Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

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Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Location: Oak Park, Cook County, Illinois, USA
Coordinates: 41°53′10″N, 87°47′25″W
Built/Founded: 1889
Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright
Architectural style(s): Prairie style
Added to NRHP: September 14, 1972[1]
Reference #: 72000456
Governing body: Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust

The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio at 951 Chicago Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois has been restored by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust to its appearance in 1909, the last year Frank Lloyd Wright lived there with his family. [2] Frank Lloyd Wright purchased the property and built the home in 1889 with a $5,000 loan from his employer Louis Sullivan.[2] He was 22 at the time, and newly wed to Catherine Tobin. The Wrights raised six children in the home. [2] The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 and declared a National Historic Landmark four years later.[3]

[edit] History

Childrens playroom HABS ILL,16-OAKPA,5-
Childrens playroom HABS ILL,16-OAKPA,5-

The original 1887 structure was quite small. The home was extensively remodeled in 1895, when among other changes the kitchen was enlarged and converted to a dining room, the upstairs nursery was expanded and converted for use as Catherine's dayroom, and the Children's Playroom and a new kitchen were added.[2] A second major addition was made in 1898, when the Studio and Connecting Corridor were built.[2] In the Studio, Frank Lloyd Wright and associated architects like Walter Burley Griffin

advanced the Prairie School of Architecture and designed many notable structures, including the Robie House, Unity Temple, the Laura Gale home, and the Larkin building. After 1909, the Studio was converted into a residence for his wife and the younger children. Later on, the Home and Studio became an apartment building. In 1974, the structure was acquired by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the 13 year restoration began.[citation needed] The Home and Studio is located in one of three historic districts of Oak Park, Illinois with over 25 Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings and other architecturally significant houses.[citation needed]

The Home and Studio was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976,[3] and has received the American Institute of Architects' National Honor Award.[citation needed] It is owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and has been restored, maintained, and operated as a museum by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust.[2] Every May, the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust hosts a housewalk of the Home & Studio and various private homes.

[edit] References

  1. ^ NRIS Database, National Register of Historic Places, retrieved January 25, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Abernathy, Ann; John G. Thorpe (pp.4, 5, 33, 44, 46. (1988)). The Oak Park Home and Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright. The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. ISBN 0-945635-00-1. 
  3. ^ a b Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, NHL Database, National Historic Landmarks Program. Retrieved 20 February 2007.

[edit] External Links

U.S. National Register of Historic Places - (List of entries)

National Park Service . National Historic Landmarks . National Battlefields . National Historic Sites . National Historic Parks . National Memorials . National Monuments