July 11 Frank Lloyd Wright

I said that this trip has an architectural theme well you can’t visit Chicago without visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings. His work had quite an influence on Chicago’s architecture. We took a marvellous tour, a combo of bus and walking.

Beautiful Art Deco etched brass doors on the lifts in the Rookery. Commissioned by Wright in his 1905 renovation. The doors feature birds - probably rooks! and a few bats

The iron framework of the building was hidden behind white marble decorated with gold curlicue - a little rich for my taste. However ..... this pillar was left open to show the original form of the structure.

The design of the building was revolutionary in many ways not least of which was being built around a light well so all levels and rooms had natural light. A glass ceiling was then built over the court/lobby. Incidentally this was the first building in Chicago with electric lights. I love these.

This hanging structure is a duel staircase leading to a oriel staircase extending to the 12th floor. Dazzling and a shocker for vertiginous observers. An oriel staircase is one that doesn’t reach the ground.

Whoa!! Don’t look down. 

We started at the Rookery. The name? Couple of options but the prevailing one is that it was named for the corrupt politicians from City Hall that temporarily occupied the site after the great fire. Built in 1888 the Rookery with 11 storeys, was the tallest building in the world and unique in that it was built around a steel and iron internal support structure then clad - like we do today. 

This is a model of the Unity Temple. It is quite magnificent - rather Greek or Egyptian. Most un-church looking and shocking in its day. But it is splendid.

External deco behind which are lead light windows

The entrance.

The colour scheme is the colour of the prairies - golden, soft green, fawn.  Wright used these colours a lot particularly yellow- gold. His own particular shade. Got to love a man who likes yellow!

I have selected only two images from his Oak Park studio in this case. Everything he did was symbolic. These bronze pillars are quite beautiful - he used storks for heralding life, the tree of life and the book of knowledge.

On each corner at the front of his studio he had terracotta figures - ‘man emerging’.

Then headed to suburban Oak Park, which boasts more Wright residences than anywhere in the world and includes his own house plus studio. Rather a highlight was the Unity Temple of the Unitarian Universalists which is Frank Lloyd Wright’s only surviving public building from his Prairie period and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Robie’s house. Wright established a uniquely American style of architecture the Prairie style which he called ‘organic architecture’. One feature is the cantilever extensions over external spaces (not the right words but the pic will give you the idea)

Another Prairie feature was long horizontal lines. Here and in other buildings the mortar between adjacent bricks on the horizontal is coloured to match the colour of the bricks while the mortar between successive layers is white or grey. It takes the eye out - not literally 😟, but it extends the ‘eye’ horizontally. Note the eaves have no down pipes. That would mess up the view. Better the water just pour down onto terraces or gardens or planters if there were any. The 

Love the geometric designs on the windows. Looked like slithers of alabaster in the pattern but no one could confirm that.

Wright also designed furniture (and clothing) to suit his homes. This table is supposed to create a feeling of a room, an enclosed space with high backed chairs (one of his favourite designs I think) and lights in each corner. Under the lights were small bowls for plants! 

A shower to stimulate!! This had water jets shooting out all round. One imagines a heavy curtain would be needed or .......

The final stop was at Frederick C. Robie House (close to the University of Chicago). This is Wright’s best known Prairie masterpiece and a precursor of modernism in architecture. We ended the tour with champagne. But of course, Frank Lloyd Wright was known for his excesses!