Always Interesting

Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio (July 16, 2016) Oak Park, IL

On this beautiful morning I did an Encore visit to the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio in Oak Park. This was my fourth trip to a Wright inspired property and my second to his Oak Park Home and Studio where perhaps America’s best-known and greatest architect lived and worked.

Wright was a farm boy who grew up in central Wisconsin. He studied architecture in Chicago, first with Joseph Lyman Silsbee and later he studied and worked for renowned architect Louis Sullivan.

Wright lived in this home from 1889 until 1909. In 1895 he made a major addition to the house and in 1898 the studio was added. In 1911 the studio was remodeled.

The home was built in Oak Park on a large prominent lot in the neighborhood where other Wright designed homes had been built. Wright’s home and studio were located on the corner of the aptly named Chicago and Forrest Avenues. Some of the Wright homes nearby are known as “bootlegged” homes. They were designed without the knowledge and in violation of Wright’s employment agreement with Sullivan.  Overall there are 25 Wright homes in Oak Park and another 5 in nearby River Forrest.

The property is a prime example of Wright’s Prairie School of architecture. What first strikes you is home’s setback from the street and the unique roof shingles. Before the advent of the environmental movement Wright understood and applied concepts of the integrity of the environment. The building is in harmony with nature employing natural materials along with a multitude of natural light. Throughout the house wood trim and colored glass are used as decorative elements. Within the home are many examples of built in furnishing so often found in Wright homes.

Wright saw this particular property as a laboratory to experiment ant tryout his ideas. I found the use of the octagon shape very intriguing, particularly in the drafting room and in Wright’s library that later became his office.

Elements I loved –

The Inglenook – the small recess next to a fireplace near the home’s entrance, where family members or guests could gather. The unique feature of the Wright designed Inglenook was you could see into other areas of the home through wall openings.

Wright established a lending library in the home for his neighbors.

Factoid of the visit – John Lloyd Wright, Wright’s second son, is the inventor of the children’s toy, “Lincoln Logs.”

The site has over 150,000 visitors per year.