Chicago Historical Museum
Encyclopedia
Chicago History Museum was founded in 1856 to study and interpret Chicago's history. It is located in Lincoln Park
in a building at 1601 North Clark Street
at the intersection of North Avenue
in the Old Town Triangle
neighborhood. It was renamed the Chicago History Museum in September, 2006.
in 1871, but like the city, the museum rose from the ashes. Among its many documents which were lost in the fire was a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation
, hand-written by Abraham Lincoln
. After the fire, the Society began collecting new materials, which were stored in a building owned by J. Young Scammon
, a prominent lawyer and member of the Chicago Historical Society. However, the building and new collection were again destroyed by fire in 1874. The Chicago Historical Society built a fireproof building
on the site of its pre-1871 building. The replacement building opened in 1896 and, after housing the collection for thirty-six years, was used for many purposes and often remained vacant until being transformed into a nightclub in 1985. This impressively massive Romanesque
building is currently the home of the Excalibur nightclub. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
In 1920, the Society purchased the large history collection of Charles F. Gunther
with the intention of changing its focus from a research institution into a public museum. Many of the items in Gunther's collection, in addition to Chicago, were related to Abraham Lincoln
and the American Civil War
. These include Lincoln's deathbed and several furniture pieces from the room where he died in Petersen House and clothing he and wife Mary Todd Lincoln
allegedly wore the evening of his assassination.
to facilitate the aim of creating an expanded public museum. The original Federal
-style structure has been expanded twice. The first limestone-clad addition opened in 1972 and was designed by Alfred Shaw and Associates. The second, designed by Holabird and Root
, occurred in 1988 and included refacing the earlier expansion in red brick to give a unified look to all three portions of the building. Both expansions occurred on the west side of the 1932 structure leaving the original porticoed entrance facing Lincoln Park intact.
On January 19, 2006, the first passenger car to operate on the Chicago 'L'
system in 1893 was transported to its new display location at the Chicago Historical Society. Passengers could ride the 1893 'L' from the Loop
to Hyde Park
station for 5 cents to attend the World's Columbian Exposition
upon the line's opening. The car, known as CTA 1, was cosmetically restored to its 1893 appearance before being transported to the museum where it was lifted into an opening created through a wall on the museum's second floor. The car's interior features include mahogany and rattan seats and etched glass windows. CTA 1 joins Pioneer
, the first locomotive to operate in Chicago; a redesigned exhibit space to showcase the car and locomotive opened on September 30, 2006.
The museum also houses Chicago's most important collection of materials related to local history. In addition to the exhibits, the museum continues to house an extensive research library which includes books and other published materials, manuscripts, paintings, sculptures and photos. It is open to the public, including students working on school projects, however it has limited hours which average less than 24 hours per week.
The costume and textile collection numbers over 50,000 pieces and dates from the late 19th Century to the present. It contains extensive couture pieces, items created by well-known Chicago manufacturers and designers and those worn by notable residents. It is believed that this is the second largest collection in the United States behind the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's
Costume Institute and the Brooklyn Museum
which were combined in January 2009 and numbers over 54,000 items.
In 2007, the museum announced that upon death of the current curator of the Chicago Postcard Museum
, it will assume that museum's entire postcard collection depicting various periods of Chicago's history into its collection.
Lincoln Park
Lincoln Park is an urban park in Chicago, which gave its name to the Lincoln Park, Chicago community area.Lincoln Park may also refer to:-Urban parks:*Lincoln Park , California*Lincoln Park, San Francisco, California...
in a building at 1601 North Clark Street
Clark Street (Chicago)
Clark Street is a north-south street in Chicago, Illinois that runs close to the shore of Lake Michigan from the northern city boundary with Evanston, to 2200 South in the city street numbering system...
at the intersection of North Avenue
Illinois Route 64
Illinois Route 64 is an east–west road in north-central Illinois. Its western terminus is at the Iowa state line, connecting with U.S. Route 52 and Iowa Highway 64 via the Savanna-Sabula Bridge at the Mississippi River west of Savanna...
in the Old Town Triangle
Old Town, Chicago
Old Town is a neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, bounded by the Ogden Ave. right-of-way on the northwest, Larrabee Street on the west, Clybourn Avenue on the southwest and Division Street on the south and Clark Street on the east and northeast. It spans across eastern parts of the community areas...
neighborhood. It was renamed the Chicago History Museum in September, 2006.
History
Founded in 1856, (about 25 years after Chicago's founding), as the Chicago Historical Society, much of the early collection of the museum was destroyed in the Great Chicago FireGreat Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
in 1871, but like the city, the museum rose from the ashes. Among its many documents which were lost in the fire was a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
, hand-written by Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
. After the fire, the Society began collecting new materials, which were stored in a building owned by J. Young Scammon
J. Young Scammon
J. Young Scammon was an early settler in Chicago, Illinois, arriving in the city in 1835. He went on to become politically important as a lawyer, banker, and newspaper publisher....
, a prominent lawyer and member of the Chicago Historical Society. However, the building and new collection were again destroyed by fire in 1874. The Chicago Historical Society built a fireproof building
Former Chicago Historical Society Building
The Former Chicago Historical Society Building is the official name of a historic landmark located on the northwest corner of Dearborn and Ontario streets in downtown Chicago. Built in 1892, it is a prime example of Henry Ives Cobb's Romanesque Revival architecture, and the home of the Chicago...
on the site of its pre-1871 building. The replacement building opened in 1896 and, after housing the collection for thirty-six years, was used for many purposes and often remained vacant until being transformed into a nightclub in 1985. This impressively massive Romanesque
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
building is currently the home of the Excalibur nightclub. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
In 1920, the Society purchased the large history collection of Charles F. Gunther
Charles F. Gunther
Charles Frederick Gunther was a German-American confectioner and collector. He purchased many of the items now owned by the Chicago History Museum.-Early years:...
with the intention of changing its focus from a research institution into a public museum. Many of the items in Gunther's collection, in addition to Chicago, were related to Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
and the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. These include Lincoln's deathbed and several furniture pieces from the room where he died in Petersen House and clothing he and wife Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Todd Lincoln
Mary Ann Lincoln was the wife of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, and was First Lady of the United States from 1861 to 1865.-Life before the White House:...
allegedly wore the evening of his assassination.
Building
The current home of the Museum was constructed in 1932 by the WPAWorks Progress Administration
The Works Progress Administration was the largest and most ambitious New Deal agency, employing millions of unskilled workers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads, and operated large arts, drama, media, and literacy projects...
to facilitate the aim of creating an expanded public museum. The original Federal
Federal architecture
Federal-style architecture is the name for the classicizing architecture built in the United States between c. 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815. This style shares its name with its era, the Federal Period. The name Federal style is also used in association with furniture design...
-style structure has been expanded twice. The first limestone-clad addition opened in 1972 and was designed by Alfred Shaw and Associates. The second, designed by Holabird and Root
Holabird & Roche
The architectural firm of Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm's designs have changed many times — from the Chicago School to Art Deco to Modern Architecture to Sustainable Architecture.-History:...
, occurred in 1988 and included refacing the earlier expansion in red brick to give a unified look to all three portions of the building. Both expansions occurred on the west side of the 1932 structure leaving the original porticoed entrance facing Lincoln Park intact.
Exhibits
Chicago 'L'
The L is the rapid transit system serving the city of Chicago and some of its surrounding suburbs. It is operated by the Chicago Transit Authority...
system in 1893 was transported to its new display location at the Chicago Historical Society. Passengers could ride the 1893 'L' from the Loop
Chicago Loop
The Loop or Chicago Loop is one of 77 officially designated Chicago community areas located in the City of Chicago, Illinois. It is the historic commercial center of downtown Chicago...
to Hyde Park
Hyde Park, Chicago
Hyde Park, located on the South Side of the City of Chicago, in Cook County, Illinois, United States and seven miles south of the Chicago Loop, is a Chicago neighborhood and one of 77 Chicago community areas. It is home to the University of Chicago, the Hyde Park Art Center, the Museum of Science...
station for 5 cents to attend the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
upon the line's opening. The car, known as CTA 1, was cosmetically restored to its 1893 appearance before being transported to the museum where it was lifted into an opening created through a wall on the museum's second floor. The car's interior features include mahogany and rattan seats and etched glass windows. CTA 1 joins Pioneer
Pioneer (locomotive)
Pioneer is the name of the first railroad locomotive to operate in Chicago, Illinois. It was built in 1837 by Baldwin Locomotive Works for the Utica and Schenectady Railroad in New York, then purchased used by William B. Ogden for the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad...
, the first locomotive to operate in Chicago; a redesigned exhibit space to showcase the car and locomotive opened on September 30, 2006.
The museum also houses Chicago's most important collection of materials related to local history. In addition to the exhibits, the museum continues to house an extensive research library which includes books and other published materials, manuscripts, paintings, sculptures and photos. It is open to the public, including students working on school projects, however it has limited hours which average less than 24 hours per week.
The costume and textile collection numbers over 50,000 pieces and dates from the late 19th Century to the present. It contains extensive couture pieces, items created by well-known Chicago manufacturers and designers and those worn by notable residents. It is believed that this is the second largest collection in the United States behind the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's
Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the...
Costume Institute and the Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is an encyclopedia art museum located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. At 560,000 square feet, the museum holds New York City's second largest art collection with roughly 1.5 million works....
which were combined in January 2009 and numbers over 54,000 items.
In 2007, the museum announced that upon death of the current curator of the Chicago Postcard Museum
Chicago Postcard Museum
The Chicago Postcard Museum is an online private and independent organization that seeks to provide a visual history of Chicago through postcards.-History:...
, it will assume that museum's entire postcard collection depicting various periods of Chicago's history into its collection.
External links
- Chicago History Museum
- Interview at the Pritzker Military LibraryPritzker Military LibraryThe Pritzker Military Library is a research library for the study of military history in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded in 2003 by COL James N. Pritzker, IL ARNG to be a non-partisan institution for the study of "the citizen soldier as an essential element for the preservation of...
with Gary Johnson and Phyllis Rabinaeu, President and Vice President for Interpretation and Education of the Chicago History Museum, on the opening of the new facilities