Chicago's oldest surviving house

The Clarke-Ford House is a Greek Revival-style house museum in Chicago, recognized as the oldest surviving house in the city. Built around 1836, the home was constructed by Henry Brown Clarke, who was the first wealthy Chicagoan to build south of the river. Clarke established a hardware business in the area and provided building materials to the growing population. The house was originally built on a large lot near Michigan Avenue and 17th Street.

Clarke suffered severe financial setbacks during the Panic of 1837, which resulted in a delay in the completion of the south rooms of his house. Following Clarke's death in 1849, his wife Caroline Palmer Clarke lived in the home until 1860, during which time it was known as "Widow Clarke's House." She used money from selling most of the original land to renovate the house, adding an elaborate back portico with Doric columns and an Italianate cupola while decorating the dining room and front parlor.

In 1871, the house was moved to Hyde Park. It was later acquired by the St. Paul Church of God in Christ in the 20th century, where it served as a parsonage and community hall for Bishop Louis Henry Ford. In 1977, the City of Chicago purchased the house and moved it to its current location near Indiana Avenue. This move involved lifting the building over the Chicago "L" tracks on a cold December night; the hydraulic equipment froze, leaving the house next to the tracks for two weeks before it reached its final home. The house was renamed in 2022 to honor the roles of Caroline Clarke, Bishop Louis Henry, and Margaret Ford in its preservation.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons