A Day at the Evanston History Center

A few weekends ago, I accompanied my costume designer friend, Holly, to the Charles Dawes house in Evanston, Illinois, which is home to the Evanston History Center (EHC). The EHC has begun hosting a yearly costume-design contest, entitled reFashioning History, where Chicagoland creators take inspiration from a curated collection to create their own unique garments. This year, the theme is "pleats." Even I, a person who didn't really know what pleats were, was inspired by the items (in quite a different way, but creativity is creativity, right?) and decided to further my research of the Dawes House to write a piece for my blog. And here it is!

reFashioning History

First, I'd like to discuss the real reason I was in Evanston that weekend, which was to accompany my friend on their visit to the EHC reFashioning History exhibit on pleats. I love a good excursion, and excurse we did!

The Evanston History Center houses a robust costume collection, containing over 20,000 garments, accessories, and textiles. reFashioning History began in 2024 as a way to inspire costume designers with pieces from the Evanston History Center's archives.

The Evanston History Center’s reFashioning History is a juried design show competition open to both professional and non-professional fashion designers, costume designers, tailors, and stylists. Chicagoland creators take inspiration from a curated selection of objects from the Center’s extensive, historically significant costume collection and create a new look of their own.

I've learned a lot from Holly about costume design over the years, and I'll admit my support and occasional cheerleading runs more along the lines of "a little confused but got the spirit!" My vibe is kind of like that a mom who knows nothing about pop culture (me) but will still make references she doesn't understand (also me).

The Dawes House

The stately lakefront châteauesque mansion, built in 1894, is a magnificent structure that Dawes and his family called home from 1909 to 1957. After we parked and began walking toward the entrance, we were met with the sprawling front lawn and beautiful exterior of the home. I mean...just look at it!

Front Entrance of the Charles Gates Dawes House "Dawes 1.jpg" by Burnhamandroot is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.05

When I tell you this house is stunning—I mean in the way that elicited gasps from me just moments after walking through its doors. Its beauty rendered me speechless. As the future owner of a possibly-haunted Victorian home—PLEASE GOD LET ME BE ABLE TO OWN A VICTORIAN HOUSE ONE DAY—I gawked at the magnificence of this home. The insanely tall ceilings, the endless embellishments, the stained glass; all of it mesmerized me. To imagine living my life in this twenty-five room mansion filled me with a joy I never thought possible.

Dining Room

Charles Dawes donated the house in 1944 to Northwestern University to be used as the home to the Evanston Historical Society, which occupied it in 1960 after the last surviving Dawes' family member living in the home died in 1957. In 2009, Northwestern University donated the Dawes' house to the Evanston History Center.

The house is open for docent-led tours and walkthroughs of the great hall, kitchen, dining room, and library. Holly and I traversed the home ourselves after viewing the antique fashion pieces, and it was magnificent. The library, pictured below, contains historically accurate decor as well as many items owned by the Dawes' family (included the exact chair one of them died in—spooky). The portraits adorning the walls depict many Dawes relatives, some dating as far back as the 1700s.

I spent the most time in this room because LOOK AT IT! I adore the Tiffany lamps and the other light fixtures, and the wooden accents on the ceiling tied this whole room together. Plus, it was HUGE and had a grand piano on one end being played by an elderly woman. The vibes were immaculate.

Library

While the first floor devotes itself to preserving the life of Charles Dawes, the second floor boasts a tremendous array of additional artifacts in exhibits detailing the history of Evanston, its community, and the changes it has experienced since its founding.

There was an entire room dedicated to antique children's toys, pictured below (not horrifying at all), so museum-goers can catch a glimpse of what life was like for the Evanstonian youth of the past.

Antique Children's Toys

I desperately want to go back sometime soon to attend a tour, since the docents we spoke to on our visit were beyond knowledgeable. From the way they spoke about it, it was almost as if they were part of the house itself.

If you have the chance, I highly recommend a trip to the Dawes House and Evanston Historical Society. Apart from being the home of a U.S. Vice President and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, as well as an architectural marvel, the Dawes House contains pieces of history you won't find anywhere else. Whether you're an Evanstonian yourself, a history buff, or just looking to see a really cool house, the Dawes House has something for you.