Clarke-Ford House

Clarke-Ford House is a Greek Revival house museum at 1827 S Indiana Ave in Chicago’s Prairie Avenue Historic District. Built in 1836, it is considered the city’s oldest surviving house. A free guided tour traces the Clarke family’s story and uses period furnishings and restored rooms to explain life in a well-off Chicago home in the 19th century. Tours cover most of the house, though not the cupola. Allow about an hour, then take a walk through the surrounding park and community gardens.

A house from Chicago’s early years

Built in 1836 for Henry B. Clarke, the house dates to the year before Chicago was incorporated. It is considered the city’s oldest surviving house. Its Greek Revival design gives the museum a direct connection to the period, while the rooms help explain what life was like for a well-off family in 19th-century Chicago.

The house has endured fires, changes to the surrounding land and two moves. It originally stood near Michigan Avenue and 17th Street; it now sits on South Indiana Avenue in the Prairie Avenue Historic District. Its survival and preservation are part of the story told during a visit.

What to see inside

The house has been restored with period-appropriate furnishings to suggest how an early Chicago home might have looked. The Clarke family’s original furniture and belongings were lost over time, so the objects on display are not presented as the family’s own. The rooms instead give a sense of the home’s scale, layout and domestic life in the 1800s.

On the guided tour, a docent explains the house’s history and points out details that give context to the rooms. Most of the house is included, but the cupola is not open as part of the tour. The restored interior and the account of how the house changed over time make the visit more than a walk through furnished rooms.