House walks and showhouses give visitors a chance to take a glimpse inside some of the most impressive homes in the Chicago area. Here is a roundup of tours planned for this spring and summer season.
May
– Every Wednesday through Sunday, docent-guided tours are available through the Prairie Avenue House Museums of the Historic Clarke House and Glessner House Museums. Tours of the Clarke House, Chicago’s oldest residence, provide an in-depth look at the struggles of pioneer life. The Glessner House tour offers visitors a chance to view the near-complete collection of original furnishings and decorative objects of this 1887 masterpiece. Hours: Clarke House, noon, 1 and 2 p.m.; Glessner House, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Admission: For two houses, $8 for adults, $6 for students and senior citizens; for 1 house, $5 for adults, $4 for students and senior citizens. Call: 312-326-1480.
– The opulent home of barbed wire “baron” Isaac Ellwood, 509 N. 1st St., DeKalb. is shown on a guided tour every Tuesday through Sunday through early December. Rooms in the fully furnished mansion are much as the Ellwoods left them, including the mahogany-paneled dining room, the great English living room with its vast stone fireplace and the rotunda with a three-story spiral staircase. Hours: 1 and 3 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Admission: $4 for adults, $1 for children ages 6 to 14, free for children under 6. Call: 815-756-4609.
– The Latin School of Chicago is planning two rounds of spring house tours. The first round of walking tours will take place May 2 at four Gold Coast homes. The second round on May 9 will include five Lincoln Park homes. Hours: 10 a.m. to noon both days. Admission: $35 for each round, $60 for both. Call: 312-573-4698.
– The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation will hold its annual series of architectural tours with guided tours offered the first Sunday of each month. On May 3, see Wright-designed homes and other significant architecture during this exterior tour of River Forest. The tour departs from the River Forest Methodist Church, 7970 Lake St., River Forest. Hours: 2 p.m. Admission: $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and children ages 7 to 18. Call: 708-848-1976.
– Guided walks of the Historic Pullman District will be May 3, June 7, July 5, Aug. 2, Sept. 6 and Oct. 4 (the first Sundays of the month). All tours begin at the Historic Pullman Foundation’s Visitor Center, 11141 S. Cottage Grove Ave. Hours: 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. Admission: $4 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and $2.50 for students. Call: 773-785-8181.
– Chicago City Day School’s 10th annual “City Style” House Tour, featuring six homes on the Gold Coast, will be May 3. The tour includes a renovated 1880s brownstone that now is an 8,000-square-foot, single-family home, and a multimillion-dollar home equipped with a glass dining-room floor that can be looked through to see an indoor pool. The tour begins at St. Chrysostom’s Church, 1424 N. Dearborn St. Hours: 2 to 6 p.m. Admission: $85 in advance, $95 on tour day. Call: 773-525-0261.
– Joy-Us Jaunts, sponsored by the Joy Horwich Gallery, will visit a new Lake Shore Drive apartment May 8. Hours: 10:30 a.m. Admission: $60, which includes lunch; an optional visit to Art Expo at Navy Pier is an additional $10. Call: 773-327-3366.
– Four Glen Ellyn homes will be included on the 14th Annual Housewalk presented May 8 by the Glen Ellyn Infant Welfare Society. Four local floral designers will decorate the homes with fresh arrangements, and Tiffany & Co., Oak Brook, will be showcasing tablescape designs at each home. Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m. Admission: $15 in advance, $18 on tour day. Call: 630-469-1647.
– Historic Milwaukee Inc., in conjunction with the Historic Third Ward Association, will present its 17th annual Spaces and Traces tour May 9. This year’s tour features Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward, and a lecture on the history and architecture of the area. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $13 in advance by sending a check and a self-addressed business envelope before Friday to Historic Milwaukee Inc., P.O. Box 93309, Milwaukee, Wis. 53203. Call: 414-277-7795.
– The Evanston Historical Society’s annual House Walk has been a Mother’s Day tradition for 23 years and will continue this year May 10. Visit six private homes and enjoy a tour of areas of the Charles Gates Dawes house, which is not usually open to the public. Hours: noon to 5 p.m. Admission: $30 in advance, $35 on tour day. Call: 847-475-3410.
– Art Encounter, a non-profit visual-arts education organization, will sponsor a tour May 13 of a North Shore home belonging to a collector of ceramics, paintings, outdoor sculpture and antique clocks and lamps. Hours: 1:15 to 3 p.m. Admission: $20 for members (people can attend one tour as a non-member but must join for additional tours; annual membership is $35, $25 for seniors and artists). Call: 847-328-9222.
– The Delnor Community Hospital Auxiliary and Past Basket, a kitchen, bathroom and decorative accessories store, both in Geneva, will present a house walk May 15 to benefit the hospital’s Residential Living Center being built in St. Charles. Four homes in Geneva, St. Charles and Wayne, featuring the kitchens of Dave McFadden of Past Basket, will be included. Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Admission: $18, $15 for seniors; admission includes tea in a tea house. Call: 630-208-1011.
– The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation will hold its 24th annual Wright Plus house walk May 16. The walk features the interiors of eight private residences and two National Historic Landmarks in Oak Park. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $40 for members, $55 for non-members. Call: 708-848-1976.
– The Wilmette Historical Museum’s 1998 House Walk will be May 17. Tour four homes designed by architects Keck & Keck in Indian Hill Estates. Hours: 1 to 5 p.m. Admission: $20 in advance, $25 on tour day. Call: 847-853-7666.
– The 28th Annual Beverly Area Planning Association Home Tour May 17 will showcase five homes and a historic church in the Beverly Hills/Morgan Park neighborhood. Features of the tour include a restored Victorian painted lady, a Tudor and Trinity United Methodist Church, an impressive Gothic structure. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $15 in advance, $20 on tour day, $2 extra for guided bus tour. Call: 773-233-3100.
– Have lunch and tour the refurbished Dr. German House, a Victorian house built in 1884 for Morgan Park’s first physician. Dr. William German, during the Beverly Home Tour May 17. People wishing to have lunch at the Dr. German House are asked to reserve places for their approximate time of arrival by May 13. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: cost of lunch only (house tour is free). Call: 773-881-1831.
– The Flossmoor Service League will host its annual House Stroll May 20. The house walk includes four homes in Flossmoor. Hours: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission $20; an optional lunch is $14. Call: 708-799-0740.
– Art Encounter, a non-profit visual-arts education organization, will sponsor a May 20 tour of a North Shore home belonging to an art collector of sculpture and prints. Hours: 1:15 to 3 p.m. Admission: $20 for members (people can attend one tour as a non-member but must join for additional tours; annual membership is $35, $25 for seniors and artists). Call: 847-328-9222.
– Art Encounter, a non-profit visual-arts education organization, will sponsor a tour of the Northwest Side studio of two painters on May 27. Hours: 1:15 to 3 p.m. Admission: $20 for members (people can attend one tour as a non-member but must join for additional tours; annual membership is $35, $25 for seniors and artists). Call: 847-328-9222.
– The Winnetka Woman’s Club annual house walk will be May 28. Called “Lifestyles,” the tour will feature five homes that showcase the variety of lifestyles in Winnetka. A traditional, turn-of-the-century Colonial home, a 1950s Cape Cod house and an empty-nester cottage will be featured. Complimentary refreshments will be available in the morning. Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: $40. Call: 847-446-1830.
– Joy-Us Jaunts, sponsored by The Joy Horwich Gallery, is planning a tour May 29 of a contemporary duplex apartment on Michigan Avenue, the new Sinai Congregation designed by Dirk Lohan and the 1st American Craft Council show at Navy Pier. Hours: 10 a.m. Admission: $70. Call: 773-327-3366.
– The Historic Pullman Foundation will sponsor “Friends of the Florence ’98” May 30. The benefit supports the restoration of the 118-year-old Hotel Florence and promotes the Pullman District. Visit several Pullman homes, the hotel (including two floors usually not open to the public) and the district’s Visitor Center. Also enjoy a Victorian tea, an ice-cream social, silent and live auctions, and music. Hours: 3:30 p.m. Admission: $30, $10 for children 10 and under. Call: 773-785-8181.
– The Frederick Law Olmsted Society of Riverside will sponsor a house walk May 31 celebrating Riverside in the Jazz Age. Hours: noon to 5 p.m. Admission: $18 if purchased by May 15, $20 after. Call: 708-442-7941.
– ABODE (Admirers of Beautiful Old Dwellings of Elgin) will present its second annual house walk May 31. Featured will be homes in the Lord’s Park neighborhood, including eight homes that were built from the mid-1800s to 1928. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $8 in advance, $10 on tour day. Call: 847-742-3366.
June
– The Ragdale Foundation offers tours of the historic Howard Van Doren Shaw house and grounds at 1230 N. Green Bay Rd., Lake Forest, every Wednesday, June 3 through Sept. 2. Hours: tours begin at 10 a.m. Admission: $5. Call: 847-234-1063.
– Art Encounter, a non-profit visual-arts education organization, will sponsor a tour of the Evanston studio of an artist who creates clay sculptures and mixed-media assemblages on June 3. Hours: 1:15 to 3 p.m. Admission: $20 for members (people can attend one tour as a non-member but must join for additional tours; annual membership is $35, $25 for seniors and artists). Call: 847-328-9222.
– A free slide presentation and walking tour will be sponsored by Main Street Lockport June 6 and 7. Information for the self-guided exterior tour of local historic sites and homes will be available at the Visitor’s Center in the Gaylord Building, 200 W. 8th St., Lockport, and other locations around town. Hours: slide show, 2 p.m. each day; self-guided tours can be until 5 p.m. each day; the one guided tour each day will be noon to 1 p.m. Call 815-834-0700.
– The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation will hold a guided bike tour past Wright-designed homes in Oak Park June 7. The tour will depart from the Oak Park Visitors Center, 158 Forest Ave. Hours: 2 p.m. Admission: $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and children ages 7 to 18. Call: 708-848-1976.
– The Chicago Historical Society offers walking tours through some of the city’s oldest and most charming neighborhoods each month in the summer. The Gold Coast will be at: 1 p.m. June 8, July 6 and Aug. 3, and at 6:30 p.m. June 30. Old Town will be at: 1 p.m. June 15, July 13 and Aug. 10, and at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 25. Lincoln Park will be at: 1 p.m. June 22, July 20 and Aug. 17, and at 6:30 p.m. July 28. Admission: Each tour is $4 for members, $6 for non-members; preregistration for a combination of any three tours is $9 for members and $15 for non-members. Call: 312-642-4600.
– Art Encounter, a non-profit visual-arts education organization, will sponsor a June 10 tour of a west suburban home belonging to collectors of more than 200 works of art. Hours: 1:15 to 3 p.m. Admission: $20 for members (people can attend one tour as a non-member but must join for additional tours; annual membership is $35, $25 for seniors and artists). Call: 847-328-9222.
– Galena/Jo Daviess County Historical Society’s Annual June Tour of Galena Homes will be June 13 and 14. The tour will include five historic homes. Tickets may be purchased on tour weekend at any of the tour homes; the historical society, 211 S. Bench St.; the Tourist Information Center (Old Train Depot); and the DeSoto House Hotel, 230 S. Main St. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $10, free for children under 10. Call: 815-777-9129.
– Six homes, both old and new, will be part of a house tour on June 14 in La Grange benefiting The Des Plaines Valley Community Center, a social service agency serving western and southwestern Cook County. Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $25 in advance, $30 on tour day. Call: 708-458-6920.
– Northern Trust Bank and the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce will present the Naperville Heritage Society Home and Garden Tour June 14. Four homes in Naperville will be open. Hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission: $15 in advance, $20 on tour day; optional brunch at Emilio’s Meson Sabika in Naperville is $16.95. Call: 630-420-6017.
– Three homes and five gardens will be included on a house walk sponsored by the Arlington Heights Historical Society June 28. Hours: noon to 5 p.m. Admission: $15 in advance, $18 on tour day. Call: 847-255-1225.
– The South Haven, Mich., Organization of United Taxpayers will host Cottage Walk 1998 June 27. Visit six cottage/resort homes. Hours: noon to 5 p.m. EST. Admission: $10. Call: 616-637-5252.
– Lakefront SRO, a Chicago-based, not-for-profit organization that combats homelessness, will sponsor its annual House and Garden Tour June 27 in the Southwestern Michigan/Michiana area. Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: $65, which includes lunch and refreshments. Call: 773-561-0900.
– The Mid-South Planning and Development Commission will present its 4th Annual Bronzeville Historic House Tour June 28. Featured will be century-old mansions and elaborate graystones along Chicago’s mid-South Side. Hours: 1 to 5 p.m. for self-guided tour; guided bus tours will leave regularly between 1 and 3 p.m. Admission: $15 in advance, $20 on tour day (a garden party at 5 p.m. is included in admission). Call: 773-924-1330.
July
– The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation will sponsor a walking tour July 5 to view the exteriors of 24 buildings in Oak Park designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his Prairie School contemporaries. The tour departs from 400 W. Chicago Ave. Hours: 2 p.m. Admission: $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and children ages 7 to 18. Call: 708-848-1976.
August
– The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation will sponsor a guided bike tour past Oak Park’s famous Wright homes Aug. 2. The tour departs from the Oak Park Visitors Center, 158 Forest Ave. Hours: 2 p.m. Admission: $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens and children ages 7 to 18. Call: 708-848-1976.
