Frank Lloyd Wright, Chicago

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OK, I don't know much about architecture, but am fascinated by old buildings, so on my short visit to Chicago, my friend and I took the Chigago Architecture Foundation's bus tour. Considered one of the most important examples of American architecture, one of the stops was to Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House. According to the brochure:

"Designed in Wright's Oak Park studio in 1908 and completed in 1910, the building is both a masterpiece of the Prairie style and renowned as a forerunner of modernism in architecture."

I liked the cantilevered look of the deck ceilings, and the inside living room which was long and narrow, with a 2-sided fireplace in the middle (that was really cool!). Since the house is now a museum of sorts, it was lovely to be able to walk around inside the famous home.

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The Robie House was built by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Robie family in 1910 (it celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2010). The family was only able to live there for a little over a year before being forced to move out for financial reasons and because their marriage was failing. The building transferred ownership a few times before being handed over to the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation.

The concept of the house was to utilize horizontal lines. The doors were hidden for this reason, because they are vertical structures that interfere with the clean horizontal lines. Making the building horizontal kept it close to the ground, which was an important part of the Prairie Style. The Robie House is famous as one of the best examples of Prairie Style Architecture in the world!

Inside the house, most of the furnishings are replicas. The originals were either removed by previous owners or are located in museums however, the tour remains worthwhile and the interior design is truly impressive! It is considered to be one of Wright's three greatest homes (the others being Fallingwater near Pittsburgh and the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, which no longer exists). Along with other Wright buildings, it has been submitted on the tentative list to become a World Heritage Site.

You must take a tour in order to enter the house. Tours cost $12. You can enter a tour upon arrival if there are openings, but it is best to make a reservation beforehand.

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Website - Frank Lloyd Wright - Robie House - :
Frank Lloyd Wright - Robie House -

http://www.pitt.edu/~tokerism/0040/0322RobiePlans.jpg

Website - Frank Lloyd Wright - Home and Studio - :
Frank Lloyd Wright - Home and Studio -

This is a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, considered one of his best, and found on the south side of Chicago. It's under reconstruction until 2010, the 100th anniversary of the house.

You can tu=our the building, first seeing it from across the street, and teh outside. Then you go in and see the inside. You hear how he took liberties with the building codes of the day, building it roight out to the sidewalk when you weren't supposed to, and some other things he did and justified oddly--but got away with it.

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We took the train to Oak Park & enjoyed visiting Frank Lloyd Wright's home & studio. Audrey was knowledgeable and the hour tour was informative. The gift shop was brimming with wonderful souvenirs. We particularly enjoyed walking back to the train and admiring at least of dozen of Wright's creations in this beautiful neighborhood.

If you love architecture or are looking for something different to do, spending a few hours in Oak Park is a great option. There are tons of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings including his workshop, homes, and the Unity Temple. Hemingway's birthplace is also here.
The town itself is picture perfect like a movie set or a Norman Rockwell Painting.

If you are a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright you will this house . It is one of most famous works. Located on the University of Chicago campus in a residential neighbor. Nice work very informative. The tour lasted about 45min to an hour and the admission was $9.00