendance and contributions directly support the stewardship of our historic headquarters at the Charnley-Persky House and aid SAH’s scholarly research and educational programs.

Learn more and reserve your tickets: https://sah.org/programs/sah-celebrates/

07/15/2026

Looking for some indoor activities during this heatwave? ☀️ Book a tour of the Charnley-Persky House for an up-close look at the details that stand as evidence of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright’s creativity in collaboration.

Tours are held on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Reserve your tickets now on our website: https://charnleyperskyhouse.org/visit-the-house/

Photo by Eric Nordstrom

06/16/2026

On Sunday, we wrapped up the first season of our Charnley Conversations lecture series with an Astor Street walking tour led by historian Sally Sexton Kalmbach. Attendees learned about the history of several examples of residential architecture in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood, ending with a reception at the Charnley-Persky House.

Stay tuned for more lectures at the Charnley-Persky House this fall! Sign up for our email list to receive updates on upcoming events: https://sah.informz.net/sah/pages/CPHEmailForm

06/08/2026

Happy birthday to Frank Lloyd Wright, who was born on this day in 1867 in Wisconsin. In 1887, architect Louis Sullivan hired Wright as a draftsman to assist with construction drawings for the Auditorium Building (1887–1889). As a junior draftsman, Wright also assisted with residential commissions, including the Charnley House. Today, the Charnley-Persky House is among the very few of Sullivan’s residential works that survive intact, and the only surviving one in Chicago built during the period that Wright worked in the Adler and Sullivan office.

Read more on our website: https://charnleyperskyhouse.org/about/

Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society, WHI-M96-188

06/02/2026

Summer is approaching! ☀️ Make a visit to the Charnley-Persky House part of your summer bucket list to see an extraordinary example of Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright’s creativity in collaboration.

Tours are offered three days a week:
📆WEDNESDAYS (free!) at 12 p.m.
📆FRIDAYS at 12 p.m.
📆SATURDAYS at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

Reserve your tickets today: https://charnleyperskyhouse.org/visit-the-house/

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

05/14/2026

Save the date! 📅✨ The SAH Celebrates Gala returns on November 13 at the Fortnightly of Chicago to shine a spotlight on the people preserving and promoting the history of architecture. More than a fun night out, this vital event raises much-needed funds to support the stewardship of the Charnley-Persky House and advance SAH’s scholarly programs and publications.

Learn more: https://sah.org/programs/sah-celebrates/

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 w**e 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

Address

1365 N Astor Street
Chicago, IL
60610

Telephone

+13125731365

Website

http://charnleyperskyhouse.org/

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