Yuccabloom: A Memoir of Meaningful Meanderings: The Driehaus Museum, Chicago

As I have already mentioned, yesterday I made a visit to the Driehaus Museum. I have walked by this building numerous times during the last two years and noticed that it was a museum. I had intended to make a visit, but it wasn't until a friend mentioned it to me a few days ago that everything clicked and compelled me to finally come here.

The Driehaus Museum is housed in the old mansion home of a 19th century Chicago banker, Samuel Mayo Nickerson, who eventually sold the place. The house itself is the museum and an excellent example of Gilded Age splendor. While originally a private residence, eventually, over the decades, the mansion was purchased by Chicago philanthropist, Richard H. Driehaus, after which it underwent a major restoration between 2003 and 2008 and was then converted into a museum. So, the museum itself is new, while the mansion itself has stood on this site for more than a century. It now stands as a testament to Old Chicago's grand architectural beauty. If ever you are in Chicago, you must pay the Driehaus Museum a visit.

Because the Museum asks visitors not to use their flash when taking photographs, and because yesterday was a gray day, most of my photographs came out too dark. Below are the photos that I deemed acceptable for posting, although I will say they do not do justice to the extravagant beauty you will find at the Driehaus Museum. To see it in all its intricacy and grandness, you must visit the place yourself. There were so many rooms that I couldn't keep track of which room served which function, and so the captions below are going to be generic. I am also going to refrain from commentary and just let the architectural beauty of the Driehaus Museum speak for itself. Enjoy!