The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio served as the primary laboratory for Wright’s inventive genius. Developed over two decades, this Oak Park site was the “birthplace” of the Prairie Style—a horizontal architectural language that revolutionized American residential design before Wright shifted his creative focus to Taliesin.
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Preservation and Management
The Home and Studio is a National Historic Landmark operated by the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the architect’s important early works. The site underwent a meticulous restoration to return it to its 1909 appearance—the last year Wright lived and worked here. We here at FrankLloydWrightSites.com are proud members at the Prairie level and wholeheartedly support the Trust’s vital work in conservation and public education.
The Wright Place to Build
In 1889, Louis Sullivan, of Sullivan and Adler — his employers at the time — loaned Wright the money to buy a lot and build a home in Oak Park for himself and his bride to be, Catherine Tobin. Wright’s architectural practice opened here somewhere between 1893 and 1898, and the rest, as they say, is history. He established his own practice in Chicago, but in 1898 relocated his practice to the home he had built in Oak Park. Wright’s first child – son Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. was born in 1890. Three more soon followed (the number totaled six by 1903) and necessitated that Wright use his home studio space for additional bedrooms. The larger family also compelled Wright to design and construct a huge addition to the north side of the main house that would now house his studio.
The complex is a masterclass in geometry and artistic collaboration. Inside, you’ll find murals in the master bedroom and playroom painted by Orlando Giannini, while the exterior features symbolic sculptures like the Stork Columns by Richard Bock. This site also famously marks the “bootleg” era of Wright’s career, where he designed several independent homes in violation of his contract with Louis Sullivan—a move that eventually led to the opening of his own practice in this very building.
“Horizontal lines…scattered vases filled with leaves and wild flowers, massive fireplaces seemed to be everywhere. Here and there a Yourdes [rug] of rare beauty covered the floor. A Persian lantern, samovars, windows which met and turned corners, lights filtering through fret-sawn ceiling grilles, sunshine and shadows…these made the house that was our home.”
John Lloyd Wright
The Evolution of the Home and Studio
The studio evolved through a series of key expansions. The original home was built in 1889, followed by a whimsical playroom in 1895. The most significant change came in 1898 with the construction of the studio addition, which became the incubator for his professional practice. It was here that Wright and his associates designed approximately 125 buildings, including masterpieces like the Unity Temple and the Robie House.
A Legacy of Play: The Lincoln Log Connection
The influence of the Oak Park Studio extended far beyond adult architecture. Wright’s son, John Lloyd Wright, was a regular presence in the studio and later became an architect in his own right. In 1916, John invented and patented Lincoln Logs.
The design of the toy was directly inspired by the “floating” cantilevered beams his father utilized for the Imperial Hotel. Interestingly, John’s business partner in the Red Square Company was Walter Pratt Beachy—a name familiar to Wright enthusiasts, as his family home, the Peter A. Beachy House, remains one of the most striking remodeled Prairie designs in the neighborhood.
Geometry was always one of the strongest principles in Wright’s architectural career and in his Home and Studio, applications and examples of it are abundant, more so than can be adequately described here. The integration of intricate design details, centrally-located fireplaces, geometry, roofs of long overhang, along with landscape that complimented the design of the structure — and vice versa — which began here in Oak Park, became hallmarks of Wright designs.
Plan Your Visit
Location 📍
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio is located at 951 Chicago Avenue, in Oak Park, Illinois. The property sits on the corner of Chicago and Forest Avenues; the studio entrance faces the busy Chicago Avenue, while the residence faces the quieter, residential Forest Avenue.
Tour 🎫
The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust offers several guided tours through the intimate spaces where Wright lived and worked. Online advance ticket purchase is highly recommended as tours often sell out.
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Standard Tour: A guided interior look at the home and studio.
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Inside and Out Tour: Combines the interior tour with a self-guided audio walk of the surrounding Oak Park Historic District.
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Wright Plus Housewalk: This celebrated annual event (usually in May) is a highlight of the Illinois Frank Lloyd Wright Trail. It offers a rare opportunity to explore the interior of private homes and public buildings designed by Wright and his contemporaries that are otherwise closed to the public.
Make it a Trip 🧳
As one of the 13 stops on the Illinois’ Frank Lloyd Wright Trail, this site is the perfect starting point for a Chicago-area pilgrimage. You can easily pair this visit with the Unity Temple (just blocks away) or a trip into the city to see the Rookery Building and Robie House.
To help you find the perfect home base for your architectural journey, we have hand-selected a collection of top-rated hotels in Oak Park and Chicago on our Expedia storefront, chosen for their historic character and proximity to these iconic sites.
Plan Your Stay
- Cambria Hotel Chicago Loop – Theatre District (8 miles from Oak Park)
- Crowne Plaza Chicago O’Hare Hotel & Conference Center (7.6 miles from Oak Park)
- Kimpton Gray Hotel Chicago (7.9 miles from Oak Park)
- Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel Chicago (8.4 miles from Oak Park)
Additional Resources & Inspired Products
Find unique products, books, and gifts inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home & Studio at our Amazon storefront: Wright at Home!
- Building a Legacy: The Restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park Home and Studio
- The Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright (Chicago Architecture and Urbanism)
- Hometown Architect: The Complete Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park And River Forest, Illinois
- Illinois’ Frank Lloyd Wright Trail
