Clarke House Museum
Clarke House Museum
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About
Clarke House is oldest surviving building in the original Chicago city limits. Built in 1836 for New York businessman Henry Brown Clarke, the timber frame structure is a rare example of domestic architecture from Chicago's earliest days. Guided tours of Clarke House and related educational programming explore life in early Chicago through the social and cultural experiences of the Clarke family, the symbolism of Greek Revival architecture, and the fascinating preservation of this local landmark. Clarke House Museum is the centerpiece of Chicago Women's Park & Gardens in the Prairie Avenue Historic District. Operated as a museum by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events since 1982, it is furnished with period artifacts through the generosity of The National Society of The Colonial Dames of America in The State of Illinois, and interpreted through a partnership with Glessner House Museum.
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Neighborhood: South Loop
This downtown neighborhood offers a variety of activities ranging from cultural to sporting. If you happen to visit during football season, you may bump into a boisterous few fans on their way to a Bears game on the southernmost tip of South Loop. On the flip side, Museum Campus offers cultural and educational experiences in its planetarium, museum and aquarium, all situated along the lakefront. Grant Park is one of Chicago’s premier locations for green space and recreation with views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline. Take a stroll down memory lane in the historic Prairie District where you can enjoy views of old historic homes. Restaurants, theaters, and clubs are spread throughout the neighborhood along with a collection of burger joints along Michigan Avenue just across from the park.
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- Cermak–McCormick Place • 8 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
24 reviews
Excellent
9
Very good
12
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
1
Taylor B
Chicago, IL8,491 contributions
May 2023 • Couples
I first became acquainted with the Henry B. Clarke House or Clarke-Ford House in 1977. I was waiting for my car to be repaired at a body shop on Chicago's South Side so I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. I walked smack-dab into the Henry B. Clarke House. Built in 1836 and considered the oldest existing house ever built in Chicago, it was in the process of being moved to its current location at 1827 South Indiana Avenue, a block east of Michigan Avenue, in a park and gardens, part of the Prairie Avenue Historic District. Today, the Greek Revival structure looks as it did after Clarke's death in 1849, when his wife renovated the house by adding an elaborate back portico with Doric columns, an Italianate cupola and rooms on the south side of the house while decorating the dining room and front parlor. The Clarke House was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1970 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. In 2022, the house became known as the Clarke-Ford House to recognize the support of Bishop Louis Henry Ford, a local church leader who did much to preserve and repair the house and worked to bring its history to the attention of the city. The Bishop Ford Freeway is also named in his honor.
Written May 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aerowing
Monee, IL5,951 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
This house is an amazing piece of Chicago history known little to most people. We did a free tour on Saturday at 1pm, there is also another tour at 2:30 as well. The tour lasted a little over an hour and was very informative. We learned a lot about the house itself, the owners and of Chicago back in the 1800s. I highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in the history of Chicago.
Written March 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Eric P
Jacksonville, FL105 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
The Clarke House and museum presents an amazing glimpse into Chicago's history from 1803 through the 1850 and more. The narrative is presented in the story of the oldest surviving Greek Revival timber construction. The house is the ONLY surviving construction of this type near Chicago. This remarkable house preserves much original timber, lathe and plaster construction and period artifacts. It also exemplifies the City of Chicago results of preserving an irreplaceable treasure.
This city park setting offers FREE docent-led tours. It is nested in the remarkable Prairie Street neighborhood on the small (and beautiful) grounds of the Chicago Women's Park and Gardens. Also, take in the adjacent Glessner House Museum.
Easily accessible by public transportation.
This city park setting offers FREE docent-led tours. It is nested in the remarkable Prairie Street neighborhood on the small (and beautiful) grounds of the Chicago Women's Park and Gardens. Also, take in the adjacent Glessner House Museum.
Easily accessible by public transportation.
Written October 4, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
bLiselotte
Palatine, IL598 contributions
Jun 2015 • Solo
Visited the Clarke House along with the Glessner House. I had first learned about them from a local show on PBS. Finally got a chance to visit and glad I did. I did a combined tour with the Glessner House on Wednesday which happens to be free. A few pieces of info. You need to start the tour from the Glessner House and the places are limited to 15 people due to the size of the house. There are only 2 tours a day. If you are driving allow extra time to get parked. I didn't see a parking lot and the street parking was several blocks away.
The House was very pretty. I am always looking for new insight when visiting a house museum. Here they actually had a coal stove broken down and explained how it gets cleaned every year. The basement had a little show and tell area with some pictures and local history. While none of the furnishings were specific to the house all were true to the era. The Docent was very nice and well informed.
The House was very pretty. I am always looking for new insight when visiting a house museum. Here they actually had a coal stove broken down and explained how it gets cleaned every year. The basement had a little show and tell area with some pictures and local history. While none of the furnishings were specific to the house all were true to the era. The Docent was very nice and well informed.
Written June 4, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Taylor B
Chicago, IL8,491 contributions
Jan 2015 • Couples
I first became aware of the Henry B. Clarke House in 1977. It was quite by accident. I had been in an automobile accident (not my fault, by the way) in Bloomington, Illinois, while covering the State Amateur golf tournament for the Chicago Daily News. The damage was such that the car had to be loaded in a trailer and transported to a repair shop on Indiana Avenue on Chicago's Near South Side. So I went to the shop to pick up my car. It wasn't ready yet. "Just an hour or two more," I was told. So what to do? I walked over to the Prairie Avenue Historic District. On my way back to the shop, I came face-to-face with the Clarke House, which was in the stage of being moved from its original location near 17th and Michigan Avenue to its present site at 1827 South Indiana. The chief contractor was there at the time and generously gave me a brief tour and a history lecture to boot. The skinny is the Clarke House, built in 1836, is the oldest surviving house in Chicago, having survived the Chicago Fire, the financial panic of 1937 and two moves. The Greek Revival style house originally was built on a 20-acre tract of land near Michigan Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets. Its current location in a park and gardens is part of the Prairie Avenue Historic District. The house now is a museum. The Clarke House was designated as a Chicago Landmark in 1970 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Henry B. Clarke came to Chicago from New York State in 1933 and entered the hardware business. He built his home on the South Side of the Chicago River, becoming the first wealthy Chicagoan to build there. In time, others followed and established mansions on Prairie Avenue. Clarke died in 1849. His widow lived in the house until 1860, selling land to support her family and to renovate the house. In 1871, John Chrimes purchased the house and moved it to 45th and Wabash Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood. In 1977, the City of Chicago purchased the house and moved it to its current location, an ambitious project that included lifting the entire building over the El tracks on the Englewood-Jackson Park line. Today, the Clarke House Museum is operated as a historic museum. It includes period furniture, decorative arts, ceramics, glassware, photographs, publications and archives that show what life was like for a family in Chicago during the city's formative years before the Civil War. Guided tours are available by arrangement with the neighboring Glessner House Museum on Prairie Avenue. Along with the Prairie Avenue mansions, it is an interesting step back into time to the Gilded Age of Chicago.
Written January 17, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Taylor B
Chicago, IL8,491 contributions
Nov 2018
I still remember the first time I saw the Henry B. Clarke House. It was in 1977. The City of Chicago had purchased the house and moved it to its current location at 1827 South Indiana Avenue in the historic Prairie Avenue Historic District. I was in the neighborhood because my car was being repaired at a nearby shop. I was waiting for the work to be completed so I took a stroll around the neighborhood, past the Glessner House and other Gilded Age houses along South Prairie Avenue. And I turned the corner on South Indiana Avenue and came upon the Clarke House, which was undergoing restoration and renovation before being opened to the public. A workman invited me to come in and look around. It prompted me to do some historical research on Henry Brown Clarke and his house, often described as the oldest surviving house in Chicago. The Clark House was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1970 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. Henry Brown Clarke, a native New Yorker, came to Chicago in 1833. He entered into the hardware business and provided building materials to the growing Chicago populace. The house was built in 1836. Originally built on 20.08 acres of land near Michigan Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets, it has been moved twice, most recently in 1977 to its current location at 1827 South Indiana Avenue, in a park and gardens that is part of the Prairie Avenue Historic District. Clarke's decision to build south of the Chicago River made him the first wealthy Chicagoan to build there. Clarke died in 1849 after being stricken with cholera. His widow lived in the house until 1860. She renovated the house, adding an elaborate back portico with Doric columns and an Italianate cupola. In 1871, John Chrimes, a prominent Chicago tailor, bought the house and moved it farther south to 45th and Wabash in what was then a township of Hyde Park. Later, it was the working home of Bishop Louis Henry Ford, for whom the Bishop Ford Expressway was named. In 1977, the house was moved to its current location, a project that included lifting the entire building over the El tracks on the Englewood-Jackson Park line. Today, the Clarke House Museum is operated as a historic house museum by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. Guided tours are available by appointment with the neighborhood Glessner House Museum.
Written November 12, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
howard p M
Chicago, IL87 contributions
Jun 2018 • Solo
I am Chicago born and raised. An architect. I was married in the Glessner House. I love this part of Chicago.
The bulding is in need of repairs and painted. Interior guided tours are rushed and poorly presented. My docent was very old, spoke softly, and yelled at me very loudly when I took 3 steps away from the crowd with screaming children into another room. It was so dark he needed laser pointers and a flashlight. I was unimpressed.
Perhaps you will get a docent who is not an octogenarian. Perhaps you will be allowed to read the displays before you are told to move on with the security guard shadowing you.
I doubt I will return, I left after I was reprimanded.
The bulding is in need of repairs and painted. Interior guided tours are rushed and poorly presented. My docent was very old, spoke softly, and yelled at me very loudly when I took 3 steps away from the crowd with screaming children into another room. It was so dark he needed laser pointers and a flashlight. I was unimpressed.
Perhaps you will get a docent who is not an octogenarian. Perhaps you will be allowed to read the displays before you are told to move on with the security guard shadowing you.
I doubt I will return, I left after I was reprimanded.
Written June 24, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Diane K
Venice, FL4,579 contributions
Jul 2015 • Friends
Our free one hour tour (on Wednesdays) was quite interesting. The docent was extremely knowlegeable of the house and history of the city from that time period. You meet for the tours at the Glessner House and then the tour walks to the Clarke House for the 1st hour and then you go to the Glessner House for an additional tour. The Clarke home had been moved a few times - and one time over the El. Quite interesting.
Written July 8, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul P
Dallas, TX470 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
The Clarke House has a great history and our docent did a great job of telling the story. The museum is owned by the City of Chicago and is therefore free.
The house feels like it should be a southern plantation home as opposed to something from Chicago. All of the furnishings are period correct but not original to the house.
There is an elevator in the house for those that need it, but it was not working the day we were there.
The house feels like it should be a southern plantation home as opposed to something from Chicago. All of the furnishings are period correct but not original to the house.
There is an elevator in the house for those that need it, but it was not working the day we were there.
Written June 5, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marion F
New York City, NY298 contributions
Jan 2018 • Solo
This was a interesting museum and the tour guide was wry and fun, you could tell he knew his history and not just of the house.
The only minus is the odd hours, they are only open 3 days a week for 3 hours on those days, its worth a visit if possible, being able to walk thru a house that survived the great Chicago fire is nothing to sneeze at
The only minus is the odd hours, they are only open 3 days a week for 3 hours on those days, its worth a visit if possible, being able to walk thru a house that survived the great Chicago fire is nothing to sneeze at
Written January 29, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there an admission fee and how long does it take to walk around?
Written November 19, 2017
There is no admission fee to the Clarke House and the tour takes about one hour. The Glessner House is nearby, too.
Written November 20, 2017
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