Limestone wall plaque outside the Wright Studio (all photos by me).
Chicago was a “bucket list”
destination for me, one that did not disappoint. Among the reasons why is
because it was in Chicago that a young Frank Lloyd Wright would first come to
prominence as an entirely original talent who sought nothing less than to
create a uniquely American form of architecture. Of course, several of Wright’s
most noteworthy projects figured prominently on my list of “must see” sights
while in the Windy City.
Most who have little more than
a casual interest in the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright know something
about his formative years in the profession. He learned much from his early work
experience as a draftsman, first under Joseph Lyman Silsbee and then later
as an apprentice for the firm of Adler & Sullivan, gaining not only technical
proficiency but also a preference for an American architecture not grounded in
the classical teachings of the then-fashionable École des Beaux-Arts. It
is in the village of Oak Park, west of Chicago, during the period spanning from
1889 to 1909,(1) that
his built works displayed a progressive melding of the ideals of the Arts &
Crafts movement, Louis Sullivan’s foreshadowing of modernism, and his own
notions of an “organic” architecture fitted to the long, low landscape of the
Midwest.
During my stay in Chicago, I
made time to visit Oak Park, which offers a remarkable concentration of projects
from this first and pivotal part of Wright’s lengthy and consequential career.
I enjoyed a guided tour of his Home (1889) and adjoining Studio
(1898), which served as his primary residence and professional office during
this time. Additionally, there are 25 Wright-designed buildings in the
surrounding neighborhood, of which I visited the Unity Temple (completed
in 1908) and conducted a self-guided audio tour of ten houses displaying the
full evolution of his design principles toward what became known as the Prairie
Style of architecture.
Unity Temple (1908)
Nathan G. Moore House (1895)
Hills-Decaro House (1896)
Frank Thomas House (1901)
Peter A. Beachy House (1906)
Arthur B. Heurtley House (1902), a favorite of mine.
I also made a pilgrimage to
the Frederick C. Robie House (completed in 1909), which many (including me)
consider to be the apotheosis of the Prairie Style. The Robie House is not located
in Oak Park, but rather adjacent to the campus of the University of Chicago in
the South Side neighborhood of Hyde Park. Historians attribute its
architectural significance to its quintessential combination of Prairie Style features,
notably the design’s decidedly horizontal emphasis, structurally expressive
brick piers and cantilevered roofs, continuous bands of windows, not to mention
its influence upon domestic design and lifestyle. I previously was not entirely
familiar with the history of the house, so I was surprised to learn the Robie
family’s time there was very short-lived (only one-year), that it would change
hands several times, and that it was threatened with demolition before being acquired
by the University of Chicago. The university turned over tours, operations, and
necessary fundraising to the Frank Lloyd Trust in 1997. The Trust completed restoration
of the Robie House in 2019, at a cost of over 11 million dollars.
Frederick C. Robie House (1909)
Steel beams supporting the roof cantilever 17 feet beyond their supports.
Detail view, exterior.
Living room.
Central fireplace. Note the split chimney and the opening through which the ceiling of the dining room beyond is seen as continuous.
While the Robie House was everything
I expected it to be, I found the Wright Home and Studio to be a revelation. Given
his relative youth—a mere 22 years and 31 years of age when he designed the
home and later studio, respectively—I was entirely impressed by how fully Wright
realized such architectural principles as the ideal of open living and working spaces
(innovative at the time). The Studio is nothing less than fantastic, with carefully
controlled daylight, thoroughly inventive detailing and ornamentation, and a masterful
orchestration of space and volume. To say his talent was precociously mature is
an understatement.
Wright Home (1889).
Inglenook.
Master bath: The niche with the vase was initially a window with a view directly out. With the addition of the Studio, Wright placed a window to the left in a niche where the original window was located, thereby continuing to provide a source of daylight in the room while providing privacy.
Children's playroom. The mural over the fireplace is inspired by a tale from the Arabian Nights.
Exterior view of the Studio (1898)
Tour group inside the drafting room.
Looking up at the underside of the tall ceiling in the drafting room. The chains restrain the outward thrust of the octagonal dome.
The Studio's library. Wright like the room so much, he converted the library to be his personal office.
The work of Frank Lloyd Wright
has served as a touchstone throughout my life in architecture. I am grateful
for the opportunity to have traveled to Chicago and see so many examples in
person. While a flawed human being, Wright was clearly a great and pioneering architect.
That many of his projects have been maintained, restored, and are open to visitors
is truly a blessing for Wright afficionados like me.
(1)
Wright married Catherine Tobin and
settled in Oak Park in 1889, where they would raise six children). He scandalously
left his family for a new life in Europe with Mamah Cheney, his neighbor
and wife of a client, ending his period of residence and professional practice
in Oak Park.
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