The Driehaus Museum's Murphy Auditorium at Open House Chicago

The Driehaus Museum, established in 2008 in the historic Nickerson Mansion, expanded its footprint in 2022 with the acquisition of the adjacent John B. Murphy Memorial Auditorium. This six-story, French Renaissance-style building was designed by noted Chicago architecture firm Marshall and Fox, and built between 1923-1926 for the American College of Surgeons. The Murphy originally served as a center for surgical research, education, and advancement, and to develop programs for the standardization of hospitals. The building’s iconic limestone exterior is Benjamin Marshall’s interpretation of the double-columned, two-story façade and flanking the entry staircase of the Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Consolation in Paris. It features a pair of cast bronze doors produced by Tiffany Studios, depicting prominent figures in the history of medicine. It also has a towering, multicolored stained-glass window inside the auditorium. Guests will enter through the Murphy Auditorium's street level entrance at 50 E Erie. Please note there are a few stairs once inside the building. An alternative accessible entrance is just west of the main entrance.