Charnley-Persky House to Take Part in Open House Chicago 2017

Charnley-Persky House, the landmark building that serves as the headquarters for SAH, will participate in the Chicago Architecture Foundation’s Open House Chicago, an annual, free, citywide festival that gives the public a behind-the-scenes look at many of Chicago’s great places and spaces. This year, the seventh annual Open House Chicago will take place on October 14-15 and include over 200 sites in 22 different neighborhoods. Charnley-Persky House will be open to CAF members only due to space constraints.

The James Charnley House, as it was originally known, was designed by Louis Sullivan with assistance from his draftsman, Frank Lloyd Wright, in 1891–1892 and is recognized as a pivotal work of modern American architecture. The design of the house represents a shift from the ornate details of Victorian architecture toward a simplification of surface and mass that prefigured Wright’s later Prairie School work. In 1995, Chicago philanthropist Seymour H. Persky donated funds to SAH to purchase the home, and it was renamed the Charnley-Persky House in his honor. A National Historic Landmark, the Charnley-Persky House Museum is open to the public for docent-led tours every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the year.

CAF is recruiting volunteers for Open House Chicago 2017. Perks of volunteering include a Priority Access Pass to cut the lines at all OHC sites, an OHC t-shirt and a discount at the Chicago Architecture Foundation store. Visit www.openhousechicago.org/volunteer to sign up and mention that Society of Architectural Historians recruited you.