National Register of Historic Places

Griffiths, John W., Mansion

Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
Listed
March 5, 1982
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
82002528

About this property

The John W. Griffiths Mansion is a historic house at 3806 S. Michigan Avenue in the Douglas community area of Chicago, Illinois. The house was built in 1893–1894 for John W. Griffiths, a prominent building contractor who worked in Chicago during its reconstruction after the Great Chicago Fire. Architect Solon Beman designed the Chateauesque house, which features a limestone-clad exterior, an octagon-shaped tower on its northeast corner, corbels along the roof line, and dormers topped with finials. The house was typical of those on Michigan Avenue at the time, as many affluent Chicagoans built their homes there; it was also one of the last such homes, as the Panic of 1893 and industrial development led the area to lose its popularity with the wealthy. After Griffiths died in 1937, the home became the meeting place of the Quincy Club, a social club for black railroad workers. It later became the first home of the DuSable Museum of African American History. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1982. Media related to John W. Griffiths Mansion at Wikimedia Commons

Location

3806 S. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, Cook County, Illinois
41.82556, -87.62380

Categories

ARCHITECTURESOCIAL HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Wabash Avenue YMCA
Industrial
0 mi
South Side Community Art Center
Industrial
0.1 mi
Overton Hygienic Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Chicago Bee Building
Industrial
0.2 mi
Roche, Martin-John Tait House
Industrial
0.4 mi

Nearby Battles

Red Summer — Chicago Race Riot 1919
1919Modern
2.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Griffiths, John W., Mansion listed on the National Register?

Griffiths, John W., Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1982.

What type of historic resource is Griffiths, John W., Mansion?

Griffiths, John W., Mansion is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Griffiths, John W., Mansion?

The period of significance for Griffiths, John W., Mansion is recorded as the industrial era.

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