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Frank Lloyd Wright and His Architecture in Chicago and Illinois
Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), a pioneer of the Prairie Style of architecture and one the most revered architects of all time, is among the favourite sons of one of America’s best-loved cities - Chicago. The legendary architect was educated in nearby Wisconsin, but called the Chicago suburb of Oak Park his home during much of his professional life. Thousands of visitors still flock to the area each year to see the world’s largest collection of Wright’s works. Frank Lloyd Wright moved to the idyllic suburban town of Oak Park, Illinois, in 1889, two years after launching his architectural career as the assistant to another architectural icon, Louis Sullivan. After an eventual falling out with Sullivan, Wright opened his own firm and began an architectural legacy that continues to influence and inspire architects from all over the world. Frank Lloyd Wright designed more than 1,000 buildings during his lifetime. Most of the renowned works have been beautifully restored and some of them open their doors to everyone interested in admiring the handiwork of a true genius during Wright Plus, the annual housewalk in Oak Park.
Wright’s renowned Prairie Style takes its inspiration from the flat landscape of the Midwestern United States and demonstrates a distinctly ‘organic’ philosophy towards architecture. Wright’s works were unusually horizontal for the period, using innovative techniques and unconventional building methods to echo the broad expanses common in the ‘plains’ surrounding Chicago. Beyond this, Wright always paid careful attention to every detail of a building’s design and was an expert at inviting nature and light into the house, integrating the outdoor landscape with the home’s interior as much as possible.
The Chicago suburbs of Oak Park and River Forest are the epicentre of the Chicago area’s Frank Lloyd Wright collection. Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio complex in Oak Park served as his architectural laboratory, in which he experimented with space, form, light, materials, furnishings and decorative arts from 1889 to 1909. The building was constantly changing, both showcasing the architect's evolving skills and design philosophies and serving as an office from which he designed more than 150 structures over the next decade. Today, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio is an accredited museum restored to its 1909 appearance – the last year Wright lived and worked on the property – and contains an impressive collection of Wright-designed furniture and decorative arts objects which people can visit all year round.
Unity Temple is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s earliest masterpieces of modern architecture. When the Unity Church of Oak Park was struck by lightning and burned to the ground in 1905, Wright was commissioned to design a new building for the Universalist congregation. His design broke the barriers of religious architecture in America, using poured, reinforced concrete and a bold cubist design to make the most of the very long and narrow corner lot on a noisy main road. This project, which Wright referred to as ‘my little jewel box’, was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971 and an Oak Park landmark in 1996. In addition, it is one of 17 structures designed by Wright to earn special recognition to his contribution to American culture from the American Institute of Architects. The temple has been under renovation since 1973 with the aim of its completion by 2008 – its 100th anniversary; although it still remains open to visitors throughout the renovation process.
Hyde Park, south of the city center of Chicago, is home not only to the renowned University of Chicago but also one of Wright’s most revolutionary and distinguished structures.
The Robie House, designed in 1909 for Frederick C. Robie - a young manufacturer of bicycles, is undoubtedly one of the architectural sightseeing spots in Chicago. A masterpiece of the Prairie Style it has been described by Wright as ‘the cornerstone of modern architecture.’ The building is unrivalled in its dramatic architecture which unexpectedly changes with each angle of vision and is often likened to a ship because of its long, low design and two prominent rectangular vessels. The Robie House remained a private residence until 1926, when it was sold to the Chicago Theological Seminary, along with all of its furnishings. In 1963, the house was donated to the nearby University of Chicago – the same year it was chosen to be a National Historic Landmark. Today, the Oak Park-based Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust is undertaking a 10 year restoration of the house, during which tours will still be available.
Amid the soaring skyscrapers and gleaming towers of Chicago’s ‘Loop’ business district is a hidden gem – a Wright designed foyer to the famous Rookery Building.
For a quick taste of Frank Lloyd Wright, just steps away from Chicago’s other architectural hot spots, visit the intricate foyer of the Rookery Building in Chicago’s financial district on LaSalle Street. Although the building is used for business purposes its impressive foyer is open to the general public. The building takes its name from a temporary City Hall and water tank that stood on the site following the Chicago fire of 1871. A favourite roost for pigeons, these structures were referred to as ‘the rookery’, hence its name. The building was originally designed by Chicago architectural pioneer John Root, but Wright remodelled the Rookery's large, sky-lit lobby in 1905 and introduced elements characteristic of his Prairie Style designs.
Illinois’ capital city, Springfield, a three hour drive from Chicago, is home to one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most thorough home designs.
The Dana-Thomas House is considered to be one of the most complete and well preserved examples of Wright’s early Prairie Style. Recently restored by The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, the Dana-Thomas House was designed in 1902 for Susan Lawrence Dana, a forward thinking socialite living in Springfield, Illinois. The 12,000 square-foot house is renowned not only for its stunning architecture, but also for the world’s largest collection of site-specific, original Wright art glass and furniture. In all, more than 100 pieces of original Wright-designed white oak furniture occupy 35 rooms on three main levels, along with 250 art glass doors, windows and light panels, plus 200 original light fixtures and skylights.
Two National Historic Landmarks are run as museums by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust: Wright's Home & Studio in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park and Wright's Robie House on the campus of the University of Chicago. The trust also facilitates walking tours of the Oak Park area, all of which begin at the Home & Studio building. The Wright-designed Unity Temple in Oak Park is also open to visitors. Tickets for tours of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio and Robie House can be purchased through the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust Offices in Oak Park and Hyde Park. The Unity Temple offers daily tours . The Chicago Architecture Foundation (CAF) works with its 400 knowledgeable Chicagoan trained volunteers to offer 74 different architectural tours. In addition to its guided tours of Oak Park, the CAF also provides a ‘Historic Skyscrapers’ walking tour of Chicago, which includes an extended tour and commentary of the Rookery Building.
For more information or to obtain a brochure, call the Chicago & Illinois Tourist Office’s Freephone Brochure Line on +44 (0) 8700 503410 or visit online www.gochicago.com For further information or photography, (media only) please contact Jackie Cooper PR:
Oak Park Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Unity Temple
Robie House
Chicago Architecture Foundation
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