{"nrhp_refnum":"70000233","name":"Glessner, John J., House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1800 S. Prairie Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.85779055200004,"lon":-87.62116238099998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1970-04-17","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1976-01-17","areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A house at 1800 South Prairie Avenue in Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson and dated to 1886. It is built of rock-faced granite ashlar around an interior court.","why_significant":"The nomination holds that the house is an excellent example of Richardson's architectural idiom, in the style called Richardson Romanesque. It is especially notable for its advanced plan developed around a central court. It marked a departure from 19th century thinking and influenced many members of the Chicago School of Architecture.","narrative":"Rock-faced granite ashlar dominates the exterior of this Chicago house at 1800 South Prairie Avenue, built in 1886 to designs by Henry Hobson Richardson. The plan is U-shaped around an interior court, with brick court walls and extensive oak paneling inside. It is described as an excellent example of Richardson Romanesque, and its stonework was carried out exactly as the architect detailed it. The house is valued for its advanced planning around a central court, which broke from nineteenth century thinking and influenced many architects of the Chicago School. Richardson is counted among the great triumvirate of American architects alongside Wright and Sullivan. The Chicago School of Architecture Foundation acquired the building in 1966 and began restoration, though a new roof and other work were still needed. The Foundation also sponsored public lectures and exhibits, started an architecture library, and kept original drawings and artifacts from demolished buildings at the house.","period_of_significance":"1886","architect_builder":"Henry Hobson Richardson (architect)","architectural_style":"Richardson Romanesque","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as structurally sound and in fair condition, with mechanical systems renewed and a new roof urgently needed. It was owned by the Chicago School of Architecture Foundation, which used it for lectures, exhibits and a architecture library.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:34.405636-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/39/8925/28892539/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/70000233.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000233/85862480bd-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/70000233/85862480bd-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Prairieavenue at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glessnerhousenew.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Prairieavenue at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glessnerhousenew.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"72000452","name":"Prairie Avenue District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/illinois/prairie-avenue-district-72000452/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892539","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_J._Glessner_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3181814"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/glessner-john-j-house-70000233/"}