#glessner

Frances Glessner Lee discovered her true calling later in life. An heiress without formal schooling, she was in her 50s when she transformed her fascination with true crime and medicine into the foundation of a new field: forensic science. In the late 1920s she drew inspiration from a family friend, a medical examiner who was involved in notorious cases—including the infamous trial of Nicola…

Frances Glessner Lee discovered her true calling later in life. An heiress without formal schooling, she was in her 50s when she transformed her fascination with true crime and medicine into the foundation of a new field: forensic science. In the late 1920s she drew inspiration from a family friend, a medical examiner who was involved in notorious cases—including the infamous trial of Nicola…

There’s a mini stone fortress in the South Loop. It’s not that impressive to look at. Even from the time the Glessner House was built in 1887, neighbors were prone to throw shade at the edifice. George Pullman, of Pullman sleeping car fame, said, "I do not know what I have ever done to have that thing staring me in the face every time I go out of my door."

Not sure how the current neighbors feel, but my guess is that they didn’t move to the South Loop for aesthetics (ooo, relevant contemporary shade; consider it thrown).

Good thing for the Glessner House, the inside and the people that lived there are more interesting than the dreary grey morgue of the outside. The Glessners made their fortune with harvesting equipment. They were both great fans of the orchestra and staged many musical performances at their house.

My favorite room was the cozy, inviting library space where it’s said they spent most of their time. Mrs. Glessner held her ladies reading club here. She also liked to craft silver pieces, which you can see around the home.

Another family member of note was the Glessners’ daughter, Frances Glessner Lee (who just so happens to be my birthday twin--March 25, 1878). She was interested in forensic science and created the Nutshell Studies of Unexplained Death, a series of crime scenes in miniature.

The family spent a lot of time at their other home in New Hampshire, on an estate with open land around it and no immediate neighbors to comment on their style choices. I hope, and maybe I need to read Mrs. Glessner’s diaries to see this, that they still appreciated their Chicago fortress for the good and bad that city life can bring.