The Wright Stuff!

Not to brag or anything, but I had just about the coolest birthday weekend EVER! My family came up and we crammed a week's worth of activities into a few short days. My favorite event, hands down, was the Wright Plus Tour in Oak Park. Once a year, the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust opens up a number of private residences for a day, and allows architecturally voyeuristic types (like myself) to see the insides of these historically significant residences.

Although some of the homes (like the two Thatcher houses, above) were not built by Wright, they were important for other reasons. All the other architects were either contemporaries or predecessors, and the homes showed either Wright's inspirations for his early works or his influence in later styles.

This Wright home, which was down the street from the second Thatcher house, was not available for viewing, but is significant because it shows how Wright gave his client windows on three sides of every room, which the client believed would help improve the air circulation and decrease the chances of his family catching tuberculosis. I found the TB house to be quite innovative and lovely.


The next Wright home we entered was small, but completely worth the wait. The E. Arthur Davenport house was undergoing a complete gut rehab in the process of being restored to its original glory. The original light fixtures and built-in furniture was stunning, and the highlight of the tour was the information provided by the previous owner, a little old lady who seemed a bit sad to see her and her late husband's improvements being dismantled in the name of preservation.











One of my favorite homes on the tour was in the newly refurbished River Forest Women's Club (William Drummond, 1913) building. This structure was an some architectural endangered species list as recently as 2005, but the people who purchased it not only turned it into a private home, they used LEED designs and energy efficient renovations every step of the way. The transformation is so impressive that the home appeared in yet another magazine last year, because of its eco-friendly renovations. Very cool!











After lunch, we made a brief pass through Wright's home and studio. Although it's cool to see, if pales in comparison to many of the homes he made for other people. His shifting octagonal studio is, by far, the most impressive design in this entire structure.

From there we trekked over to see the Rollin Furbeck House (Frank Lloyd Wright, 1897, pictured below, left) and the Charles F. Lorenzen House (E. E. Roberts, 1908 pictured below, right). Both were stunning and impeccable in both design and decoration.











Because of the lines at some of the homes, and because some of the locations were in River Forest (just west of Oak Park), we missed one of the Frank Lloyd Wright homes on the tour. Our last stop of the day, however, took us to the Frank W. Thomas House (Wright, 1901), which was one of Wright's earliest and most significant Prairie-style homes, and which apparently hadn't been opened to the public in more than 21 years!

Later that weekend, we ventured down to Hyde Park to see the Robie House, (below), which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Although the architecture was stunning, because of the ongoing renovations at the site, the interior decorations left much to be desired. I would love to revisit this home once the renovations are complete.











Also included in the price of our ticket was admission to Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple in Oak Park. We didn't have time to see the temple this weekend, but the tickets are good for a year, and having been inside the temple once before, I can assure you that it is well worth the return trip!

So if you have even the slightest interest in turn-of-the-century midwestern architecture, I would encourage you to check out the Wright Plus Tour! Tickets for the 2011 event go on sale this October. Be sure to get yours while the getting is good!