FLW logo (1)

You’re in the Wright Place!

Beachy House (1906)

beachy house south

Dr. Peter Fahrney – whose wealth resulted from the manufacture and patenting of medicines – had five children: four sons and a daughter, Susan Emma. After two children and a failed marriage, Susan Emma met and, in 1901, married Peter Beachy. Beachy worked as a financial auditor with her father’s company, and the couple lived next door to her parents in Chicago. Dr. Fahrney supposedly had worked with Wright on drawings that would later result in what is now known as the Beachy House, as Wright’s drawings date to the early 1900s.

This page may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure about affiliate links here.

Apparently, little has been written about a small Gothic cottage built – on the northwest corner of what may arguably be the largest residential lot in Oak Park (more than an acre) – for the Fargo family in the late 1800s. What is notably far more important is that fact that very little remains of the Fargo house… except the basement foundation. What was the Fargo house was engulfed by a “remodel” of the structure by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1906.

Generations

Whatever influence Fahrney had ended with his death in March 1905. He left behind however, a fortune estimated to be in excess of $5 million – over $120 million in today’s dollars! In April of 1906, just after the birth of a son, Susan Emma purchased – presumably with inheritance money – the Fargo property. The working drawings for the home, and perhaps the home itself, may have initially been planned as a wedding gift for Susan Emma from her father. Peter Beachy apparently commissioned Wright in June of 1906 and the two-story, fifteen room home was completed in the fall of 1907 at a cost of $6,000.

Interesting facts regarding the Beachy House

Beachy House driveway side

It was one of only three remodels in Oak Park that Wright did; another – the Copeland house – is also found nearby on Forest Avenue.

The house is built at right angles to the street in order to maximize the southern exposure, as well as to use part of the existing foundation. It was the last of Wright’s Prairie Style homes that incorporated the use of a gabled roof; there are seven gables on the Beachy roof and, along with flaring at the eaves, are possibly the influence from Wright’s trip to Japan in 1905.

Unlike Wright’s other designs, the casement windows have no leaded/art glass.  There are however, light fixtures inside the home with those features. The house was one of the first in Oak Park to have picture windows.

Typical of Wright designs, the living and dining areas have high ceilings; the halls connecting them utilize low ceilings.

There is a three car garage… with six doors.  Three doors are at the front; three are at the rear, to allow cars to enter and exit onto the driveway.

After his wife’s passing in 1941, Peter Beachy sold the house; it was later converted into two apartments. New owners subsequently acquired the house and converted it back to a single-family home. However, shortly before a major restoration was to be completed in the summer of 1990, a fire and accompanying water and smoke caused extensive damage to the classic Wright structure.

The current owners, Alex Harris and Carollina Song, purchased the home circa 2005 and have, according to a 2013 article from OakPark.com “worked hard to balance respect for the home’s history with their evolving needs. Our philosophy was to use materials Wright would have used.”

Note: Frank Lloyd Wright’s son John Lloyd Wright is credited with inventing and patenting Lincoln Logs. Walter Pratt Beachy was a partner with John in the Red Square Company which manufactured them.

Location of the Beachy House

238 Forest Avenue
Oak Park, Illinois

View Google Map of all Frank Lloyd Wright Sites

Tours

The Beachy House is privately owned. Tours not available but, the home has been featured on the Wright Plus Housewalk in the past.

Related Articles, Media, Resources & Links

Browse these resources for more information about this FLW Building, it’s history and information about the region.

 

Share This FLW Site Article

Related Articles

Pew House

John Pew House

Just across the street from the northeast corner of the Blackhawk Country Club and tucked neatly into the woods on a narrow strip of land

Read More
Moore House

Moore House (1895)

Born in Cherry Tree, Pennsylvania on January 26, 1853 to a minister and his wife, Nathan Grier Moore was, at various times in his life,

Read More
amberg house

Amberg House (1910)

The Amberg House is a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was built in 1911 for David M. Amberg, a prosperous

Read More
Search this Site
Recently Added
Explore
Sponsor

For Your Home

About Me

Yvonne Carpenter-Ross

FLW Enthusiast & Webmaster

Architecture and home design have always fascinated me. As a young girl I enjoyed drawing floor plans, rearranging my parent’s furniture and playing with Lincoln Logs and Legos.  My passion has always been the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Since I have been old enough to drive a car, I have visited Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the Chicagoland area and attended the Wright Plus house walks. Now, as co-owners of Northern Sky Designs, my husband & I are able to combine our website design skills and FLW travels to bring you this website! Enjoy!

Yvonne Carpenter-Ross