Glessner House is located at the corner of 18th Street and South Prairie Avenue. Prairie Avenue, once known as “millionaires’ row” declined in the early 1900s as a residential area due to its proximity to the growing downtown and the push of the printing, publishing and automibile industries into the area. The Prairie Avenue Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and was designated a City of Chicago Landmark District in 1979
Want to explore Prairie Avenue on your own? Look on the Tours page to download a self-guided tour of the street.
Watch a segment of Now. Chicago about the South Loop from the WCIU archives which features Bill Tyre, Executive Director and Curator of the Glessner House Museum, talking about the history of Prairie Avenue. Original air date November 20, 2010. Click here.
The Glessner House 