Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District
Encyclopedia
The Frank Lloyd Wright/Prairie School of Architecture Historic District is a residential neighborhood in the Cook County, Illinois
village of Oak Park
, United States
. The Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District is both a federally designated historic district listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and a local historic district within the village of Oak Park. The districts have differing boundaries and contributing properties, over 80 of which were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
, widely regarded as the greatest American architect to have ever lived.
in 1901. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright
came there in 1889 and designed his home which was built in 1889, in 1897 he added the studio along Chicago Avenue. Wright brought international attention to the village, designing 25 structures there in all; most of them within the historic district
. The Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District provides a look at a cross section of Wright's work which spans several decades over his career. Some of his earliest works are within the district, leading up to buildings he designed during his "first mature period." In 1972 the village of Oak Park created and designated the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District as a local historic district under its municipal laws. In December 1973 it was added as a federal historic district on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
.
and 1920s Medieval and Classical Revival in the district as well.
to the historic character of the district. The federally designated Frank Lloyd Wright historic district is less encompassing including only 80 structures, all of which are listed as contributing properties. The Frank Lloyd Wright designs include the Mrs. Thomas H. Gale House, Nathan G. Moore Residence, Arthur Heurtley House
, Frank Thomas House
, Edwin H. Cheney House
, George Furbeck House
, Oscar B. Balch House
, and nearly twenty others.
is of the highest significance on a national level for its residential architecture. Of the buildings within the historic district over 20 of them were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
. Besides the structures designed by Wright there are 60 other buildings designed by colleagues, students, followers and other adherents of Wright's Prairie School
of architecture. The National Register of Historic Places form called the district "undoubtedly the largest concentration of early modern architecture to be found anywhere in the world. It was added to the National Register on December 4, 1973.
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
village of Oak Park
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District is both a federally designated historic district listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and a local historic district within the village of Oak Park. The districts have differing boundaries and contributing properties, over 80 of which were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
, widely regarded as the greatest American architect to have ever lived.
History
Oak Park, Illinois was first settled in 1835 and incorporated as a villageVillage
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in 1901. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
came there in 1889 and designed his home which was built in 1889, in 1897 he added the studio along Chicago Avenue. Wright brought international attention to the village, designing 25 structures there in all; most of them within the historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
. The Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District provides a look at a cross section of Wright's work which spans several decades over his career. Some of his earliest works are within the district, leading up to buildings he designed during his "first mature period." In 1972 the village of Oak Park created and designated the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District as a local historic district under its municipal laws. In December 1973 it was added as a federal historic district on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.
Boundaries
The Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District's boundaries for its National Register listing is roughly the Oak Park roads of Clyde Street, Division Street, Lake Street and a combination of Harlem Avenue. The district's local boundaries are irregular but more specifically it is bounded by Division Street on its north, Lake Street on its south, Ridgeland Avenue on its east, and Marion Street and Woodbine Avenue on its west.Architecture
Over 80 of the houses and buildings within the boundaries of the federal historic district were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and other adherents to his early modern Prairie style architecture. Besides the Prairie structures there are examples of 1860s ItalianateItalianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
and 1920s Medieval and Classical Revival in the district as well.
Structures
There are approximately 1,500 buildings within the boundaries of the local Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District. Of that number about 1,300 contributeContributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the historic character of the district. The federally designated Frank Lloyd Wright historic district is less encompassing including only 80 structures, all of which are listed as contributing properties. The Frank Lloyd Wright designs include the Mrs. Thomas H. Gale House, Nathan G. Moore Residence, Arthur Heurtley House
Arthur Heurtley House
The Arthur B. Heurtley House is located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, United States. The house was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and constructed in 1902. The Heurtley House is considered one of the earliest examples of a Frank Lloyd Wright house in full Prairie style. The...
, Frank Thomas House
Frank Thomas House
The Frank W. Thomas House is located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, United States. The building was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1901 and cast in the Wright-developed Prairie School of Architecture. By Wright's own definition, this was the first of the Prairie houses -...
, Edwin H. Cheney House
Edwin H. Cheney House
Edwin H. Cheney House located in Oak Park, Illinois, United States, was Frank Lloyd Wright's design of this residence for electrical engineer Edwin Cheney. The house is part of the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District...
, George Furbeck House
George Furbeck House
The George W. Furbeck House is a house located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, United States. The house was designed by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1897 and constructed for Chicago electrical contractor George W. Furbeck and his new bride Sue Allin Harrington...
, Oscar B. Balch House
Oscar B. Balch House
The Oscar B. Balch House is a home located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, United States. The Prairie style Balch House was designed by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1911. The home was the first house Wright designed after returning from a trip to Europe with a client's wife....
, and nearly twenty others.
Significance
The historic districtHistoric district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
is of the highest significance on a national level for its residential architecture. Of the buildings within the historic district over 20 of them were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
. Besides the structures designed by Wright there are 60 other buildings designed by colleagues, students, followers and other adherents of Wright's Prairie School
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
of architecture. The National Register of Historic Places form called the district "undoubtedly the largest concentration of early modern architecture to be found anywhere in the world. It was added to the National Register on December 4, 1973.
External links
- Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park: Oak Park River Forest Historical Society.