‘Telling a much bigger story:’ Renovated McCormick House reveals more about legendary newspaper publisher
Col. Robert McCormick was a shrewd businessman who believed in modern advances a century ago, including radio and television broadcasting.
He was also a fan of history, particularly that of the Revolutionary War and the Founding Fathers of the United States.
His former home at Cantigny in Wheaton now reflects both aspects of him following a roughly multiyear, $15 million renovation.
Instead of merely seeing the house as it was when McCormick lived there, visitors can learn more about the legendary publisher of the Chicago Tribune.
“Now we’re telling a much bigger story,” said Will Buhlig, director of McCormick House.
The mansion will have a grand reopening celebration this weekend from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Much of the renovated space was shown off during the “Christmas at Cantigny” event in December.
What’s new
The main portion of the house was built in 1896 by McCormick’s grandfather, Joseph Medill, who published the Chicago Tribune. Two wings were added in the 1930s.
Tours will be self-guided now. Bedrooms and other rooms have been turned into galleries.
For the first time, visitors can hear McCormick himself talking about what they are seeing.
Using artificial intelligence and old recordings of McCormick from WGN radio, the curators modeled McCormick’s voice. When visitors snap on a QR code in a room, they can play a recording of McCormick “talking” about what they are seeing, such as the decor in the dining room, chosen by his second wife, Maryland McCormick.
Buhlig’s favorite room is a gallery about McCormick’s interest in the Founding Fathers of the United States and the Revolutionary War. It includes a framed copy of George Washington’s Farewell Address, which cautioned against the nascent nation making permanent foreign alliances. McCormick was an “America First” proponent and anti-interventionist.
Another room features one of McCormick’s radios, playing a WGN radio program from the 1940s. McCormick invested in WGN in 1924 and renamed it from WDAP to WGN, which stood for “World’s Greatest Newspaper,” the Tribune’s slogan.
More stories
Other galleries feature aspects of the newspaper, such as the experimental farms it operated in Wheaton and Yorkville, and a photograph of the former B-17 bomber that McCormick converted to fly executives around the world for several years after World War II.
When the Tribune’s Freedom Center printing plant was slated for demolition, Buhlig got the company to let him have 50 framed historical newspaper sections. Buhlig said the Tribune was an “innovator” in mass color printing, including the covers of its Sunday Chicago Tribune magazine and its Sunday comics section.
And then there is Freedom Hall, McCormick’s library. From 4 to 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, visitors can now enjoy cocktails, wines and fancy nibbles from a hidden bar. One dish features honeycomb from hives kept on the grounds. The wine list includes ones from the Loire Valley in France, one of McCormick’s favorite places.
Altogether, the changes give a greater glimpse at the life of one of the most influential American men of the 20th century.
“Before, we really could not tell you these kinds of stories in-depth at all,” Buhlig said.
If you go
Admission to the McCormick House is free through the end of the year, in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary.
However, the park suggests making a reservation for a timed-entry pass. You can do so at cantigny.org.
The park is at 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, just south of Roosevelt Road.
Admission to the park itself is $6 per car on weekdays and $16 on weekends. A credit or debit card is required for payment, as Cantigny no longer accepts cash.