Michael S. Smith Redecorated the Largest Governor’s Mansion in the Country—and It’s Pretty Fabulous

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On a spring day in 1954, hundreds of women donning cat-eye sunglasses, fascinators, and strands of pearls befitting the newly coronated Queen of the United Kingdom gathered in front of the Illinois governor’s mansion in Springfield. They were members of the state Parent-Teacher Association and had been invited by First Lady Shirley Breckenridge Stratton for tea (thus the sartorial nods to Her Majesty were not only au courant but also appropriate).

Stratton had overseen a comprehensive redecoration of what was known as the People’s House, the largest and one of the oldest governor’s mansions in the United States, with the goal of making it feel more welcoming to the public. She and Governor Stratton were so committed to sharing the mansion with the people of Illinois that they began a new tradition of opening it for tours in 1960.

It was this legacy into which Illinois First Lady Mary Kathryn “MK” Pritzker stepped when she ventured into her own redecoration of the People’s House in 2019 shortly after her husband, JB, was sworn in as the state’s 43^rd governor. Between 2015 and 2018 Pritzker’s predecessor, Diana Rauner, led an extensive renovation of the mansion, only the third since it was built in 1855.

“I felt I needed to continue the good work she had started and that, in doing so, I had a responsibility to showcase all that is great about our state,” Pritzker told me earlier this year about the work she had recently completed, underwritten entirely by private contributions. “JB is so gregarious and loves to entertain, and he really wanted the mansion to be the social hub of Springfield.”

Today the mansion is an architectural manifestation of Pritzker congeniality. A portico rebuilt during the Rauner administration in a spirit echoing the original one celebrates entry to the house with Corinthian columns and a central staircase that unfolds with welcome onto the front lawn.

Inside, primary public spaces on the first and second floors radiate from a central elliptical stair hall, reconstructed in the 1970s when First Lady Dorothy Ogilvie discovered marks tracing the arc of the original staircase, that allows for views and a graceful flow from room to room and floor to floor. Thanks to the restored Greek Revival interior architecture, the rooms exude a proper formality worthy of the building’s purpose with a correctness that puts visitors at ease.

Decorating such a large, historic—and public-facing—home might have intimidated some. But for a naturally curious woman with seemingly endless enthusiasm for design history and material culture like Pritzker, the project was a natural fit.

“She’s such a doer, and she attacked this from so many directions to elevate it and with the same level of energy she brings to anything she does,” says designer Michael S. Smith, who happens to be a longtime family friend and worked with Pritzker to redesign the mansion’s interiors.

Smith was an ideal partner for the First Lady given his experience in decorating residences that house public officials, most notably the White House during the Obama administration but also the American ambassador to Spain’s residence in Madrid and other ambassadorial residences.

“Part of the responsibility of working on a house like this is to always bear in mind that you’re a caretaker of something with great history that belongs to the people. These houses are not palaces but rather tools meant to bring people together,” Smith notes. “JB and MK have made this a representational gathering space that’s also a really comfortable home.”

For the public reception spaces on the first floor, for example, Smith and Pritzker selected colorful wallcoverings—a buttery yellow-and-white stripe for the symmetrical East and West Parlors, an emerald green moiré fabric for the Lincoln Parlor, and a matching Turkish blue moiré for the adjacent Music Parlor—that not only bring into relief the original Greek Revival–style millwork but also make the grand spaces feel more intimate and inviting.

The duo furnished the state rooms with pieces collected by previous governors, 19^th-century antiques that evoke the spirit of the building’s origins, in some cases with actual ties to the mansion or Illinois history, and contemporary elements that reflect how the Pritzkers live today. The result is a certain timelessness that honors the past, yet it is poised for the promise of tomorrow—and brilliantly belies the redecoration efforts. “I am sort of obsessed with brushing away my tracks in the sand,” Smith acknowledges.

The tapestry of old and new, stately yet welcoming proved the perfect complement for Pritzker’s selection of art, both fine and decorative, that celebrates Illinois history and culture. The collection, which features many works by female Illinois artists such as Evelyn Statsinger and Gertrude Abercrombie, comprises a mix of pieces from the Pritzkers’ collection as well as those on loan from the Illinois State Museum and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum.

“This house is a representation of all that is great about our state, our people and culture, and our contributions to American democracy as well as our great art, architecture, and design traditions,” says Pritzker, herself a student of art and architectural history. “I wanted to showcase it here so that when people come to visit, they feel proud to be from Illinois.”

In sifting through historic archives and artifacts, Pritzker developed a deep connection to the governors and their spouses who had helped shape the mansion over nearly two centuries. “You can’t help but feel a link to the people who came before, especially the women. Reading about all the First Ladies who had come before, I felt compelled to tell their stories,” Pritzker says.

So she decided to write a book—“my COVID project”—documenting not only the work she and Smith did but also the contributions of every administration to occupy the house. Published in September, A House That Made History also reveals the first family’s private quarters and the mansion decorated for the holidays. All proceeds from the book fund a trust that supports care of the mansion.

Pritzker’s work at the Illinois governor’s mansion—as well as the retelling of its history in her book—is a reminder of the extraordinary power of beauty in bridging divisions among us. “Beauty is universal, a language that everyone can understand. Experiencing beautiful space, art, or music brings people together,” she says. “My goal was to create a warm and inviting governor’s residence that the people of Illinois could be proud of, a place to honor our past and help to create our future.”

Featured in our November/December 2023 issue. Interior Design by Michael S. Smith; Photography by Michael Mundy; Written by Steele Thomas Marcoux.

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