The Wheeler Mansion is truly a Chicago treasure. Originally built in 1870, it is one of the last remaining stately mansions that survived the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The residence was among one of the earliest constructed in the South Prairie Avenue neighborhood (Prairie Avenue District), home to Chicago's early mercantile and industrial barons and Chicago's first "Gold Coast" during the last quarter of the 19th century. After the property's meticulous restoration in 1999, the city recognized The Wheeler Mansion by honoring the home with the Preservation Excellence Award and the Friends of Downtown Award.