Cameel Halim guides CH Ventures, LLC, where he has overseen the rehabilitation of numerous historic buildings in Chicago and beyond. A longtime collector of stained glass, timepieces, and other art objects, Cameel Halim is presently working toward the establishment of the Halim Time and Glass Museum.
The plan for this unique institution extends back more than a decade, with Mr. Halim having spoken with the Chicago Times about his dream of creating the museum in 2007. He described a lifelong passion for art and history, with a particular fascination for the way in which clocks unify these two areas, while also incorporating intricate mechanisms.
Mr. Halim’s initial timepiece was purchased in the late 1990s in New Orleans after the marriage of his oldest daughter. The English made tall-case music clock served as a “consolation prize” of sorts. He subsequently began patronizing auctions spanning the globe and his collection had a major boost in 1999 when Seth Atwood’s Time Museum closed its doors and some 953 timepieces went to auction through Sotheby’s. Mr. Halim’s purchases at the sale accounted for $5 million of the $58 million sale total of the estate, and it is these antique timepieces of the 16th to 18th century that make up the foundation of the new museum’s collection.
