by Judy Bereza, Guest Blogger

The Guilded Age lives on in downtown Chicago.  This former “Marble Palace”has been reborn as the Driehaus Museum.  This remarkable house museum was the highlight of a recent visit to Chicago.  The house was beautifully decorated f or Christmas, an additional treat for visitors.

The history of the house is fascinating.  It was built in 1879, shortly after the great Chicago fire, and was touted as the first “fire proof” house constructed in Chicago by Samuel Nickerson, a prominent banker.  He and his wife lived there until 1900, when it was sold to the Fischer family. 

 After his death of Lucius George Fischer,  his daughter and family occupied the house until 1919, when a group of wealthy. Chicagoans purchased it and donated it to the American College of Surgeons.

This act of philanthropy prevented it from being destroyed.  They used the house as their administrative headquarters and built an auditorium next door for meetings and lectures. 

 Now it gets interesting.  After the Surgeons moved out in 1965, it was leased to a variety of tenants until 2003.  At that point, it was once again in danger of being demolished.  Enter Richard Driehaus, an avid collector of the decorative arts, and prominent Chicagofinancier.  He visited the now rather shabby house initially to purchase another piece of decorative art, and was transfixed.  He bought it, and began a fiveyear restoration. 

 The description of what was undertaken to bring Driehaus’s vision to life is jaw dropping.  Hundreds of skilled craftsmen and over 100 companies were brought on board to oversee the restoration.  What emerged is “One of the finest 19th century houses in the country.”  Not only is it a remarkable house museum, but it also hosts rotating exhibitions.

When we visited, the current exhibition featured Louis Tiffany.  If you have an opportunity to visit Chicago, put it on your “to do” list. You will be rewarded.

For more about this amazing venue: here’s the link describing everything you need to know to visit. https://driehausmuseum.org

Another source of information is a blog post about an exhibition at the Drieshaus Museum.  Look closely and you can see the decorative interiors.  DesignDestinations. Click here. 

Judy loves to travel with family and friends, taking off on adventures far and near with her husband, family and friends.  A retired interior designer, Judy divides her time between Michigan and Florida, while making many trips each year to visit grandchildren in other states.