Griffiths-Burroughs House

“It first housed the Quincy Club, a social club for Black railroad workers and their families. Then, in 1961, the house became the first home of the DuSable Museum of African-American History, founded by husband-and-wife Charles and Dr. Margaret T. Burroughs and originally called the Ebony Museum of Negro History.”

“Founded in the 1870s by New Englander Mary Baker Eddy, Christian Science was a fast-expanding denomination through the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1897, Beman designed a grandly-scaled Classical Revival-style building for the First Church of Christ, Scientist at 4017 S. Drexel Blvd.”

“After the partnership dissolved in 1877, Griffiths formed his own company that soon gained a reputation for its ability to handle large building projects. Chicago buildings of this period credited to Griffiths include the Rialto Building (1886, demolished), Grand Central Station (1891, demolished), the Masonic Temple (1892, demolished); and the Palace of Fine Arts at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition (reconstructed in 1930 as the Museum of Science and Industry and a designated Chicago Landmark.) Such contracting successes gained Griffiths access to some of the most prominent architectural firms of the day, including Burnham & Root, Holabird & Roche and Solon S. Beman.”

“It was within this larger context that Dr. Burroughs, along with her husband Charles Burroughs (1919-1994) and other friends and colleagues, founded the DuSable Museum of African-American History (originally known as the Ebony Museum of Negro History) as a pioneering institution for the preservation and dissemination of African- American history, art and culture.”

“Dr. Burroughs was the museum's founding executive director, while Mr. Burroughs served as curator. The collection continued to grow, and the space within the house devoted to the museum expanded to include the rest of the first floor and space in both the basement and on the second floor.”

“The Griffiths-Burroughs House is the work of Solon S. Beman, a significant architect in the history of Chicago. Beman is noteworthy as the architect for Pullman, the factory town on Chicago's Far South Side that is an internationally-important example of town planning and architecture.”

“The house was constructed as the residence of building contractor John W. Griffiths, whose company constructed many of Chicago's most iconic structures, including Union Station, the Merchandise Mart, and the Civic Opera House Building.”

“Dr. Burroughs is herself a noteworthy artist and tireless advocate of African-American history, art and culture, as well as a founder and first executive director of the DuSable Museum, and has been president emeritus since 1986.”

“He hired architect Solon S. Beman to design a new house for him. Griffiths's company had just constructed the Beman-designed Grand Central Station on the southwestern edge of Chicago's Loop, and the contractor also admired the newly constructed Chateauesque-style mansion that Beman had designed for piano manufacturer W. W. Kimball at 1801 S. Prairie St.”