Chicago Then and Now by Elizabeth McNulty

Caroline Palmer Clarke lived until 1860 and it was during this time that the house was known as the 'Widow Clarke's House'. Widow Clarke's House Ĭlarke died in 1849 after being stricken with cholera. This setback resulted in a delay in the completion of the south rooms of his house. Clarke suffered severe financial setbacks during the Panic of 1837 and used the surrounding land for farming and hunting. Clarke's decision to build south of the River made him the first wealthy Chicagoan to build there.

Originally built on 20.08 acres (8.13 ha) of land near Michigan Avenue between 16th and 17th Streets, it is currently located at 1827 S.

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 6, 1971. (However, Norwood Park was not annexed to Chicago until 1893.) The Clarke-Ford House was designated a Chicago Landmark on October 14, 1970. The Clarke-Ford house is often described as the oldest surviving house in Chicago, although part of the Noble-Seymour-Crippen House in the Norwood Park neighborhood was built in 1833. Oldest surviving house in Chicago Ĭlarke-Ford House may have been modeled on the home of William B. Its current location in a park and gardens is part of the Prairie Avenue Historic District in the Near South Side community area. In the mid-20th century, it was cared for by a church and its leader Bishop Ford, who spurred its preservation as the city's oldest home. Originally built on a large lot near Michigan Avenue and 17th Street, it has been moved twice, most recently in 1977 to Indiana Avenue and 18th Street, near to its original location. The house was built by a local contractor, probably John Rye, who later married the Clarkes' housemaid, Betsy. He was in the hardware business with William Jones and Byram King, establishing King, Jones and Company, and provided building materials to the growing Chicago populace. Henry Brown Clarke was a native of New York State who had come to Chicago in 1833 with his wife, Caroline Palmer Clarke, and his family. Built around 1836, it is considered the oldest existing house built in Chicago. and Caroline Clarke/Bishop Louis Henry and Margaret Ford House or Clarke-Ford House is a Greek Revival style home, now serving as a house museum in Chicago, Illinois, United States.

Chicago Then and Now by Elizabeth McNulty