Frank Lloyd Wright completed this house/studio for his new family in 1889, before he developed his Prairie Style architecture. Nestled in the comfortable neighborhood Oak Park, Chicago, this historic building speaks of the American dream of family homes in a community.
The house overlooks the sidewalk, comes right up to it, with a long stone fence securing privacy. The conservative aesthetic is unassuming, but massive detail in woodwork, glass, and neat little features, makes the composition stand out. A two story polygonal addition contains a grand dining room with his own custom furniture. Here, on in the children’s playroom, rows of windows stream in carefully colored light. Though I doubt Wright was a very religious man, there’s historic religious symbolism in the columns as well as historic gestures in facade treatments.
