This is Frank Lloyd Wright at his absolute best. The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, previously known as the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation offers a variety of tours of some of the best Wright buildings in and around Chicago. Begin with his home and Studio (a must to understanding Wright) and then move on to other Oak Park houses and into Chicago. Definitely worth a few extra days next time you’re in the Chicago area.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust

Established in 1974, the Trust a not-for-profit organization, to acquire and preserve Wright’s Home and Studio in Oak Park as the place where Wright formulated the architectural principles he retained throughout his career. In 1975, the Home and Studio became a co-stewardship property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Home and Studio Foundation embarked on its mission to restore and operate the building as a historic house museum.

In 1976, the Home and Studio was declared a National Historic Landmark. The ensuing $3+ million restoration was completed in 1987, at which time it received the American Institute of Architects’ prestigious National Honor Award.
In February 1997, the Home and Studio Foundation, by invitation of University of Chicago entered into an agreement to assume sole responsibility for the management, operation and restoration of Wright’s Robie House, located on the University of Chicago campus. In 2000, the Home and Studio Foundation changed its name to the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust to better reflect the dual stewardship of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio and Wright’s Robie House.

In December 2010, the Trust realized a long-standing dream of a downtown location by opening central offices at The Rookery, a Chicago landmark building. The Rookery contains one of Wright’s most dramatic interior compositions in its luminous central light court.

In May 2012, the Trust acquired sole ownership of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The transfer of ownership marked a new chapter in the history of the Trust.

In 2012, the Trust began operation of tours at the Emil Bach House, a Chicago landmark on Chicago’s north side shoreline neighborhood of Rogers Park, and in September 2013, the Trust assumed responsibility for the operation of tours and programs at Unity Temple, three blocks from Wright’s Home and Studio in Oak Park.

Frederick C. Robie House
The Robie House on the University of Chicago campus is considered one of the most important buildings in the history of American architecture. It was created by Frank Lloyd Wright for his client Frederick C. Robie, a forward-thinking businessman. 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.

The Rookery
Set in the heart of Chicago’s financial district, at 209 South LaSalle Street, Daniel Burnham and John Root’s Rookery Building is a Chicago landmark, containing a luminous and brilliantly articulated central light court remodeling by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Bach House
The richly conceived yet intimately scaled Bach House (1915) adopts the vocabulary of the Prairie house, but looks toward future stylistic directions in Wright’s work. Described as “semi-cubist,” its compact plan is a modification of Wright’s “fireproof house,” which was published in 1907 in Ladies Home Journal. The residence is being meticulously restored to its original appearance.

Unity Temple
Unity Temple is undergoing restoration and is closed to the public. Tours will resume at the conclusion of the restoration project, estimated to be in late 2016. Please return to this site for information. Unity Temple is Frank Lloyd Wright’s only surviving public building from his Prairie period. Limited by a modest budget and an awkward site, Wright created a bold design and used unconventional materials to produce one of his most significant accomplishments.

Wright Plus Housewalk
The annual Wright Plus Housewalk features rare interior tours of private homes and public buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries in Oak Park, Illinois.

Pedal Oak Park
Oak Park is home to the world’s largest collection of buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Explore its picturesque historic neighborhoods on a guided bicycle tour of 22 Wright-designed structures.

Wright Around Chicago
Chicago is where the legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright spent the first 20 years of his career. Leave the driving to us as you experience the best of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Chicago with expert commentary about the life and work of the man who established a uniquely American style of architecture, and interior tours of his famous sites.

Oak Park Combination Tour
Planning to tour the Home and Studio and the surrounding historic district during your visit to Oak Park? Choose our Oak Park Combination Tour to save time and money.

Wright Around Oak Park
This in-depth tour showcases the very best of Wright in Oak Park in the company of an expert guide. Enjoy visits to the Home and Studio, through the Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District, and Unity Temple.

 

What a great way to discover Wright’s work in and around Chicago.

Check them all out.