The Richard H. Driehaus Museum immerses guests as they walk through one of nineteenth century Chicago's grandest residential buildings, the Gilded Age house of banker and philanthropist Samuel Mayo Nickerson and his wife Mathilda. Driehaus established the museum in 2003 on April 1 with a dream to influence today's building environment by promoting and preserving design and architecture of days gone by. To turn this dream into reality, he commissioned a restoration effort over five years to preserve the building and its stunning interiors.

  • What can visitors see at the Driehaus Museum?
    • The galleries of the Driehaus Museum today feature historical, elegant pieces from the Driehaus Collection of Fine and Decorative Arts paired with surviving furnishings, including significant works by celebrated designers Louis Comfort Tiffany and George A. Schastey. The museum is an excellent example of historic preservation, providing guests with a chance to experience through its exhibitions, collection, interiors, and architecture how the period's prominent design philosophies were interpreted by designers, architects, and artists towards the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century.
  • Are tours available at the Driehaus Museum?
    • In addition to the general self-guided tours of the Richard H. Driehaus Museum, daily tours led by knowledgeable guides are offered by the museum as well.
  • What is the Best of Both: Combination Tour?
    • The Best of Both: Combination Tour is a special guided tour that showcases the collections, architecture, and history of the museum, as well as any special exhibitions currently on display.
    • The one-hour tour provides the ideal combination for visitors interested in the museum's special exhibitions and history. This tour is offered four times throughout the day: 10:30, 11:30, 1:30, and 3:30. Tour tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Advance tickets are also not available.
  • What is the Driehaus Collection of Fine and Decorative Arts?
    • The Driehaus Collection of Fine and Decorative Arts serves as a testament to the passion Richard H. Driehaus possessed for the appreciation and preservation of historic design. The diverse collection, housed in the historic mansion of Samuel M. Nickerson, contains American and European fine and decorative arts, including artifacts crafted mostly between the years 1880 and 1920. This was the period of time during which the Nickerson Mansion served as a private residence.
  • How was the Driehaus Collection formed?
    • In the early 1970s, the Driehaus Collection was formed, with acquisitions primarily focused on Art Nouveau posters created by Alphonse Mucha, as well as his contemporaries.
  • What other artists and designers are featured in the Driehaus Collection?
    • From the collection's core of Art Nouveau posters, the collection of Driehaus has grown to also feature design masterworks by Belle Epoque luminaries, such as Josef Hoffmann, Emile Galle, John La Farge, Edouard Colonna, the Herter Brothers, and Louis Majorelle.
  • What is special about the Driehaus Collection?
    • In addition to the masterworks of design, the Driehaus Collection is among the nation's leading private collections of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, a preeminent American decorative designer.
  • When did the Driehaus Museum open to the public?
    • Richard H. Driehaus opened the museum to the public in 2003 with the vision of exhibiting and preserving his collection.
  • What is the focus of the museum today?
    • The museum today highlights art and design from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, housed in the meticulously restored, magnificent Nickerson Mansion.
  • Where is Richard H. Driehaus Museum located?
    • Address: 40 East Erie Street, Chicago, Illinois
    • Phone: 312-482-8933

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