Take a walk with Frank Lloyd Wright
Oak Park offers weekend tours attracting visitors from around the world
Knowledgeable guides share a wealth of facts about Oak Park buildings designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright during Wright in the Neighborhood: Outdoor Guided Walking Tours. The 75-minute tours are currently being offered at 10 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
“Oak Park is home to the world’s greatest collection of buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright,” said Christine Trevino, communications manager for the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.
“He began his career in Oak Park, which resulted in shaping the course of modern architecture in the 20th century.”
The tour includes buildings designed by Wright that are located near the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio at 951 Chicago Ave., which was built between 1889 and 1909.
Trevino said the tour will stop in front of buildings designed by Wright, where the guide “explains the history of the home and the importance of the architecture and their place in Wright’s career.”
Oak Park resident Jim Peters, who has been leading many of the Wright Trust tours in the Chicago area for the past eight years, helped create the Wright in the Neighborhood: Outdoor Guided Walking Tour. Peters reported that this tour was initiated in the spring of 2020 “largely in response to the COVID situation.”
The tour begins at
Wright’s Home and Studio and makes 10 stops.
“The one building that’s on the tour that is my favorite is the Arthur Heurtley House at 318 Forest Ave.,” Peters said. “It is one of these early Prairie style homes. Wright was the driver behind the Prairie style of architecture, which was the first truly American style of architecture.”
Peters praised that house, which was built in 1902, noting that it has “a huge hipped roof. It floats down on all four sides and is relatively low.” Underneath the roof is what looks like a ribbon of art glass windows.
“They emphasize the roof and almost make it ‘float’ above the building,” Peters said.
Another stop on the tour is the Nathan G. Moore House at 333 Forest Ave., which was built in 1895.
For this residence, Wright drew on traditional English architectural models in response to the request of his client, who was an attorney. Wright redesigned the building after a 1922 fire.
People on the tour will also see the 1909 Laura Robeson Gale House at 6 Elizabeth Court. The stucco and wood structure is on a narrow lot on a winding street. It is notable for its cantilevered balconies and roofs.
People who take the tours often share information they know about the houses where they stop with Peters and other interpreters.
“One of the homes a little further down the block —
the Beachy House — one of our volunteers actually lived in the house from 1977 to about 2009 and was able to give us some insights into all that went into the restoration and what the house is today,” Peters said.
Peters is always pleased when people from other countries who are interested in architecture join
the tours. He said they come here because Wright “made Oak Park a destination for international architectural devotees.” These visitors offer insight into how Wright’s innovations are carried out in other parts of the world.
The best aspect of leading these tours for Peters is “the people,” he said. “It
really surprised me the number of and the knowledge of Frank Lloyd Wright fans around the world.”
Wright in the Neighborhood: Outdoor Guided Walking Tours
When: 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays
Where: Tours begin at the
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, 951 Chicago Ave., Oak Park
Tickets: $25; $20 for members of the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust Information: 312-9944000; flwright.org/tours/ wright-in-the-neighborhood