Introduction to the Prairie School Style
Back in April, when I was spending more time teaching ESL downtown, I organized a little field trip for some visiting students from Prague to the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio in the nearby suburb of Oak Park. A few months later, as Paul and I were strolling through the sticky summer heat to have burgers outside at Moody’s Pub, I marvelled that many of the houses on a particular street in my neighborhood echo the styles of some of FLW’s work I had seen in the vicinity of his home and studio in Oak Park.
Now, while I’ve always been fascinated with architecture, and still sometimes dream of studying the field and actually designing houses and buildings, I have only the most rudimentary knowledge of architectural eras and styles. I got a good overview of the Prairie School style from the FLW tour, but I am by no means an expert! As I gathered, the most notable features of Prairie School Architecture are:
- clean lines and strong presence, a reaction to late 19th century ornate Victorian style
- emphasis on horizontal lines rather than vertical, suggesting the horizon of the prairie, creating a sense of groundedness and connection with the earth and nature, as opposed to a reaching for the sky
- use of natural building materials, especially stone and wood
- seamless transition from outdoors to inside
- open, flowing interior space, rather than boxy rooms
- wide casements of windows, which FLW called light screens
- broad, overhanging eaves
- design that complements the prairie land around Chicago
I admit that I can be a bit of a control freak, especially when it comes to art. I chose to study theater because I viewed it as the best blend of all art forms, and when I have directed plays in the past, I have preferred to write them and design every last detail myself. I would rather create and experience a singular, undiluted vision than one that has been compromised by the input of many to appeal to a wider audience. So, I could certainly relate to Wright’s working method: “Wright conceived virtually every detail of both the external design and the internal fixtures, including furniture, carpets, windows, doors, tables and chairs, light fittings and decorative elements. He was one of the first architects to design and supply custom-made, purpose-built furniture and fittings that functioned as integrated parts of the whole design.”
I would like to show you a few of the homes he designed in Oak Park, as well as some of the homes in my neighborhood that have clear Prairie School influences.
I’ll start with some Frank Lloyd Wright homes. I love this one. It’s so rock solid, yet light. The cement, often a cold and dull material, is soft, warm, and tactile — it almost glows. I love when designers elevate common materials to a new level of beauty and purpose.
This (below) was his studio. It’s gorgeous inside — golden, earthly, and full of light, which streams in from above, creating a space that feels almost sacred. The windows are placed high in the main workroom, minimizing distractions yet letting nature pour in. The interplay between groundedness and aspiration to the sublime created, for me, a feeling of great invigoration and wonder, a sense of being both human and divine. I believe the tour guide said that Wright claimed this studio was a temple for him. It’s certainly the heart of the place.
And now for the houses in my neighborhood. Some of these have only vague similarities, but I liked them anyway. I love the clean lines and wide swath of windows of this one. The materials are more humble, and the windows are not elaborately detailed like those in a FLW house, but the feeling is similar.
I love this kind of plant, and the way it’s exploding out of its container in late summer.
I am grateful and happy to live in such a beautiful city with so much richness everywhere.
