Chicago Summer School
June 11 – 18, 2025
The 9th annual Chicago Summer School focuses on the American roots of Modernism. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, progressive architects and patrons moved the city to the forefront of technological and aesthetic experimentation. Through expert lectures and tours, course directors Tina Strauss and Diane Dillon lead a survey of 19th- and early 20th-century architecture, art, design, landscape and preservation.
Participants will visit several private homes and public buildings, parks and landscapes, with access to the era’s most significant spaces: the site of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, H. H. Richardson’s Glessner House, Adler & Sullivan’s Auditorium Theatre Building, Burnham & Root’s Rookery Building, the superb decorative arts collection at Crab Tree Farm, and America’s first planned industrial community of Pullman. In Oak Park students will see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio, the newly restored Unity Temple and other seminal designs. Local experts and Principal Guest Lecturer Richard Guy Wilson will accompany the class at many of the sites. Additional visits include Gilded Age mansions in the historic Gold Coast, such as the Samuel Nickerson mansion, as well as St. James Cathedral with its surprising St. Andrew’s Chapel by Bertram Goodhue. The class will have the opportunity to take unique tours of the collections at the Art Institute.
Course Director: Tina Strauss
Assistant Director: Diane Dillon
Principal Guest Lecturer: Richard Guy Wilson
Past Lecturers include Heidi Ruehle, Anne Sullivan, Gunny Harboe, Jennifer Carlquist, Sally Kalmbach, Tom Gleason, William Tyre, Tim Wittman, and John Waters
Tuition for the Chicago Summer School* is $3,400, and includes expert instruction, lectures, course materials, tours, 7 nights’ hotel accommodation in the downtown Loop, entrance fees, receptions, and some meals. Accommodation throughout the program will be in single-occupancy rooms with en-suite facilities. Full and partial scholarships are available. Please email Anne Mallek, Summer Schools Administrator, at Admin@VSASummerSchools.org, with any additional questions.
*Chicago-area residents may request a reduced rate that does not include housing. Please contact the summer schools administrator for details.
“Participating in the Victorian Society’s Summer School in Chicago was a valuable opportunity to connect with others in our field and has become a treasured part of my professional development” – Leslie Klingner, former Curator of Interpretation, Biltmore Estate (Chicago 2017)
How to Apply
All applications require a $50 application fee. This non-refundable fee can be paid online or by mailing a check or money order to the address below. Successful candidates, including scholarship recipients, must pay a tuition deposit of $400. Deposits are non-refundable and not covered by scholarships. Applications are due by March 10, 2025.
Scholarships
Thanks to generous support from the Victorian Society Summer Schools Alumni Association, The Victorian Society Scholarship Fund, VSA chapters, and other organizations and individuals, a limited number of scholarships are available to qualified applicants. Awards are based on merit and financial need. A letter of recommendation in support of your request must be submitted along with your application, and should attest to your specific financial circumstances. Letters should be e-mailed or mailed directly from the author on letterhead. We also ask for a copy of your 2024 Federal Tax Return. All application materials are due by March 10, 2025.