Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio is an iconic building located within Oak Park Prairie School Historic District that has been restored, maintained, and preserved through efforts spearheaded by Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust.
Wright used this property as the incubator of many of his ideas that would come to define modern American architecture. Many signature details can be seen all throughout, whether in obvious or subtle forms.
The House
Frank Lloyd Wright’s first home and studio was the birthplace of architectural revolution. Here he created designs which contained seeds of his innovative philosophy of organic architecture that became known as Prairie style architecture. Wright designed and built several Prairie style houses in Oak Park such as Robie House, Unity Temple and Laura Gale home before designing hillside homes in Los Angeles including Taggart Sowden (registered Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument), Hollyhock Hill and Olive Hill houses for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall.
Wright designed The Home and Studio as both his residence and studio for himself and his family between 1889-1898, with another major addition made in 1909. As his residence, it provided Wright an opportunity to test out his vision of modern domestic architecture while showing it to prospective clients. Wright experimented with various features throughout the home including his innovative “living room” concept; an inglenook fireplace with family motto; skylights with art glass windows; skylights; as well as sculptured elements at its entrance.
Wright also designed his studio as an experimental workshop, complete with suspended drafting balcony. Filled with artistic and decorative objects that provided intellectual and spiritual nourishment for his young family such as Japanese prints, sculptured figures and plaster casts of classical statues as well as his own designed drafting tables and stools he placed around the studio to keep an eye on what might work better for each family member, it served as the ideal location to experiment.
Wright converted the studio into apartments after 1909 by squared off its corners on the second-floor and removing cantilevered rood, cantilevered roof, cantilevered canopies and two figurative sculptures that depicted men sitting together arm in arm similar to what can be found elsewhere on Oak Park properties. When restored back to its original appearance in 1977 figurative sculptures were returned back into place to showcase his organic architecture philosophy developed through Oak Park projects. Today it remains one of Wright’s work.
The Studio
Visit Wright’s Home and Studio is an opportunity to witness his vision unfold over time, from its inglenook fireplace with its family motto to its skylights and art glass windows – this was where he experimented with designs before sharing his ideas with clients.
Wright integrated nature into his design from its conception, most evident in his use of glass. According to Wright himself, glass allowed him to achieve “a dynamic balance between transparency and enclosure”. Leaded glass panels at his Home and Studio provide natural sunlight while also offering privacy and providing a sense of enclosure.
Home and Studio by Frank Lloyd Wright is truly extraordinary in terms of architecture. Influenced by early Prairie School work while simultaneously showing an eclectic style more experimental than that of his Victorian contemporaries, its light green moss walls and cast reproduction of Battle of the Gods in the foyer are just two examples of such features; Wright’s structural innovations can also be found here; for example octagonal chains dangling from its ceiling serve to secure its two-story ceiling and keep it upright.
From the studio balcony, visitors can admire views across Chicago Avenue to a series of columns forming the loggia and gaze upon concrete blocks arranged like his “textile block” houses.
Wright settled into his Home and Studio, beginning work on major commissions like Tokyo Imperial Hotel, Aline Barnsdall’s Hollyhock House and their later house Taliesin near Spring Green for oil heiress Aline Barnsdall. However, his personal life became turbulent; in 1914 his wife Mamah and children were tragically killed in a fire set by an angry domestic employee; later that same year Wright would go into seclusion at Taliesin near Spring Green for several years before eventually returning out into society again.
The Home and Studio by Frank Lloyd Wright is one of his oldest public buildings open to the public and provides visitors an opportunity to understand his signature modern style. Tours can be taken through the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation; however, guided tours such as Wright Around Oak Park offer an even better experience by taking you inside more homes designed by him in Oak Park and nearby communities.
The Lobby
Visits to the Home and Studio are journeys of discovery. Wright used furniture, decorative art, lighting effects, and the way light reflected to express ideas without speaking out directly.
Wright’s home and studio reflect his early ideas from Oak Park. Here he developed his philosophy of organic architecture that would come to define his later work. To accomplish this he integrated elements from the English Arts and Crafts movement which encouraged craftsmanship and simplicity of design into his architecture; inside this building are examples of Wright’s use of organic materials ranging from his vaulted children’s playroom to two-story drafting room and library.
After leaving Adler & Sullivan in 1893, Wright set to work building projects for himself and his family. By 1898 he had built his Studio wing connected to his home by an interconnecting passageway; it featured wood shingle cladding paired with brick walls for its long horizontal profile and was used by Wright to experiment with design ideas while impressing prospective clients.
Visitors to Wright’s studio can see some of his earliest furniture pieces displayed in its lobby. Wright used furniture as an expressive form to communicate his philosophy of organic architecture, and to develop an individual style for every commission he undertook. Furthermore, Wright often employed procession as an effective first impression tactic when designing buildings; guests entering will certainly have an unforgettable experience here!
The Home and Studio are open daily for tours as part of the Go Chicago Card, which allows visitors to save money by combining multiple attractions on one pass. It is strongly advised that tours be scheduled ahead of time to ensure availability; tickets may also be purchased at the gift shop located onsite. Additional photographic equipment, such as tripods, is not allowed inside either building; wheelchair-accessible shuttle service is provided at both venues for those unable to climb stairs.
The Playroom
Wright explored his evolving architectural ideas in The Playroom. He designed it with a vaulted ceiling and low windows just two feet off the ground to give children a sense of adventure, adding lotus lamps as an ode to Japanese spirituality and complementing a mural featuring fisherman and genie from Thousand and One Nights on its back wall. Wright believed that their environments could influence children’s imagination and creativity profoundly.
Wright used his Home and Studio as an experimental site to test furniture designs, materials and details that he intended to include in larger Prairie-style buildings. This provided him with an exclusive and unifying style he could then employ later projects.
As you explore this house and studio, it becomes apparent why it became the birthplace of modern American architecture. As part of a National Historic Landmark district that includes 25 other Wright structures, you’ll quickly appreciate why this became such an influential landmark.
At your visit, you will be met by knowledgeable guides who specialize in the history and architecture of Wright’s Home and Studio building and can answer any of your questions regarding his life or career. On your tour you’ll also gain an understanding of its connections to Wright’s family life, personal influences on him as an architect, as well as how it evolved his unique organic architecture philosophy.
The Foundation and National Trust have collaborated over the course of nearly a decade and at an approximate cost of more than $2.5 million to restore Wright’s home and studio as closely as possible to its original condition. They have removed modern updates like shag carpeting while restoring water-damaged walls; today the Home and Studio features some of Wright’s early furniture and decorative arts that demonstrate his organic design concepts; together they remain committed to keeping this special place accessible to generations to come.