John W. Griffiths Mansion

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 1893-94 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 the 1930s, 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.[2]

Griffiths, John W., Mansion
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	3806 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, Illinois
Coordinates	41°49′32″N 87°37′26″W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1893-94
Architect	Solon Beman
Architectural style	Chateauesque
NRHP reference No.	82002528[1]
Added to NRHP	March 5, 1982

The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1982.[1]

References

1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
2. Burroughs, Dr. Margaret (June 15, 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: The John W. Griffiths Mansion" (PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Division.