HIS PRAIRIE HOUSES

H I S P R A I R I E H O U S E S

I loved the prairie as, itself, a great simplicity; the trees, flowers, and sky were
thrilling by contrast.” - Frank LLoyd Wright

The American prairie of the late 1800’s and early 1900’s was unbroken. Looking
across to the horizon your eye caught distinct layers. First the ground. Then the
corn, wheat, or prairie grass. Then the dominant sky.

A child of the Midwest, Frank Lloyd Wright found the prairie majestic, inspirational,
and as comforting as any childhood home. Wright’s first great abstractions of
nature were his Prairie Style designs for houses and furnishings. His houses rose from the ground. Built of natural materials, their projecting roofs hovered over the second story and extended beyond the walls offering protection for open-swinging windows. Cantilevered balconies, and grand, yet often externally hidden entrance ways, are exterior mainstays of Wright’s Prairie Houses.

Inside, stone or brick fireplaces were the centerpiece of open areas that joined
kitchens, dining rooms, entertaining, and family areas. More personal spaces;
bedrooms and offices, were separate. The furnishings he designed were always
an essential component of the architecture.

Integrated outdoor living and play spaces heralded the beginning of the suburban
lifestyle and made Wright’s homes as practical as they are beautiful.

In their time, Wright’s designs appeared marvels to some, outlandish to others.
Wright knew that his designs were best appreciated by a certain type of person
- one with “unspoiled instincts and untainted ideas,” Indeed, they attracted people
who were open-minded and adventurous.

His Prairie Period is represented by houses like those he created for Susan
Lawrence Dana, Meyer May, Avery and Queene Coonley, Arthur Heurtley, Edward Boynton, and Frederick Robie.

1 of 3 His Prairie Houses