Embodying Louis Sullivan’s desire for a new form of American architecture, this house marks a significant departure from the prevailing Victorian aesthetic. Frank Lloyd Wright would call it “the first modern house in America.”

James Charnley, a Chicago lumberman, was a dedicated member of the Chicago Literary Club. His family’s interest in reading is evidenced by the built-in bookcases lining the walls of the library.

The ornament of the Charnley-Persky House is characteristic of both Sullivan and Wright, seen in elaborate hand carvings as well as machine-made forms and decorative panels, utilizing shapes both sinuous and geometric.

The Charnley-Persky House has six fireplaces—half architect-designed, half stock catalog pieces. The library fireplace mantel combines design elements from both Sullivan and Wright.

This former residence on Chicago’s Gold Coast is one of only a few extant buildings that display the combined prodigious talents of architects Louis H. Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Today the Charnley-Persky House serves as headquarters for the Society of Architectural Historians. The international organization promotes the study, interpretation, and conservation of architecture, design, landscapes, and urbanism worldwide.

During a foundation excavation in 2002, a late 19th-century garbage pit was discovered adjacent to the house. The landfill contained a range of items, including fine china, medicinal bottles, stoneware, and toiletries. An archaeological dig was sponsored by the Society of Architectural Historians in 2010, unearthing additional artifacts, and another dig is planned for the future.

The Charnley family employed two servants who lived in separate quarters on the third floor. Connecting their rooms to the basement kitchen is a servants’ staircase with access doors to each floor which could be locked, excluding them from the main house.

The stained glass surrounding the interior entry door is distinctly different from the ornament found in the rest of the Charnley-Persky House. It is very similar to art glass found in the Blossom House in the Kenwood neighborhood of Chicago, which was designed by Wright around the same time

The most commanding feature of the second floor hall is the 6 x 17 ft. screen, which conceals the stairway to the third floor. The balusters are attenuated, narrowing as they rise, and are similar in shape to the copper weed holders Wright was designing at the time.