A FORGOTTEN TREASURE

Well, it's been a while. Holidays and a damn cold January have put me off a tad.

But late in January, a friend and I traveled to the south side by car to see what I think should be a Chicago Landmark, if it isn't already:

The Martin A. Ryerson House at 4851 South Drexel Boulevard.

I first learned about this magnificent mansion when I was in the Art Institute for their tapestry exhibit last fall. They had a photograph on the wall of one of the tapestries hanging in the Ryerson mansion. So naturally I wanted to see this great house.

The day we went was cold (what day in January wasn't?) and loads of snow piles lined the street. But the mansion's drive was totally cleared, except that the gates had not been opened, and snow was heaped in front of them. You could quite clearly see the imprints of the mailman as he delivered the mail to the box which hung from the gates. It did look as if somebody lived in the three car coach house, but we could not be sure that the mansion itself was occupied. The whole place took up almost an entire city block.

And listen up, Mayor Daley. I don't know who owns this place, but I would gladly pay to see the inside, renovated or not, just so I could be sure the ceiling would not fall on me, or the stairs collapse. (The picture with the tree is of the coach house.)

Martin Ryerson (1856-1932) was very important to the University of Chicago. Maybe they own it? He was President of the Board of Trustees from 1892 until 1922, a long time indeed. There is a biography of him on the University's web site. His connection to the Art Institute, for whom their library is named, comes about because of his passion for art collecting. He left them five paintings by Renoir and sixteen by Monet!!!. And all these originally hung in this mansion, along with the aforesaid tapestry, among others.
At the time of his death, his total contributions to the U. of C. exceeded $2 million, and this does not even include the $6 million that was evenly divided among the Art Institute, the Field Museum, and the U. of C.

Why, oh why, is this residence not celebrated? Surely the man who did so much for the cultural and educational life of this city deserves better?