Chicago's 1888 Thompson House Has Been the Stuff of Dreams. Now It's Listed for $18.5 Million.

For anyone who grew up in Chicago — or who has simply walked past the corner of Dearborn and Delaware and stopped in their tracks — the Thompson House needs no introduction. Built in 1888 and standing as one of the Gold Coast's defining architectural landmarks, it has now returned to market at $18.5 million, and r/McMansionHell greeted the news with a thread titled "The house I've lusted after since I was a kid growing up in Chicago." The sentiment was widely shared.

137 Years of History on One Corner

The Thompson House was designed by Henry Ives Cobb and Charles Sumner Frost — the firm behind the Newberry Library, the original University of Chicago campus, the Chicago Opera House, and the Palmer Mansion — for prominent attorney John Howland Thompson, one of the first residents to anchor the Gold Coast neighborhood after the Great Chicago Fire. The Richardsonian Romanesque structure, clad in sgraffito walls and granite mosaic, was among the buildings that defined the Gold Coast's character at its inception. From 1938 to 2006, it served as the offices of the Scottish Rite Cathedral next door. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003, sold to its current owner — Pete's Fresh Market founder Jimmy Dremonas — in 2009, and subsequently restored over eight years at a cost of millions. It is one of the last major surviving works of the Cobb & Frost partnership.

What the Restoration Produced

The 13,400-square-foot residence spans four levels plus a carriage house, and the restoration honored the original architectural intent while weaving in thoroughly modern infrastructure. Every wood feature in the home — beams, doors, trim, the grand staircase — is custom-made from solid Honduras mahogany, hand-carved to mimic the home's original balusters. The parlor greets visitors with hand-carved columns, Turkish marble floors, custom stained glass, and an Italian marble fireplace. The great room offers a Swarovski crystal chandelier, silk wallcoverings, and a hand-carved, book-matched onyx fireplace sourced from Pakistan. The lower level spa includes a sauna, jacuzzi, steam suite, massage room, and a Murano glass mural with an integrated waterfall — accompanied by glass-blown ceilings described as unique artistic elements rarely found anywhere. Five fireplaces, a stained glass domed skylight, a library framed by a hand-carved arch, a screened three-season porch, a courtyard with fountains, and a full smart home system round out a property that was first listed in 2018 at $21.9 million and has found its way back to market at $18.5 million. For 137 years it has commanded its corner. It is still waiting for the right person.

The Internet Has Thoughts

This listing caught the attention of Reddit's r/McMansionHell community — which, for a property this architecturally serious, amounts to a standing ovation. See what people are saying about it here.

An 1888 landmark with a Murano glass waterfall, a book-matched onyx fireplace, and 137 years of stories. View the full listing here.