For lovers of Frank Lloyd-Wright’s architecture, the best places in Chicago to visit are his Oak Park studio and Frederick C Robie House.
Chicago’s most famous architect
For a city so famous for its skyscrapers, it’s perhaps ironic that the single most celebrated Chicago architect was defiantly low rise. Frank Lloyd-Wright never attempted to reach for the skies, and it is fitting that his biggest impact was in Oak Park, an archetypal model of pleasant, leafy suburbia.
Lloyd-Wright designed several buildings in Oak Park – which can be strung together in a walking trail – but the key one is his own home and studio. From 1889 to 1909, he based himself here, adding the studio in 1898.
Tours of Frank Lloyd-Wright’s home and studio
The tours here show off how inherently organic Lloyd-Wright’s approach was. Wherever possible, fixtures and furniture are carefully integrated, benches are built into the alcoves created by the bay windows, and enlarged passageways lead from room to room, rather than doors.
It feels oddly dark and claustrophobic inside, though – ceilings are low, and the natural colour palate of greens and browns subdues any brightness that might seep in through the windows. He uses lowered ceilings with recessed lighting covered by rice paper and wooden fretwork panels, while the fireplace is given a central position – it is designed to be the focal point and emotional heart of the home.
The Japanese influence on Frank Lloyd-Wright
Elsewhere, Japanese block prints are on display – he collected 10,000 of them, and he liked them for ‘the elimination of the insignificant’. The Japanese influences made their way into his more decorative work – furniture, lamps, carved motifs – and are evidence that the Prairie School wasn’t solely the product of the prairies.
The most impressive Frank Lloyd-Wright building in Chicago
Arguably Lloyd-Wright’s single most impressive work in Chicago, however, is Frederick C Robie House. On the south side, in the university-dominated Hyde Park neighbourhood, this was the first building to be declared a National Historic Landmark based on its architectural qualities. And while it is often considered the definitive example of the Prairie Style, it hasn’t got the spacious grounds to fully sprawl out.
Restoration of Frederick C Robie House
Construction began in 1909, near the end of Lloyd-Wright’s stint in Oak Park, and the restoration of the building to its former glory was completed in 2019. At the time, neighbours reckoned it looked like a battleship from the outside. But it’s most impressive inside, particularly the living area, which is one giant room cleverly partitioned by dividers.
Frank Lloyd-Wright’s signature
Again, the focus is drawn to the hearth, but there’s such a wealth of little detail to enjoy as well. The art windows are adorned with stylised prairie grass designs. Window lights are done in the style of what became FLW’s signature – a circle, within a square, cut through by a cross. Sumptuous wooden ceiling trim and arresting high-backed chairs complete a hugely distinctive picture.
And that’s the thing with Lloyd-Wright. His style evolved over the years, but it is always strikingly different and unmistakable.
Tickets for Frederick C Robie House
Advance tickets for Frederick C Robie House can be bought here. It’s also possible to book private guided Frank Lloyd-Wright architecture tours in Chicago. I’d also recommend the historic skyscrapers walking tour.
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