Evanston History Center in the Charles Dawes House

Did a mini tour since I was only there for a yoga session on the front lawn. Very cool home and some history info of the former 30^th Vice President — Charles G. Dawes. Great location– next to Lakeshore and convenient parking since there is a park next to this place as well.

Have you ever seen a Nobel Peace Prize? Have you ever eaten ice cream on the lawn of a lakefront mansion? Do you know how you can get up close and personal with some early 20^th century portraiture or chromolithographs?
If you answered no, you need to visit the Charles Dawes House. In addition to docent-​guided tours you can take alone or with a group for $ 10, you can attend free events like the annual ice cream social or schedule a visit to do some research in the library. If you’re like me, the amazing old book smell in that part of the house will enrapture you. It is also bookable for weddings and other events (but you still won’t be able to sit on the furniture).
Dawes House features changing exhibits in addition to a plethora of artifacts that are always on display. Right now, the subject is cartography, and the exhibit includes early maps of Evanston and the Chicago area (including some old enough to list the entire area between the Mississippi River and the Rockies as «Louisiana») as well as some artsy maps from the present era.
I wish this place had more hours available for tours, that the upstairs was open, and that the lighting was better. Hopefully funds become available to remedy these issues, because Dawes House is spectacular.

This place is the epitomy of what I don’t like about some older buildings with a funeral home feel. This place is too dowdy dark and depressing. I think this place is more pompous than alluring or unique. Another old house old furniture in congevanston.

At first I balked at the $ 10 entrance fee. I mean, I figured that it was probably more than just a creaky old house, but it also had the potential to cost me ten bucks for a brief, boring tour and a few dusty artifacts. I was wrong though: in the end I felt that we got our money’s worth.
This kind of attraction is best partaken in a small group with a guide; on a solo tour, you might wander around nodding admiringly at each of the cool old rooms and then call it a day after fifteen minutes. Thanks to the organized tour, we learned a lot that guests would miss on their own. Our docent gave us a thorough general history of the house, and the Sheppard and Dawes families, but she also highlighted many extra details – architectural, historical, and personal – that made the tour worthwhile.
The house itself is intriguing and handsome, although, on a November late afternoon, perhaps a little too dark to appreciate fully. The main hall is an impressive sight to see upon first entering. Another fascinating room is the kitchen, which they have preserved mostly as it would have been in the 30s. There is a display case full of period cookbooks, some with whimsical titles such as «What Shall We Eat Tonight?» My favorite room by far – just like Dawes himself – was the library. This is the kind of antiquarian, bibliophiliac fantasy playroom that hardly exists anymore, much to my chagrin (until I win the lottery that is). It’s the classy, English-​manor version of the ultimate man cave.
There is a third floor with ballroom and servants quarters, that is not open to the public because the main staircase was never finished. That’s a shame. Also, the second floor is used for offices and the «modern» museum portion of the Evanston History Center. The main exhibit room is well worth some time. I spent about 30 to 40 minutes up there and still didn’t read every single piece. But I learned many interesting tidbits that I never knew despite 17 years of living in and around Evanston.
So, combining the house itself, the upstairs museum, and the expertise of the tour guides, the Dawes House/​EHC is well worth ten dollars and ninety minutes of your time.

The Dawes House is a beautiful piece of living history. I’m from Evanston, and I have loved this house since the first tour I took in grade school. Guides are generally knowledgeable and friendly. The tour takes about an hour and is well worth the ten dollars it will cost you.

If you saw the Tom Hanks movie «Road to Perdition,» you saw the Dawes House being used for a Paul Newman-​headed mob funeral. Gen. Dawes, the man who actually lived here, was vice president under Coolidge.
This mansion was almost lost to the public during a struggle with Northwestern University (Dawes apparently intended the house for the historical society but actually left the endowment money to NU to administrate. NU was saying the endowment had dwindled and closed the house – there was talk about NU redeveloping the home into condos). It seems NU ultimately agreed to transfer ownership of the home to the historical society, and it’s open again. So if you’ve got $ 10 (the price of a tour) burning a hole in your pocket, I’m sure they could use the money.
Anyhow, it’s a very cool house to walk through. The library alone is amazing, and if you get the right guide (I once had one who was a friend of the family way back when and knew the house well), he or she might tell you in which actual chair Gen. Dawes drew his last breath.
There’s also a research library – they say they have information on almost every address in Evanston, which is fun if you have an old house and want to know who lived there 100 years ago.
Is it on par with the Biltmore or Ringling mansions? No, but it’s an interesting glimpse into another time and lifestyle. Tours are limited to afternoon Thursdays through Sundays. All are guided – don’t expect to wander about by yourself.

You can learn about Evanston and it’s history and hang out in a mansion. Sounds cool huh? Learn about the family (s) who used to live here and other historical figures. The first family was the Shepards who live here about 10 yrs. from 1894 when the house was built until 1904. From 1904 the Dawes family lived here until 1957. Charles Dawes went on to become VIce President of the USA. I went on a private tour. They first showed me a 15 min video about Evanston. Then the tour guide took me thru every room on the first and second floor and told me as much as she could about each room. On the second floor there is a room dedicated to Civil War history. The 3^rd floor is off limits. Very interesting indeed.

I went here for a wedding — it was absolutely gorgeous! The décor of this brick mansion is amazing. Its filled with different rooms, all which you can utilize in any way you want for a wedding. The ballroom is so romantic and very beautiful. Its definitely a very unique place to get married. The upkeep and maintenance of this place is exceptional, making it probably one of the most unusual and most beautiful places to get married in Chicago.