Some houses collect furniture. This one collected stories from around the world.

"The Scholar & The Potter"

5716 S. Harper Ave, Chicago, IL 60637 

March 28th & 29th, 2026  9-3p.

A remarkable Hyde Park estate belonging to a University of Chicago professor and his wife, a librarian with the Chicago Public Library, a recognized ceramic artist who created work at the Lillstreet Art Center and the Hyde Park Art Center. This thoughtfully collected home reflects a lifetime devoted to books, antiques, oddities and the quiet beauty of handmade objects.

In the heart of Hyde Park, where ideas have long shaped the world and quiet streets shelter generations of thinkers and artists, stands a house that has watched more than eighty years of family life unfold. This wonderful section of Hype Park Victorian homes all stand together, and were all created by the same architect. Be sure to admire the strong Sycamore tree in the front yard. The neighbors told us the family planted the tree as a sapling.

The home first welcomed the family in 1945, when it was purchased by a respected scholar at the University of Chicago. He devoted his life to the study of Chinese history, contributing to the intellectual life that has long defined Hyde Park. We unearthed Chinese baby clothes, shoes, day wear-all 100% cotton and silks-all packed in basket luggage and trunks. His wife, gracious and deeply involved in community life, balanced the academic rhythm of the household with warmth, hospitality, and service through the neighborhood’s Service League. Within these walls they raised two children, in a home filled with books, conversation, and the quiet dignity of scholarly life.

The house passed lovingly to the next generation. Though life’s chapters shifted over the years, the house remained a steadfast center of family memory. The Potter continued to live there for decades, keeping alive the creativity vibe and warmth that had always defined the home. It is the Potter who gives this estate its artistic soul.

An accomplished ceramicist, the Potter spent countless hours at the wheel. (Wheel and clay available for purchase. Please ask). She shaped clay into vessels both functional and expressive. Much of the pottery throughout the house was made by her own hands. Look carefully beneath these pieces and you may find her distinctive maker’s mark — the letters LJHK intertwined, a quiet signature pressed into clay before the kiln transformed it into something enduring.

Many of these works were created during the vibrant art movement of the 1970s and 1980s at Chicago's beloved Lillstreet Art Center, with later works shaped at the nearby Hyde Park Art Center — institutions that have long nurtured Chicago’s creative spirit.

March 28th & 29th, the home opens its doors once more. And yes, its worth coming to admire the architectural features, the sweet kitchen, all the pocket doors, the Victorian wood floors, the handrails and staircases... But mostly for the opportunity to purchase pottery from a recognized Chicago artist. Expect: country crocks, Dansk silverware, 8 foot tall wooden bookcases, oddities, silk kimono's, vintage clothing (mens and womens), collectibles, ephemera, books, vinyl, art, jewelry... Just a sweet mix.

In this home you'll find the traces of a life steeped in scholarship and artistry: shelves once filled with academic texts now house vintage toys, vintage children's books, handmade ceramics formed on quiet afternoons, and the collected objects of a family who lived thoughtfully and well. The books? For the most part ANTIQUE 1st EDITIONS.

Estate Sale Goddess invites you to step inside “The Scholar & The Potter” — a rare Hyde Park estate where intellect, artistry, and family history have intertwined for generations.

So for all you Potters out there, come discover the objects, stories, and craftsmanship that remain. Bring your Besties. Walk the rooms. Discover the objects. Carry a piece of this remarkable story forward.

All love! Til soon!

YOUR Estate Sale Goddess