Elmhurst Art Museum's McCormick House open for tours

Visitors can open a door to the 1950s when they visit Elmhurst Art Museum's newest exhibit, the McCormick House.

Built in 1952, the historic house designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe has been used for many purposes since it was moved from Prospect Avenue to the museum site at 150 Cottage Hill Ave. in the 1990s.

But now the house has been returned to its residential roots when sales agent Robert Hall McCormick and his poet wife, Isabella Gardner, lived there.

Curator Robert Kleinschmidt said the refurnished home highlights Mies van der Rohe's iconic architecture, illustrating how the family lived in the home and how they would live there today.

Museum Executive Director John McKinnon said the display is meant to give a sense of scale and livability to the rare design.

Tours will run Sundays through Jan. 12, 202, and feature presentations by experts.

The space has been used for offices and special art exhibits in the past, but McKinnon said the house had more to offer.

"Essentially, we only had talked about the exterior of the house," he said. "Now that people have enjoyed it, they can have a whole other experience on the inside."

As a floor-to-ceiling glass house, the building created a unique living experience. Mary (Sladek) Dreiser, whose family rented the house from 1961 to 1963, said it had a lasting impact on her.

"Every time I moved as an adult, I wanted natural light," she said. "There was always light surrounding you."

Dreiser said she did not immediately recognize the significance of the house.

"My mother used to tell us to look out and close the drapes," she said. "There were buses of students from the Art Institute. They would come and draw the house. That always stuck with me."

The McCormick House consists of two wings, now filled with furniture, art and accessories that honor the 1952 design and aspects from the Sladek and Fick family designs. Originally a prototype for prefab housing for the Western suburbs, the house has features such as movable walls.

Its interior transformed over the decades. The current configuration features several vintage living rooms, two bedrooms, a children's play area and a dining area.

Kleinschmidt said he spent about eight weeks researching and designing the space for the display.

"I wanted to emulate some qualities of modernism in the house," he said. "I wanted to create a very humane, warm and inviting house. It has truly come together that way."

The house is nationally known because architect Mies van der Rohe built only three residential homes, and only two are available for tours. McKinnon said he anticipated local attention when they announced the exhibit but was surprised to be recognized by art establishments around the country.

Along with a sense of comfort and livability, the house is meant to showcase the stories of its previous residents. McKinnon said he hopes the exhibit demonstrates that the house was truly lived in.

"I enjoyed helping it come back to life to tell these stories," he said. "It's been undercover for so long."

Dreiser will lead the next tour of the house from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10. The tour is free with museum admission, but advance registration is recommended. For details, visit elmhurstartmuseum.org or call (630) 834-0202.