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chains—the place has a certain whimsy that others might have found less livable.
This, however, was not an architect's masterpiece, but the master's home, and
every room in it can be savored for the view it reflects of the workings of a
remarkable mind. The Home and Studio Foundation has restored the residence
and studio to its 1909 vintage. Allow 1 hour for the tour, more time if you want
to browse in the bookshop.
951 Chicago Ave. & 708/848-1976. www.wrightplus.org. Admission $9 adults, $7 seniors and children
7-18, free for children under 7. Combined admission for Home and Studio tour and guided or self-guided his-
toric district tour (see below) $15 adults, $11 seniors and children 7-18. Admission to home and studio is by
guided tour only; tours depart from the Ginkgo Tree Bookshop (see below) Mon-Fri 11am, 1, and 3pm;
Sat-Sun every 20 min. 11am-3:30pm. Facilities for people with disabilities are limited; please call in advance.
HISTORIC DISTRICT WALKING TOURS
An extensive tour of the neighborhood surrounding the Frank Lloyd Wright
Home and Studio leaves from the Ginkgo Tree Bookshop, 951 Chicago Ave.,
on weekends from 10:30am to 4pm (tour times are somewhat more limited
Nov-Feb). The tour lasts 1 hour and costs $9 for adults, $7 for seniors and chil-
dren 7 to 18, and is free for children under 7. If you can't make it to Oak Park
on the weekend, you can follow a self-guided map and audiocassette tour of the
historic district (recorded in English, French, Spanish, German, Japanese, and
Italian). Available at the Ginkgo Tree Bookshop from 10am to 3:30pm, the self-
guided tour costs $9 for adults and $7 for seniors and children. In addition to
Wright's work, you will see that of several of his disciples, as well as some very
charming examples of the Victorian styling that he so disdained. A more detailed
map selling for $3 at the bookshop, “Architectural Guide Map of Oak Park and
River Forest,” includes text and photos of all 80 sites of interest in Oak Park and
neighboring River Forest.
Unity Temple After fire destroyed its church around 1900, a Unitar-
ian/Universalist congregation asked one of its members, Frank Lloyd Wright, to
design an affordable replacement. Using poured concrete with metal reinforce-
ments—a necessity, owing to the small budget of $40,000 allocated for the proj-
ect—Wright created a building that on the outside seems as forbidding as a
mausoleum but inside contains all the elements of the Prairie School that has
made Wright's name immortal. Following the example of H. H. Richardson,
Wright placed the building's main entrance on the side, behind an enclosure—
a feature often employed in his houses as well—to create a sense of privacy and
intimacy. Wright complained, furthermore, that the conventions of church
architecture—such as the nave in the Gothic-style cathedral across the street—
were overpowering. Of that particular church, he commented that he didn't feel
a part of it.
Yet his own vision in this regard was somewhat confused and contradictory.
He wanted Unity Temple to be “democratic.” But perhaps Wright was unable to
subdue his own personal hubris and hauteur in the creative process, for the ulti-
mate effect of his chapel, and much of the building's interior, is very grand and
imperial. This is no simple meetinghouse; instead, its principal chapel looks like
the chamber of the Roman Senate. Even so, the interior, with its unpredictable
geometric arrangements and its decor reminiscent of Native American art, is no
less beautiful.
Wright was a true hands-on, can-do person; he knew the materials he chose to
use as intimately as the artisans who carried out his plans. He added pigment to the
plaster (rather than the paint) to achieve a pale, natural effect. His use of wood for
trim and other decorative touches is still exciting to behold; his sensitivity to grain
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