A House That Made History | MK Pritzker
Intro: Welcome to the one and only interior design book podcast Decorating by the Book, hosted by Suzy Chase from her dining room table in New York City. Join Suzy for conversations about the latest and greatest interior design books with the authors who wrote them.
MK Pritzker: Hello there. My name is MK Pritzker, and I'm the First Lady of the State of Illinois, and I just wrote a book called A House That Made History, and I'm so excited to be here today and talk to you about this book.
Suzy Chase: You are the first lady of Illinois married to Governor JB Pritzker, and it's my honor to have you on my podcast with this stunning and thoughtful book. So, you wrote in the introduction. “The largest governor's residence in the country and one of the oldest and most beautiful. The Governor's Mansion in Springfield, Illinois, has a storied history intertwined with the lives of its residents, our great state, and our country from within the hallowed halls of this house outro state has helped shape the nation, most often for the better. The stories this house tells are so fascinating that I felt compelled to share them.” Okay. I'm so excited about this book because it is indeed an intimate look inside the Governor's mansion. I'd love to hear the story of how this book came to life in the middle of the COVID lockdown.
MK Pritzker: Well, Suzy, first I'd like to say I'm just so excited to be here on this podcast with you today. How the book came to be was when my husband was first elected governor. We walked up that long driveway, and I saw this house. Kind of the enormity of the job fell upon me, and I was like, oh, my goodness I'm in charge of this enormous structure. Which is it was built as a. Governor's residence from the beginning in 1855. And I realized the huge job I was about to undertake. And then we went inside the house, and the house had been recently remodeled by my predecessor, Diana Rauner, who did a really wonderful job. She raised a lot of money, and she kind of did the nuts and bolts of the house the roof, the windows, the doors, HVAC. She redid all of the landscaping, and. She just didn't have enough time to finish the inside. So when we took the tour of the house, it was basically painted, like off white and gray, and it barely had any furniture in it. And my husband is a really gregarious guy. He loves people and he loves to entertain. So I knew I had to make. The house a welcoming environment and a comfortable environment for him to do the business of the state. So Michael Smith actually was with me. On that day, and we walked in together, and we knew we had a big job. That's how this project started. And when we were picking out the furnishings, I knew that this house really warranted a book. And I thought oh, it'll just be a pretty coffee table book with beautiful pictures, and that'll be it. But the more I got into it, and I started researching and I started feeling the spirit of the people who lived there before I did, and I was so compelled with their stories and all of the history that happened in that house, it really turned into a history book. I just love history, and I'm just so honored to be the steward of this house. And I just wanted to share it with everybody, and I wanted to write a book about it to really memorialize. The stories and especially some of the first ladies that lived there, because I think they've been lost a little bit to history.
Suzy Chase: So first I want to ask you about Michael Smith. I am obsessed with him and everything he does. So when did you meet him? How do you know him? How did this come about?
MK Pritzker: Well, I'm obsessed with Michael Smith, too. I met Michael Smith the night before. Barack Obama was inaugurated president. And as you know, Michael was the designer for the Obamas when they were in the White House. And my husband's birthday was that day, and we were in Washington, DC for the inauguration. And I'm very good friends with Desirée Rogers, who was the social secretary at the White House at the time. And I threw a birthday party for my husband, and she brought Michael as her guest. I immediately just fell in love with him, and we just hit it off. And we were friends for many, many years. And then I asked him to do a project for me, a personal project and we've just been really good friends since that time. And when JB was elected, I said, Michael, you've got to help me. And he's like, well, I'm coming when you go look at the house, I'm going to come with you. And so he flew in, and we did that together, and we really work well together. And he is just such a delight to work with. He's so fun.
Suzy Chase: How do you create a historic space with a relaxed elegance that doesn't feel like a museum? How did you and Michael do that?
MK Pritzker: Well, I think Michael that is part of his brilliance. He is so good at historic interiors. And I think how we accomplish this actually, I know how we accomplished this. It's bringing in some modern and contemporary art and some pieces that are upholstered and modern that mix in with the antique. So I think it's sort of his kind of magic blend. And of course, the soft, muted colors. I think really make one feel very comfortable in these spaces.
Suzy Chase: You really inspired me to weave in some modern pieces. My whole apartment here in New York City is family heirlooms and antiques, and you made it so seamless, and the modern pieces didn't stick out like a sore thumb, like next to the Lincoln portraits.
MK Pritzker: Yeah, that was one of the goals. And it is like a puzzle. When you say it's like a puzzle. It really is a puzzle. And I have to say, there wasn't a grand plan. We just kind of had all the things, and we just kind of moved. Them around until it felt right. It's kind of how we did it. And I think it's very successful, and. I think the colors have a lot to do with it, kind of those muted colors. And let me tell you something else. A classical interior is like, the most brilliant, because you can do anything in a classical interior. Everything looks great in a classical interior. So I was really lucky that I had that as the canvas.
Suzy Chase: I mean, looking great in the classical interior is Richard Hunt's sculpture Growing and Flowing, that is the epitome of modern art.
MK Pritzker: Well, Richard is a brilliant Chicago artist, and he actually made that piece for that space. And what I did is I took. A picture of the space and the measurements, and I sent it to him. And I went and visited him in the studio and we talked about the space and what I was doing and he made that piece specifically for there. And then he put it in a van and drove it down to Springfield and installed it himself. He is such an amazing artist, elegant, elegant man. I mean, I just think the world of him and we had a wonderful celebration, a luncheon. I invited school children from around Springfield who loved the arts, and we sat at that in the state dining room and had a fabulous lunch, and the kids asked him all kinds of questions about being an artist. It was really a special day.
Suzy Chase: So in the foyer, I love the 1860 painting of a beardless Abraham Lincoln. It's not the lincoln we're used to seeing.
MK Pritzker: Well, it's not, because there's very few. Portraits of Lincoln without his beard. And as you know, Abraham Lincoln is from Springfield, Illinois. In fact, his house is just maybe two blocks away from the mansion there in Springfield. And there's another portrait along with that one that's in the Lincoln room of a beardless Lincoln that was actually painted from life before Lincoln was president, and it was painted by Reverend Lewis Clover. And I love these beardless paintings of. Abraham Lincoln because I think they really show his kind face before his face was aged by the weight of the Civil War and the government almost falling apart. And I kind of have a crush on Abraham Lincoln. I've just studied so much about him since I've become first lady and why I did the Lincoln parlor and filled the Lincoln parlor with his portraits. I think the lessons of Lincoln are so important for us to learn, especially today in the current environment.
Suzy Chase: And your dog's name is Lincoln?
MK Pritzker: My dog's name is Lincoln, and I have a horse named Lincoln.
Suzy Chase: Oh my gosh, I love it.
MK Pritzker: Lincoln has been one of my favorites. I admire him so much, as did Reverend Clover, who painted that portrait because. He was such an admirer of Lincoln's character. In fact, there's a letter from reverend. Clover to his friend saying how he'd finished this portrait, and this was a man of such character that he hadn't seen before that he felt compelled to paint his portrait.
Suzy Chase: My ancestor is Salmon P. Chase, who worked very closely with Lincoln, and I so respect the work that they did together when Lincoln was president.
MK Pritzker: Well, that's amazing. I mean, I wish I had a relative that worked with Lincoln. In fact, I have a farm in. Beatrice, Nebraska, that was a land grant from Lincoln to my relatives, so I'm proud of that. But they never worked together. That's amazing.
Suzy Chase: Oh, I love that, though. That's really cool.
MK Pritzker: Yeah, it's been passed down to me. So I'm very honored to have it. Proud to have that piece of land.
Suzy Chase: There's one room I'm really curious about, and that's the Chicago room you paid homage to the legendary decorator Frances Elkins, one of my favorites. Could you please describe this room?
MK Pritzker: Well, I love Frances Elkins, too. I mean, she's amazing. And I first became aware of her over 20 years ago when my husband and I were looking for a house, and we went to this house in Lake Forest, Illinois, where she had decorated it. I also a big fan of David Adler, who you know, is her brother. And that's why I initially went to look at the house but the interiors were absolutely original, and they were stunning. And that's when I first became a Frances Elkins fan, and I started researching her and learning more about her interiors. So when Michael and I visited the house, we really thought we needed a Chicago room. And we took the children's room, which was on the second floor, which was decorated with red flocked wall covering, and we turned that into an homage to Frances Elkins. And we used her silver block wall covering. And Michael had a bed, a four poster bed, canopy bed in his personal collection that we copied and made two beds for that room of her exact original design that he owns in his collection. And then we added a little Samuel Marx, who was an architect, interior designer, furniture maker from Chicago. We added one of his master parchment cabinets in that room as well. But it's one of my favorite rooms in the mansion.
Suzy Chase: Oh, those beds.
MK Pritzker: I'm sure Michael could make you one.
Suzy Chase: I would love that. They're stunning.
MK Pritzker: Yeah, they really are. I'm just a huge Frances Elkins fan. I think she was an enormous talent along with her brother David Adler. He was an amazing, amazing Chicago architect.
Suzy Chase: So photos of all 40 former Illinois first ladies found in the attic and reframed now occupy prominent mansion wall space. Historic recipes have been culled from first lady's old cookbooks, and Mary Todd Lincoln's almond cake is now served for dessert at the mansion dinners. It's terrific that she wanted to honor women's legacies.
MK Pritzker: I feel it's really important to do so. And when I found those, just, I fell in love with them and the images, and I really started to dive in and tried to learn about all the stories about the former first ladies and their legacies. And can I just mention, one of. My favorite first ladies was Cora Tanner. Who was a little bit Jackie Kennedy and a little bit Eleanor Roosevelt. And she was an amazing, amazing woman back at the turn of the century and she was elegantly dressed, she had great style, and she also was a very outspoken advocate against lynching and mob mentality and made national news on her political stance. And I just find her incredibly fascinating. So I really wanted to hang those. Portraits of the first ladies up, and also so I could give a shout out. To Dorothy Ogilvy, who saved the mansion in the we have her to thank for this beautiful house today. Thank God she saved it.
Suzy Chase: They wanted to tear it down. What was that story?
MK Pritzker: Over the course of history, the house was almost torn down many times. And in the 70’s, as you know. 70’s was a little bit unkind in the zoning history of the country, where they tore a lot of things down. And the legislature really didn't want to. Spend the money to restore the house. And they just thought it would be better to tear it down and build something new but luckily, Dorothy saw the relevance of keeping our history and our culture and keeping it in that house and keeping that house up and standing. Yeah, they almost tore it down, and she said, no, we're going to keep it. And she's the one that added on the ballroom and the library in the back and the private quarters for the governor above the ballroom, and she made it the largest governor's residence in the country. But we really have a lot to thank her for.
Suzy Chase: I mean, what a tough woman. I can't even imagine that fight against the men.
MK Pritzker: I know there have been some really. Strong women in Illinois history that have really done some amazing things, not only. For our state, but for our know. We are the home state of Hillary Clinton, too, so we're very proud of our history with our women here.
Suzy Chase: When I think about the elliptical staircase, I can sort of envision Cora Tanner gliding down the stairs. Can you talk a little bit about this stunning staircase?
MK Pritzker: She for sure was gliding down those stairs in her elegant attire. That staircase is stunning and actually, Cora Tanner actually remodeled the. House at the turn of the century and changed that staircase into a rectangular staircase modeled off of the staircase from Fontainebleau in France, and it was returned to the original staircase in the 70s restoration by Dorothy Ogilvy. And when they tore the house up to remodel it, they actually found the markings of where the original staircase was on the floor. So that's how they were able to put it back exactly. When you stand in the middle of the oval and look up, you can see the original cupola of the house that was embedded into the mansard roof. That was part of that major remodel at the turn of the century. So they didn't take the cupola off. They just buried it inside a mansard roof. So you can still see the cupola. It's very cool. It's absolutely stunning.
Suzy Chase: So what's your favorite room in the house?
MK Pritzker: Oh, it's got to be the Lincoln Parlor. Well, I love the color of that fabric wall covering, that very soft green. I love the color. The room feels happy and hopeful. And I love all those portraits of Lincoln. I love the Richard Hunt sculpture. The furniture in there is so comfortable. We use that room a lot. When my husband receives guests, we always sit in the Lincoln Parlor. That is our favorite room for sure.
Suzy Chase: Now, that's on the cover of the book, right?
MK Pritzker: Right. That is.
Suzy Chase: I love that green.
MK Pritzker: So do I. I love it. It's so calming. And it's a beautiful room to sit in.
Suzy Chase: So. I love the Kankakee room with the Zuber wallpaper. And then in the Governor's Dining Room, there is scenic wallpaper from Chicago's Sime Studios that celebrates Illinois, the topography, towns, cities, farms, et cetera. And this blew my mind. It's geographically correct. Could you please chat about these two rooms?
MK Pritzker: Sure. They are two of my favorite rooms as well. So the Zuber room that actually was created during that 1970’s remodel that Dorothy did where they took a hallway and expanded it into that sitting room, and they did a fundraiser across the state. And the women of Kankakee in the 70’s raised the money to purchase that wall covering. And I think they were very inspired by Jackie Kennedy and what she did in the White House. That same pattern is in the White House. So that's why we call it the Kankakee Room, because the women of Kankakee initially put that wall covering in there. It's since been restored, and I think it looks wonderful. And the Governor's Dining Room, which is downstairs on the lower level, that actually used to be the Governor's office, and in the rounder renovation, they turned it into the Governor's Dining Room and when I arrived, it was just painted gray. And Michael and I came up with this idea of having we were clearly. Influenced by the Zuber Room, by the way, to do kind of a folky looking historic wall covering. And we found Sime Studio in Chicago which actually executed and painted that beautiful wall covering and came down and installed it. And it is historic scenes of Illinois. And it's all geographically correct.
Suzy Chase: Were there certain pieces like the bullseye mirror that you knew you wanted in your office?
MK Pritzker: You know, I bought the bullseye mirror at auction and at the time I didn't know that that's where it was going to be hung. But again, it was like a big puzzle. We just had all the pieces and we kind of just moved them around room to room and installed them and it just ended up there. And I think it looks great. I love my office.
Suzy Chase: Now to my segment called Home, where I ask you to describe one memory of your childhood home. And please start by telling us where it was located.
MK Pritzker: Well, my favorite place ever on this planet is on Sharpless Avenue in Beatrice, Nebraska. And it was the home of my grandparents, my father's parents. It was the home where my dad actually grew up. It was a very tiny house. It was maybe 1200 square feet. I spent every summer with my grandparents and I just loved and adored my grandmother. And that's where I first I love horses. I fell in love with horses. My grandfather was a horseman and he had a big field where he kept retired horses. It was an old farm and I had so much fun there. My grandmother taught me all kinds of things like how to wire a lamp and how to crochet and how to cook garden. I learned everything on that farm. And we didn't even have TV. It was my most favorite place in the world. I’m just so thankful to my grandparents for that experience.
Suzy Chase: Now, is that home still on your land?
MK Pritzker: That home is not. My father sold that a few years ago. The adjoining farm property is the Lincoln farm that I now own, the land grant farm.
Suzy Chase: So here's a quirky story. Last night I was at a gala of a board my husband is on and ran into Cary and Lisa Kravet and Lisa was telling me about the Brunschwig wallpaper that's on the end papers of this book and how they had to jump through hoops. And you had to jump through hoops to get this in the book. I love this. It's like a beautiful corn. wheat golden wallpaper.
MK Pritzker: It is. And that's so great that you ran into them. And it is such a beautiful pattern and when Michael found this wall covering and showed it to me, I'm like absolutely we have to use this. It's so beautiful. And it's in the private residence of the mansion in the hallway of the private residence that's above the ballroom. And I'm so thankful to the Kravet’s because they did have to jump through hoops. It took a couple of months to get permission to use this as the end paper. So I really thank them for that because I think it really adds to the book.
Suzy Chase: So where can we find you on the web and social media and in Illinois?
MK Pritzker: Well, you can find me on Instagram on the Illinois Mansion. Just ILmansion on Instagram, and then our website is illinois Mansion.org.
Suzy Chase: Thank you so much, First Lady of Illinois, MK Pritzker, for coming on Decorating By The Book Podcast. It has been a true honor. And also thank you for inspiring me to weave some contemporary art into my very classic New York City apartment.
MK Pritzker: Well, it's been an honor and a pleasure to be with you on this program. It's just a lot of fun for me. Thank you so much.
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