WRIGHT SEEING
As Frank Lloyd Wright’s 150th birthday nears, area tours showcase his timeless designs
Thursday will mark 150 years since the birth of architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who was born the year black men were given voting rights in the United States. The same year, Nebraska was added as the 37th U. S. state, and Alaska was bought from Russia.
In New Orleans, more than 3,000 people died from Yellow Fever. All of that happened in 1867. Though much, obviously, has changed, a constant remains the hold that Wright has on modern architecture.
Still an icon, his designs still draw crowds and continue to influence other architects.
Born in southwest Wisconsin, Wright got his early start in Chicago at 20, when he moved to the city to find work.
Almost two decades after the Great Chicago Fire, the city was still reeling in its rebuild. Wright worked for a handful of firms before he became his own boss. His career quickly took off.
By the time he died 58 years ago, Wright had designed more than 500 buildings that were built either during his lifetime or after his death — and just as many that weren’t.
Among those was his innovative, Prairie Style home in Oak Park. It became a live- in museum because of its groundbreaking design.
Today, to fully tour his buildings in Oak Park, you need to set aside three hours. That’s just Oak Park.
In Chicago, Wright designed buildings, lobbies and rooms, including the Robie House in Hyde Park.
In Wisconsin, he was behind much of the SC Johnson campus as he put together the designs for two of his most notable commercial structures: the Johnson Administration Building and the Research Tower, two buildings that opened within 11 years of each other and are still undeniably magnificent.
While Lloyd traveled and planted his design seeds in Europe, Japan and elsewhere around the world, the heart of his work is in the Midwest. His modern creations were ahead d of his time. He was ahead of his time. Even on his 150th birthday, Wright is still timeless.
Want to see so firsthand? Here are 10 Wright events and tours — all within relatively short drives of Chicago.