Jane Addams Hull-House Museum

It’s free and open to public on specific dates, you might have to book an appointment in advance. I learned a lot about the history in this area and got to make a book about this place!

The museum was very interesting. There were no tickets to purchase but we did have to make a reservation on line. My favorite part was the death mask of Jane and getting to see her noble peace award

Very cool museum with really interesting curation that invites you to explore what this place means in history. I don't think I've been to another house museum that felt so much like a place people actually lived, nor one that uses questions to such good effect to prompt guests to think critically about the place, the people, and the impact. Even Miss Addams' books are used as interpretive objects with bookmarks that tell you more of the study. I'm impressed and I really enjoyed it.

Really cool place! Tells the amazing story of fighting for women's rights in an era where this was practically un-heard of. I throughly enjoyed the tour and the artifacts they had on display. Jane Addams nobel prize is here, her books, and really interesting stories and personal accounts of the people she helped and vis-versa. Only downside was parking around UIC is not cool. I was blasted with a $75 parking ticket after my tour

Went here while on a ghost tour. I learned about the negative happenings of the old building. I am planning on making a trip to the museum itself during normal hours to learn more about all of the good things that happen here causing this building to be preserved and turned into a museum. It is of note that this is the most haunted house in the city of Chicago and multiple past inhabitants have written books about it going back to the 1800s. Many museum goers and workers have also reported haunted happenings as well.

What an awesome experience to take the Jane Addams Hull House tour. Walking into this historical house and the decorations of that period is astounding. The model of the original house, artifacts, paintings, Jane's dress, headboard, writings and hearing what she did is just phenomenal. Thank you!

The Jane Addams-Hull House museum is a must visit for anyone looking to understand the settlement house movement and the progressive movement in the early 20th century. It does involve a fair bit of reading , but it is logically laid out and accessible for kids thru adults. It can easily be visited in 90-120 minutes, depending on how much reading you do. It is over two floors, and the staircase to the 2nd floor would be a bit of a challenge if you have mobility issues. This museum is best accessed by public transit. You can take the CTA Blue Line to UIC-Halsted, and then walk 2 block south, on Halsted, to the museum. CTA Bus #8-Halsted stops right in front of the museum. If you do drive, parking on Taylor St, just south of the museum, is your best option. The museum is on the campus of the University of Illinois-Chicago. So, for dining options, there are some in the building just behind the museum, called UIC Student Center East, but if you walk south to Taylor St, you are in Little Italy and you have a myriad of options. You can also walk north on Halsted St, to Greek Town. All in all, a worthwhile destination.

It was an excellent presentation on ways to meet human needs that we all can do, no matter where we are in today’s political arena. Very inspirational, and a great biographical journey in the life of Jane Addams. My family was deeply enriched by the experience. The guided tour is not suitable for young children as it is an educational and interactive tour for small groups.

Jane Addams is an important figure in women's history. She was an advocate of trouble women. In this museum is artifacts of her and the Hull House, and the museum is on the UIC campus actually in the original house itself. Look at some of the history of women's rights and how they lived. There's lots of information about her and the organization and what happened with all the rights and stuff. A great thing about this museum is that it's free. It's one of the few museums that has no admission, so come whenever it's open. The only thing is they have timed visits. Go online and reserve a time of a day. They were lenient about it the last time. Probably because there's few visitors here at a time so it's not crowded. The first floor has most of the information. It has her desk and a collection of books. Some diagrams also of what the settlement on this site looked like. Upstairs there's a few more cool things. Bedrooms of Addams and everyone. There's also some classic paintings by some of the women from here. Get in free. It's a cheap way to have fun and learn. There's also lots of information inside about important issues like civil rights and voting.

I visited this museum when I was in a Social Services program through my college. "Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 - May 21, 1935), known as the mother of social work, was a pioneer American settlement activist/reformer, social worker, public philosopher, sociologist, public administrator, protester, author, and leader in women's suffrage and world peace". I did a self guided tour and although there were a few interesting things to learn about, it wasn't a museum that I would generally stop at. There is no charge, but donations are appreciated of course and certainly a must see for a Social Work major.

Interesting place to visit. I went before the pandemic. They're having online virtual tours now. Hull House was a settlement house in Chicago. It was to help recently arrived European immigrants. It was founded in 1889. There is a big feminist history also to the place. Charlotte Perkins Gilman lived here, too. It's said to be haunted.

A nice stop for anyone wanting to learn more about Chicago history. Located on UIC's campus, students are typically volunteering at the Hull House and give the tours. An educational experience worth checking out.

We enjoyed looking around this little museum. It's not a huge place, but has some interesting things to look at. I really enjoyed the room with the miniature dioramas in it. I understand the glass coverings, but also kind of wish I could've gotten a closer look.

I have been a devoted fan of Jane Addams since I read her historical biography when I was a child. Hull House is a historic gem. The Chicago Architectural Biennial has several worthy installations on site. Not to miss

I'm surprised Jane Addams Hull House Museum has received so few reviews- it's one of the most unique and well-done small museums I've ever been to. Not far from the UIC/Halsted Blue Line stop and right on the Halsted bus line, it's truly worth your time and a visit! The history of the Hull House and Jane Addams' activism are told through period pieces, memorabilia, and inventive ways, like projecting a film against glass windows, or a piece of sheet music that relates how children of Hull House were taught art and music classes. An empty octagonal room presents a sound installation of the activity of the destitute neighborhood during the Depression, and was one of my favorite experiences at the Museum. Two levels of the house are open, and don't forget to find the Gift Shop, a short walk away, for books on activism, art, and even Intelligentsia Hull House Blend coffee beans. With all of the upheaval and activism happening in the World and the U.S. right now, there's no better time for a visit to the Jane Addams Hull House Museum.

Yay! I am definitely a fan! I love small, well done museums like this one. Jane Addams came up in several of my readings for a grad school course I was taking last quarter so I wanted to take advantage of the proximity to the museum. Glad I did, it made for a nice "field trip" over my quarter break. The museum is free, but they encourage a donation - $5 will suffice. You can wander around on your own or join a more formal tour. I chose to wander on my own. There is plenty to read, plenty to look at, some things to touch (others not so much), a short film depicting life in the late 19th century/early 20th century, and even a room (the veranda) with the sound of the hood at any given time back in the day. You can stand in Jane's actual bedroom, surrounded by her desk, clothing, diaries, books and personal photographs. Powerful experience. I love being able to look at a photo and then glancing across the room and seeing the exact same fireplace or wallpaper; it makes it real and makes me appreciate the restoration. Someone did a really nice job keeping track of Jane's belongings (clothes, books, letters, photographs, diaries,etc) and it's on display for your enjoyment and educational advancement. Let's not forget Jane A. was the first female to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. This woman did more for social justice than most, even to this day. She had her hand in education, immigration, child welfare and many other areas that required attention. You can tour both remaining buildings (there used to be over 12 before UIC demolished them) in a little over an hour. The 8 bus drops off at the front door. It's so well done and restored. My suggestion: Go. Now.

As a practicing therapist with a degree in Social Work, I had to make the pilgrimage to Mecca so to speak. I won't retread information covered in other reviews, but Hull House is worth your time. It's not a large exhibition, so have other things planned for your day. But, my experience with Hull House was somewhat unique..... I visited during the month of June - pride month. As a result my party received a pride themed tour, which was cool for the most part. I learned a lot of information that hadn't been presented to me previously during my formal education. For instance, Jane Adams was likely somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum given that there is strong evidence that she kept a long-time female companion. The down side to the themed tour was that they didn't cover a great deal information typically covered in the normal tour, which is unfortunate as someone visiting the Chicago area from afar. The Pride info should have been in addition to the normal information, not in place of. I don't know if this is something they do every year, or if the Grad Student doing our tour simply hijacked the situation. I believe he mentioned that he was on the spectrum, & seemed to be somewhat hostile toward Ms. Adams to boot. I understand that they were products of their time, but they were also very progressive in a day & age where that wasn't appreciated. I think it's unfair to hold these historical figures to modern social standards - my opinion. As mentioned previously, they do provide guided tours at 1:00pm on Wednesdays & Sundays. Although, I found it odd that all the students were from the education department - not Social Work. I'm looking forward to dropping in next time I'm in town to get the normal tour, but be sure to stop in during Pride month for a little extra information.

The Jane Addams Hull-House Museum serves as a dynamic memorial to social reformer Jane Addams. Its current location is conveniently situated (the 8 bus stops right at the door and the CTA Blue line is within striking distance) on the UIC campus. I came here yesterday for the Migration Stories program that was scheduled to take place at the nearby Residents' Dining Hall. Though the museum closes at 4 pm on weekdays, the hours were generously extended so that the program's attendees could tour the house. Since I was on the waiting list and had gotten here early in hopes of nabbing a spot, I took advantage of the opportunity to take a walk through the home. An excellent feature of this museum is that it is free to the public and no one is turned away. A nominal minimum donation will suffice. The exhibits are quite comprehensive, covering the typical day-in-the life and structure of the house and even going so far as to encompass a room full of maps and papers (one of the Settlement's most important projects) on the second floor. I especially enjoyed the library/parlor on the first floor, as it is filled with art from prominent Chicagoans along with books and essays that were part of Addams' personal library. The architectural details alone are worth a look, and the overall nature of this museum is inviting and interactive, connecting the Hull House legacy to current social and cultural issues of today. Regrettably, the program that I was scheduled to attend was sold out (I did not make the wait list!) but I am glad that I had the opportunity to tour the house and take in some exhibit highlights.

This attractive Italianate-style building dates back to 1856 and is currently located on the UIC campus. This was originally a residence for Charles Hull, and later adopted for use by social reformer Jane Addams for the poor. This free museum has limited hours.

As a student of social work I really enjoyed being able to walk through a piece of history that is so important to the social work community and Chicago. The site is really well preserved and has a ton of neat artifacts and information. There is no admission fee, but a suggested donation of $5.

The Jane Addams Hull House Museum is possibly one of the best executed museums in the city. The small space has been used very well and exhibits are easy to follow and thorough. The exhibits gracefully transition from being about the structure (and former structures) of Hull House itself on the first floor to the work and life of Jane Addams on the second floor. There is tons of written information effortlessly laced with eye catching displays and artifacts. The reading material is well written and easy to read, it's large enough in most places that you don't have to squint and it's displayed properly so more than one person can read it at a time. This may sound like something you should expect at a museum, but it's surprisingly absent at most. The octagonal room formerly used by Jane Addams as an office is now an empty room separated from the adjoining room by a heavy velvet curtain. This room is used as an auditory exhibit, filled with the sounds you would have heard had you been standing in the same spot with the windows open more than 100 years ago. This exhibit was one of the most impressive to me. Most museums are all about reading and some are prepared for people to want to touch the exhibits, some have information being read to you that you can listen to while relying on your eyes to learn about the subject matter. It's rare to find a beautiful space dedicated to engaging another sense in a very different way, the sounds and voices are meant to transport you to Halsted street in 1889, the sounds Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr would've heard. It is a very nice change of pace at a museum. You can walk yourself around the museum and take in the exhibits or you can wait for a tour and listen to the guide discuss them. Or both. Personally, the tour seemed a bit too big for my tastes. There is plenty of information to soak up on your own. One of the best parts of the Jane Addams Hull House Museum? It's free! That's right, no charge to learn about how Jane Addams and her Hull House Residents made history in our fair city (and nation).

Very small museum but within the historic Hull House itself. Unfortunately, due to UIC's construction, all the buildings and projects were taken down except for the house and neighboring hall. The museum is free but full of knowledge, several antiques, a 20-minute historical video and beautiful glass windows. My personal favorite viewing items were the maps of the ethnic makeup and cost of housing that once existed in the area. Who knew there were so many white-colored square brothels?! Jane Addam's truly was an amazing person!! If you're up to it, go at night when the museum's closed and look for the Devil Child who is said to roam the courtyard.

Definitely a cool way to spend an afternoon. We did a self guided tour and it was very informative. A great way to learn about Jane and Hull House- and history as a whole. Great presentation and artifacts of Jane's life and service. A must visit for those in social work.

I can't believe I've passed this place about 2343 times and only now, today, have made it a point to make sure I've seen it. The historic house is certainly done in a "you can't buy 'em like this anymore" fashion. Make sure to ask the person working the front desk if you can view the 20 minute video to get a good kick start to your time there. Or even better, see if you can go here when there's a tour going on. Jane Addams was an amazing woman, and it is important to know about her and her life's work. The most interesting parts of the single-floor gallery space for me, was seeing how the area USED to be in history; Including such lovely perks like the old red-light district over by the South Loop Target, and how Blue Island Ave use to cut right up and through where the highway is today. I really just wish she could see what it was like today.

Definitely worth checking out!! Especially if you're a social worker! :) It was free (donations requested).

This is a nice museum in a beauitful historic home. Pretty easily accessible from blue line with a short walk through a nice part of the UIC campus. Only donation so it is very accessible economically as well! The history of the house and of Addams are fascinating!

I have to say I'm more than a little bummed out by my experience here. Jane Addams was a pretty fucking amazing woman by all accounts; take your pick why, whether it's championing the peace movement during WW I, immigrant rights, workers rights, women's suffrage or overall basic human dignity, she was involved in a ton of absolutely revolutionary stuff. Now these things I knew before walking into the museum, and it's pretty much what I came out with. You get a real base, almost sub-cliff notes version of these things from walking around the museum. There are still a few original artifacts there to give a good sense of how things were at Hull House during the formative years for those involved in the social programs. And for some reason, lots of pottery. Two things in particular jumped out at me during the tour that I would've absolutely loved to have learned more about. The first was the fact that J Edgar Hoover and the FBI were monitoring Addams and had copious files about her activities. That was honestly the coolest thing in there but it amounted to little more than one photocopy. The other was the struggle of the neighborhood to fight off the construction of UIC's campus in the 1960s, which as we all know led to the destruction of the Hull House complex. It gets mentioned but not in nearly enough detail to satisfy me. Guess they don't want to bite the hand that feeds? I don't want to knock the place since it's free and an important part of not just Chicago history but world history too, but it just seemed kind of stunted. It's definitely worth checking out but don't expect your mind to be blown.

This museum was wonderful! We went on the one hour guided tour of the museum and learned so much. Our tour guide, Lydia, was especially delightful and taught our group so much about the museum. The gift shop is full of the books and items that are discussed on the museum. On top of learning about the Hull House and Jane Addams, we learned a lot about Chicago and the neighborhoods and people within it. Can't wait to bring more people back!

Jane Addams was an amazing lady with a lot of good works tucked into her black belt arsenal of humanitarian awards. Her home was gorgeous (and now rentable for your special events ! at a fee, of course) . . . the museum is nice, though not going to keep the kids attention for long. More for the aged then the young, and the history buff than the kinestetically needy. Take a look at it in order to come down from sensory overload garnered by Museum de Science & Industry

This building has a lot of history associated with it. Just take a look into their museum and you will surely learn a ton of information. This building was originally bought by Jane Addams in the late 1800s for her social welfare work. Today it is a nice museum that hold lots of exhibitions and lectures about the building's history.

As of September 2010, the museum has been totally renovated with new permanent and temporary exhibits. Jane Addams really was quite a radical person, and the museum has continued her tradition of socially-conscious work. They have a wonderful website http://www.uic.edu/jaddams/hull/hull_house.html and the events they host look really neat. I was expecting a kind of boring, stuffy, history museum, but I was pleasantly surprised by the engaging exhibits they have such as an auditory soundscape. They ask interesting questions like, "Why was Jane Addams on the FBI's most wanted list?" I highly recommend the museum for student groups or anyone with an interest in social justice.

Stop #3 on my museum tour for Sunday, January 13. This was my final stop on my museum hopping day. The museum is on the UIC campus, and two blocks south of the UIC/Halsted Blue Line stop. The museum had interesting ways of interacting with exhibits, including a sound room and booklets to read instead of panels for some of the exhibits. There was also a tour that was given to another group of people when I was there. I ended up going with the tour group in the museum, and the guide was very informative and enjoyed talking about the material. The only problem was that the third floor was roped off, but that was very minor. 4.5 stars/5 (with 0.5 extra stars for the tour guide) = 5 stars

A must for social workers! I am so glad I made the pilgrimage. At the turn of the last century Jane made social strides that I wish we were making today. She reformed immigration with compassion and fervor.

We were in Chicago for a Cubs game this week. We discovered Hull House on our walk after lunch down Halstead. We went in and "Irena" welcomed us. She told us when the public tours were, but welcomed us to walk thru at our leisure. We spent about an hour going thru the upper and lower levels of the house, reading about the history of Hull House and its founder, Jane Addams. We saw her bedroom and one of the dresses she wore. There are many beautiful paintings throughout the house, as well as photographs and historic information, that were all interesting. There was no admission but we made a monetary donation, which helps support the maintenance of Hull House. I will go back when I come to Chicago again and am able to go on a public tour of the museum. Highly recommend Hull House as a must-see while you're in Chicago.

I took about 25-30 people for a guided tour yesterday. It's a small house, but it has a very rich history. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, engaging and energetic! I would highly recommend if you're interested in any sort of nonprofit and/or social work, or if you're interested in Chicago history. In addition to the info on Jane Addams, her life and work, we got a lot of info about the history of the neighborhood.