SOLD OUT! Throughout much of the 19th century, the holidays were celebrated with open houses and receptions on New Year’s Day, more so than on Christmas. The day also had special significance for the Glessners, as it was Frances Glessner’s birthday (born January 1, 1848 in Urbana, Ohio).

Join us as we open the house for an old-fashioned New Year’s Day reception. Enjoy traditional beverages and light refreshments in the parlor, dining room, and main hall.

Frances Glessner records in her journal that the day was filled with callers, and the receipt of flowers, books, and other gifts in honor of her birthday. She would usually attend the symphony, opera, or theatre, and on at least two occasions, members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra snuck into the house to serenade her.

Curator William Tyre will share stories of receptions and celebrations held in the house through the years, and will perform a few selections on the Glessners’ Steinway piano, including “Auld Lang Syne” in which everyone will be asked to join in.

In the summer of 1882, architect Henry Hobson Richardson traveled to Europe from his home outside Boston. His goal was to experience firsthand the Medieval buildings of France, Italy and Spain that had influenced his own work but that he had previously seen only in drawings or photographs.  

Richardson wrote ten letters home during his journey, noting the cities he visited and the buildings he admired. Following his return from Europe, Richardson designed some of the most significant buildings of his career, including the Allegheny County government complex in Pittsburgh, and in Chicago, the Glessner House and Marshall Field Wholesale Store. Richardson died less than four years later at the age of 47.

 In 2025, Boston-area architect and photographer Michael Kuchta retraced part of Richardson’s 1882 travels in Spain, visiting the cities of Madrid, Salamanca, Avila, Zamora, and Zaragoza. Where possible, Kuchta replicated the photographs that Richardson collected during his journey. Like the pilgrims who each year travel to Santiago de Compostela in search of spiritual guidance, Kuchta traced a ‘camino de Richardson’ seeking wisdom about the nature of Richardson’s creative genius. 

Join us in the beautiful home of The Fortnightly of Chicago for our annual gala, Celebrating Frances Glessner.

Frances Macbeth Glessner (1848-1932) was an extraordinarily gifted woman. Her talents ranged from embroidery to silversmithing, and jewelry making to beekeeping. An accomplished pianist, she and her husband John were among the most devoted supporters of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra during the first four decades of its existence, regularly welcoming the leading musicians of the world into their home.

The event, styled as a summer garden party, will include small bites and beverages, and the opportunity to tour the former home of Bryan and Helen Lathrop, an 1892 Georgian Revival masterpiece by McKim, Mead & White, which has served as the home of The Fortnightly since 1923. Frances Glessner was an active member of The Fortnightly for more than 50 years and presented the organization with a beautiful silver sweetmeat dish in 1905, which will be on display.

A brief program will include a welcome from the current president of The Fortnightly, remarks on Frances Glessner and her impact on Chicago, and the presentation of the annual John and Frances Glessner Award to Linda Miller, president of Friends of Historic Second Church.