Frank Lloyd Wright’s Iconic Prairie-style Architecture
To pay tribute to the anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birth (June 8, 1867), we showcase a collection of homes inspired by the seminal architect’s iconic Prairie School
To pay tribute to the anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birth (June 8, 1867), we showcase a collection of homes inspired by the seminal architect’s iconic Prairie School
The first uniquely American architectural style, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School movement began at his architectural studios and home in Oak Park, Chicago, in 1893. Inspired by the English Arts and Crafts movement from 1880-1910, the Prairie style challenged the status quo of the domestic American architectural landscape, presenting a radical departure from the Classical Revival architecture that predominated Chicago at the turn of the century. Coined in 1901 by the Ladies Home Journal from Wright’s article “A Home in a Prairie Town,” the style takes its name from the vast prairie lands that characterize the American Midwest. The style embodied Frank Lloyd Wright’s “organic architecture” design philosophy—“determining form by way of the nature of materials” and that buildings should be representative of their “place, purpose and time.
Prairie homes were distinguished by design features such as hipped roofs with wide overhanging eaves, expansive porches and balconies, central chimney, cantilevering, and façades of natural stone and wood that integrated with the home’s indigenous natural environment. The interiors were open plan—Wright’s own unique concept—with banks of horizontal windows and stained-glass skylights that flooded the interior with light. The crowning achievements of Wright’s Prairie School are the Ward W. Willits House (1901) in Highland Park, Chicago, and the Frederick C. Robie House (1910) in Hyde Park, Chicago.
From a classic Usonian-style home in Scarsdale, New York, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright disciple Edgar Tafel to a landmark Prairie-style home outside Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, these unique homes are a testament to the enduring legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie School.
Organic Architectural Home
Pound Ridge, New York
New Prairie-Style Estate
Littleton, Colorado
Metamora, Michigan
Estate with Frank Lloyd Wright Inspired Villas
Lugano, Switzerland
Ohana
Longboat Key, Florida
Scarsdale, New York