Theurer-Wrigley House
Encyclopedia
Theurrer-Wrigley House, also known as the Jannes, Theurer, Wrigley Mansion, is a historical building located in the Lincoln Park
of in Chicago, United States
. This Italian Renaissance-style
mansion was first commissioned by brewery baron Joseph Theurer and purchased in 1911 by Chicago's Wrigley
family. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
since 1980, the 20,000+-square-foot house was built in 1896 by Richard Schmidt and, possibly, Hugh M.G. Garden, two architects later prominent in the prairie school movement. A four-story home with three-story coach house, both built on a grand scale and in a late-Italian Renaissance style, the Theuer-Wrigley House is one of the area's most stunning homes.
entrance before magnificent mosaic work; grand cherry staircase
; elevated ballroom
with bandstand
and walk-in cedar coatroom
; wine-bar with cellars; a walk-in safe
used during prohibition to store various alcohols; atrium; Baroque
ornamentation on the ceilings and walls; rich hardwood
floors; and a full driveway circling the main building providing access to the coach house. The house also stored several exceptional stained glass
windows by Louis Tiffany
. One of the windows is prominently on display in the Chicago History Museum. The house has been ornamented with various exotic woods ranging from mahogany and cherry to gorgeous bird's eye maple.
The exterior is of ornate baroque terra cotta almost unparalleled in Chicago; it is suspected of having been the early work of the Northwestern Terra Cotta Co., and may have helped launch the company to some acclaim as it grew to its national presence. The company was later responsible in 1920 for the terra cotta exterior of the Wrigley Building of Chicago, the ornamenture for which that building is justly famous. Having purchased the Wrigley-Theurer Mansion in 1911 and commissioned the Wrigley Building in 1920, the influence of the beauty of the former on William Wrigley Jr.'s commission of the latter stands as an interesting footnote to history.
Originally furnished with nearly all Tiffany light fixtures, many of these were sold off at estate sales throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, or moved by the owners to other residences.
The house remained vacant or under relatively poor custodianship for many years and, though still in excellent condition, requires both care and repair. The house sold for $11,000,000 in 2004 and received attention from Forbes's and Christie's online sites.
External links
Lincoln Park, Chicago
Lincoln Park, is one of the 77 community areas on Chicago, Illinois North Side, USA. Named after Lincoln Park, a vast park bordering Lake Michigan, the community area is anchored by the Lincoln Park Zoo and DePaul University...
of in Chicago, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This Italian Renaissance-style
Renaissance architecture
Renaissance architecture is the architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 17th centuries in different regions of Europe, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of ancient Greek and Roman thought and material culture. Stylistically, Renaissance...
mansion was first commissioned by brewery baron Joseph Theurer and purchased in 1911 by Chicago's Wrigley
William Wrigley Jr.
William Wrigley Jr. was a U.S. chewing gum industrialist. He was founder and eponym of the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company in 1891. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
family. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
since 1980, the 20,000+-square-foot house was built in 1896 by Richard Schmidt and, possibly, Hugh M.G. Garden, two architects later prominent in the prairie school movement. A four-story home with three-story coach house, both built on a grand scale and in a late-Italian Renaissance style, the Theuer-Wrigley House is one of the area's most stunning homes.
Architecture
The main house comprises 11 bedrooms and more than 6 baths. It includes among other features: a marbleMarble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
entrance before magnificent mosaic work; grand cherry staircase
Stairway
Stairway, staircase, stairwell, flight of stairs, or simply stairs are names for a construction designed to bridge a large vertical distance by dividing it into smaller vertical distances, called steps...
; elevated ballroom
Ballroom
A ballroom is a large room inside a building, the designated purpose of which is holding formal dances called balls. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions contain one or more ballrooms...
with bandstand
Bandstand
A bandstand is a circular or semicircular structure set in a park, garden, pier, or indoor space, designed to accommodate musical bands performing concerts...
and walk-in cedar coatroom
Cloakroom
A cloakroom, or sometimes coatroom, is a room for people to hang their cloaks. They are typically found inside large buildings, such as gymnasiums, schools, churches or meeting halls....
; wine-bar with cellars; a walk-in safe
Safe
A safe is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of plastic through blow molding...
used during prohibition to store various alcohols; atrium; Baroque
Baroque
The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...
ornamentation on the ceilings and walls; rich hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
floors; and a full driveway circling the main building providing access to the coach house. The house also stored several exceptional stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows by Louis Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Louis Comfort Tiffany was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic movements...
. One of the windows is prominently on display in the Chicago History Museum. The house has been ornamented with various exotic woods ranging from mahogany and cherry to gorgeous bird's eye maple.
The exterior is of ornate baroque terra cotta almost unparalleled in Chicago; it is suspected of having been the early work of the Northwestern Terra Cotta Co., and may have helped launch the company to some acclaim as it grew to its national presence. The company was later responsible in 1920 for the terra cotta exterior of the Wrigley Building of Chicago, the ornamenture for which that building is justly famous. Having purchased the Wrigley-Theurer Mansion in 1911 and commissioned the Wrigley Building in 1920, the influence of the beauty of the former on William Wrigley Jr.'s commission of the latter stands as an interesting footnote to history.
In recent years
The Wrigley Family left the residence vacant in the years during and after the Great Depression, a period during which such mansions became targets for kidnapping and robbery, as in the cases of the Lindbergh child, George Weyerhauser, William Hamm, and numerous others.Originally furnished with nearly all Tiffany light fixtures, many of these were sold off at estate sales throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, or moved by the owners to other residences.
The house remained vacant or under relatively poor custodianship for many years and, though still in excellent condition, requires both care and repair. The house sold for $11,000,000 in 2004 and received attention from Forbes's and Christie's online sites.
External links