The Charnley-Persky House, recognized as a Chicago Landmark and a National Historic Landmark, was built for James and Helen Charnley in 1891-92 in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood. James Charnley was a successful lumberman originally from Pennsylvania who came to Chicago in 1866. Helen was the daughter of the John M. Douglas, a prominent lawyer and president of the Illinois Central Railroad. The Charnley’s, who previously occupied a larger house designed by Burnham & Root in the neighborhood, commissioned the house on the corner of Astor and Schiller Streets from famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan in 1891.
Sullivan was principal at the architectural firm of Adler & Sullivan, a firm that was responsible for many of Chicago’s architectural gems of the time. It is believed that the Charnley’s knew Sullivan as a friend, as he had designed a vacation cottage in an adjoining lot to his own in Ocean Springs, Mississippi the year before. In 1887, Sullivan hired Frank Lloyd Wright, as a draftsman to assist with construction drawings for the Auditorium Building (1887–1889) in Chicago. As a junior draftsman, Wright also assisted with residential commissions, including the Charnley House. In an interview after Sullivan’s death, Wright claimed that he was the main force behind the design of the Charnley House. The design and decoration of the house certainly reflect the style and aesthetics of both men and what appear to be precursors of design elements that were later present in Wright’s Prairie Style. It is a sign of Sullivan’s admiration for Wright and a testament to their friendship and working relationship that the senior architect allowed his draftsman to become involved in the design process at all.
The Charnleys only lived in the house for 10 years, as James’ health required them to move to a warmer climate. They retained ownership of the house after leaving Chicago, and during that time, the house saw a series of renters. In 1906, the house was leased for the final time to Redmond and Marion (Ream) Stephens, who purchased the house in 1911. The Stephens sold the house to James B. Waller in 1918 and a member of the Waller family resided in the house until 1969.The house was subsequently sold several more times, until it was eventually bought by the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill Foundation in 1986 to serve as the Foundation’s Chicago Institute for Architecture and Urbanism. The Foundation completed a restoration of the house and later sold it to Chicago philanthropist Seymour Persky in 1995, who gifted it to the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH), with the understanding that the organization would relocate its headquarters from Philadelphia to Chicago.
Today, SAH utilizes the house as its international headquarters and operates the house as a museum open to the public for tours on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Public lectures and receptions are also held regularly at the house.