James Charnley House facts for kids
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James Charnley House
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The original symmetrical facade as it appeared in 1892 - the adjacent building was later demolished
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 Location in Central Chicago
Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1365 N. Astor Street, Chicago, Illinois |
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| Built | 1892 |
| Architect | Louis Sullivan |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000232 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 17, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | August 6, 1998 |
The James Charnley Residence, also known as the Charnley-Persky House, is a historic house museum in Chicago, Illinois. It is located at 1365 North Astor Street in the city's Gold Coast neighborhood. This important house was designed in 1891 and finished in 1892. It is one of the few homes still standing that was designed by the famous architectural firm Adler & Sullivan.
Today, the house is a museum. It also serves as the main office for the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH). The Charnley-Persky House is a very special building. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 1998. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Exploring the Charnley House Design
The Charnley Residence stands in Chicago's Gold Coast area. You can find it at the corner of North Astor Street and East Schiller Street. The house is three stories tall. It has a stone basement that is slightly raised. The upper two and a half stories are made mostly of plain Roman brick.
Outside the House: A Simple Look
The front of the house is divided into three vertical parts. The middle part holds the main entrance. This entrance is surrounded by stone. On either side of the entrance are two windows. Above the entrance is a fancy wooden balcony that sticks out. This balcony hides a wall that is set back a bit. The sections on the sides of the house each have single windows. These windows are set into large areas of brick. They are deep, rectangular openings with special brick designs above them. The third floor is separated from the lower floors by a stone line. This top floor has two deep, square windows in each section.
Inside the House: A Rich Contrast
The inside of the house is very different from its plain outside. It has beautiful woodwork throughout. There are built-in bookshelves with glass doors. These doors have glass pieces of different shapes and sizes. The main library room has a fireplace made of African rose marble. The dining room uses a lot of mahogany wood. This was a favorite wood of the architect, Louis Sullivan.
The Charnley House Story
The house was finished in 1892 for James Charnley. He was a lumber businessman in Chicago. Charnley and his family lived in the house for about ten years. This house shows a unique and new design by Louis Sullivan. He brought a modern style to a classic, balanced shape. Charnley and Sullivan were friends before the house was built. Sullivan had even designed vacation homes for them both in Ocean Springs, Mississippi.
Owners and Preservation Efforts
After Charnley moved out, the house was rented for several years. In 1918, a real estate investor named James B. Waller, Jr., bought it. He lived there with his family. Waller added a porch to the south side of the house. This porch was later removed during a restoration project. After Waller passed away in 1949, his son, James B. Waller III, owned the house.
Later, in 1986, an architecture company called Skidmore, Owings and Merrill bought the house. They restored it to be used by their foundation. In 1995, a Chicago helper named Seymour Persky bought the house. He then gave it to the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH). The SAH renamed it the Charnley–Persky House. This was done to honor Seymour Persky's important role in saving this historic building.
See also
