Beschreibung
It was in his home in Oak Park that Frank Lloyd
Wright made his first contributions to the Modern
movement. In 1889 he designed the first part of
the house, in 1895 he added to it for his wife,
Catherine, and their family, and in 1898 for his
architectural practice. The entire building was a
learning laboratory of modern architecture. While
not a Prairie School house, it led to the development
of the Prairie School. Wright’s constant
changes to this complex paralleled the evolution
of his early architectural work and career. There,
with his young assistants, he rethought the plan,
spaces, materials, proportions, and lines of American
residential architecture, creating a revolution
on the Prairie. His home and studio provided the
architectural environment in which to experiment
with his ideas in three dimensions. The house
featured contemporary art work, oriental tribal
rugs, and Japanese decorative arts chosen by
Wright and his wife. The studio was decorated
with classical plaster sculpture, Teco ceramics
and selections from Wright’s large collection of
Japanese prints. Wright completed the interiors,
toned in nature’s hues, with furniture and builtin
furnishings of his own design, harmonious to
the whole.
The colour photographs of Jon Miller of Hedrich-
Blessing show a glimpse into Wright’s first
haven, where he challenged prevailing notions
about the country’s architecture, and which he
then left, to continue as one of America’s most
significant architects. Included in the book is a
portfolio of historic black and white photographs
of the building, a number of them taken by
Wright himself.
