Noble-Seymour-Crippen House

I cannot speak highly enough of the Noble-​Seymour-​Crippen house and the Norwood Park Historical Society. If you are a visitor to Chicago and are a history buff, you cannot miss this opportunity. The house contains a small museum on the top floor which chronicles the Norwood Park area of Chicago (one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods). There is a fantastic story of the families that once lived in this home — farmers, politicians, businessmen, and more. The house is stunning on the outside, having been lovingly restored in the 1990s. The original farmhouse portion of the home is used for events and meetings and does not contain any rooms or furniture other than folding chairs, but the Italianate addition is furnished with period art and furniture. The museum upstairs has exhibits people of all ages would find fascinating. My favorite is the «Can you Dig It?» exhibit, which showcases items that were found on the property by metal detectorists. The house is open Saturdays 12 – 4 or by appointment. It is a beautiful hidden gem in the northwest side that should be seen at least once.

If you are having a small wedding than this is the location for you! We rented the entire house and their very beautiful backyard for our wedding on September 29^th. I was able to get dress with my bridal party upstairs, and we had our ceremony in the back yard at one of their beautiful scenic views. We did not have to have a license caterer or bartender! They also have a fully stocked kitchen so you do not have to buy all the dishes for your wedding. *Note they did not have enough drinking glasses so we did purchase those. I cannot say enough about this house. They are very affordable and the Cindy the event coordinator was available to help take care of us. If you are having a small wedding than this place is worth checking out.

The Norwood Park Historical Society claims that this building, the Noble-​Seymour-​Crippen House, is the oldest house in Chicago (I seem to recall that others say that the more famous Widow Clarke House — built 1836, preserved in the Prairie District, held that claim). The neighborhood is in the far northwest side of Chicago, along the route to Park Ridge via Edison Park by way of Northwest Highway (the roadway divides the older part of Norwood Park from its newer, eastern half). The Crippen House is in that older part, at the south end of one of the semi-​circular streets that distinquish this part of town. It is atop a small hill that is a holdover from when this area was the original shore of Lake Michigan.
The house is made up of two parts, the southern, single-​story part is the original structure built in 1833. The Italianate-​styled two-​story part was the addition built in 1868. The Historical Society took on the task of renovating the structure in the 1980−1990s, establishing its headquarters there. From the outside, it looks very much like the period in which it was last occupied as a family home and business. However, on the inside almost no original materials remain, as the NPHS has «transformed» the spaces inside to accommodate private and community events (mostly on the lower floors). The complete interior is fully air-​conditioned.
Upstairs, you will find artifacts on exhibit in a small museum of sorts, documenting the lives of the former owners and life in Norwood Park from the past two centuries. These are housed in 4 rooms on the second level. Check their Web site to see which day they have tours (usually on Saturdays or by appointment). There are also events scheduled from April through December.