Driehaus Museum Acquires Adjacent Murphy Auditorium
The Richard H. Driehaus Museum has acquired the adjacent John B. Murphy Memorial Auditorium from the American College of Surgeons (ACS) for an undisclosed sum. Located at 50 E. Erie St., the six-story, 32,193-square-foot French Renaissance-style building was built between 1923 and 1926 by the ASC, which occupied it until 1997.
The acquisition of the Murphy will make it possible for the Driehaus Museum to expand its programmatic activities and capacity. The museum’s founder, Driehaus Capital Management’s Richard Driehaus, passed away earlier this year.
“The Driehaus Museum is honored to succeed the American College of Surgeons as steward of their magnificent building,” said Zachary Lazar, president of the museum’s board of trustees. “It was no secret within the museum that Mr. Driehaus hoped someday to acquire the Murphy Auditorium, an extension of his passion for preserving the world-class historic architecture for which Chicago is so well known.”
