The refined and sophisticated detailing of the Glessner House—a distinct departure from other homes of the period—combines with a unique floor plan to represent an extremely successful collaboration between Henry Hobson Richardson, a highly innovative architect, and his forward-thinking clients.

Centered by a huge partner’s desk used by John and Frances Glessner, the library contains nearly 3,000 original volumes, including many inscribed by the authors, as well as books read and discussed in Frances’s Monday Morning Reading Class, which met for over 35 years in the room.

In furnishing their new home, the Glessners looked toward the English Arts and Crafts movement for inspiration, selecting numerous textiles, wallpapers, and carpets produced by Morris & Co. as well as tiles and ceramics by William De Morgan.

Glessner House Museum contains the largest collection of furniture, picture frames, and ceramics by Isaac Elwood Scott, a talented designer and close friend of the Glessners, who designed pieces in Modern Gothic and Eastlake styles.

Eleven fireplaces provided not only physical warmth but a cozy and inviting interior, as requested by the Glessners during the design phase of the house. Live embers from the final fire in their old home were carried to light the first fire in their new home, providing a continuum of welcoming hospitality.

John Glessner was a founding guarantor and long-time trustee of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Together with his wife Frances, they provided significant financial support to the organization and friendship to the first conductors, Theodore Thomas and Frederick Stock, and welcomed many of the leading musicians in the world into their home.

The parlor, a jewel-box space within the house, was the primary entertaining space for the Glessners. Centered by a custom Steinway piano and decorated with an elaborate hand-painted canvas wall covering, the room was the scene of countless intimate gatherings and musical entertainments.

The house has been extensively and accurately restored to its appearance in the 1890s due in large part to an extraordinary archive of material preserved by the family. That archive includes journals, manuscripts, correspondence, and an important collection of historic photos taken by the Glessners’ son George, a talented amateur photographer.

An important part of the Glessner House's design is the distinct separation of servant spaces, including work areas such as the kitchen wing and coach house, living quarters with separate entrances for male and female staff, and circulation spaces allowing the servants to travel through the house without disrupting family.

Frances Glessner was a legendary hostess, talented silversmith, trained beekeeper, and expert needle worker. Her daughter, Frances Glessner Lee, achieved fame as a leader in the field of forensic science and was appointed the first female state police captain in the country in 1943.