Prairie School is a late 19th and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging

eaves The eaves are the edges of the roof which overhang the face of a wall and, normally, project beyond the side of a building. The eaves form an overhang to throw water clear of the walls and may be highly decorated as part of an architectural sty ...

, windows grouped in horizontal bands, integration with the landscape, and solid construction and craftsmanship. It reflects discipline in the use of ornament, which was often inspired by organic growth and seen carved into wood, stenciled on plaster, in colored glass, veined marble, and prints or paintings with a general prevalence of earthy, autumnal colors. Spaciousness and continuous horizontal lines were thought to evoke and relate to the wide, flat, treeless expanses of America's native

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

landscape, and decoration often depicted prairie wildlife, sometimes with indigenous materials contributing to a sense of the building belonging to the landscape. The Prairie School sought to develop an indigenous

North American North America is a continent in the Northern and Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Caribbean Sea, and to the sou ...

style of architecture, distinguishing it from historical revivals that were popular at the time. It shared many ideals and design aesthetics of the

Arts and Crafts Movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

, though it embraced the machine and also shared ideals with

modernist Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

movements. Many architects were also part of the Chicago School, but Prairie School buildings were seen less in the commercial skyscrapers of Chicago and more in the suburban residences, though the style can be seen in throughout a variety of building types, including banks, schools, and churches. Japanese architecture and prints, interests of

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

in particular, inspired the focus on simplicity and openness in addition to the prairie landscape.

History

The Prairie School was influenced by the

, a decorative and fine arts movement led by

John Ruskin John Ruskin (8 February 1819 20 January 1900) was an English polymath a writer, lecturer, art historian, art critic, draughtsman and philanthropist of the Victorian era. He wrote on subjects as varied as art, architecture, Critique of politic ...

William Morris William Morris (24 March 1834 – 3 October 1896) was an English textile designer, poet, artist, writer, and socialist activist associated with the British Arts and Crafts movement. He was a major contributor to the revival of traditiona ...

, and others in late 19th century England. Along with the kindred

American Craftsman American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. ...

movement, it embraced handcrafting and craftsman guilds as a reaction against the new

assembly line An assembly line, often called ''progressive assembly'', is a manufacturing process where the unfinished product moves in a direct line from workstation to workstation, with parts added in sequence until the final product is completed. By mechan ...

mass production Mass production, also known as mass production, series production, series manufacture, or continuous production, is the production of substantial amounts of standardized products in a constant flow, including and especially on assembly lines ...

manufacturing techniques, which were felt to create inferior products and dehumanize workers. A major arbiter of this link was Joseph Twyman, who moved from England to Chicago, promoting Morris's work and philosophy by doing things like writing papers and delivering lectures to the Chicago Architectural Club. Elements of the philosophy like focus on the nature of a material worked well with the Prairie School, but they discarded the ubiquitous disdain for the machine, incorporating thoughtfulness and reflectiveness in the design process, not strictly the handicraft process. The Prairie School attempted to develop an indigenous North American style of architecture that did not share design elements and aesthetic vocabulary with earlier styles of European classical architecture. The

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in Chicago from May 5 to October 31, 1893, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The ...

(Chicago World's Fair) of 1893 aimed to herald the city of Chicago's rebirth after the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago, Illinois during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left mor ...

of 1871. Unlike the Greek and Roman classicism widely seen in buildings at the fair, many of the Midwestern architects of what would become the Prairie School sought to create new work in and around Chicago that would display a uniquely modern and authentically American style inspired by the American landscape. The name reflects the dominant horizontality of Prairie style buildings, which echoes the wide, flat, treeless expanses of the

. Author Wilhelm Miller may have been the first to coin "the prairie spirit in landscape gardening" in 1915 to refer to Midwestern landscape architecture that differed from European styles.Vernon, Christopher D. (1991). "Walter Burley Griffin, Landscape Architect". In Garner, John S. (ed.). ''The Midwest in American architecture''. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. pp. 217, 222–223. . The most famous proponent of the style,

, promoted an idea of " organic architecture," (p. 53) asserting that a structure should look as if it naturally grew from the site; in Wright's words, buildings that appeared as if they were "married to the ground" (p. 53). Wright also felt that a horizontal orientation was a distinctly American design motif since the younger country had much more open land than many highly urbanized European nations. The

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

was the second institution offering a college degree in architecture after the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. Professor Nathan C. Ricker believed that students learned by doing and, being exposed to different architectural practices such as theater design, developed a cultural and technical understanding of architecture, which could help overcome the limitations of formal academic study and foster a sense of design. Early graduates like Clarence Blackall, Joseph Llewellyn, and Henry Bacon followed the more popular academic approach and historicist design aesthetic, but later graduates like William Drummond, William L. Steele, and

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He designed Canberra, Australia's capital city, the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and Leeton, New So ...

contributed to the emerging Prairie School style. Ideas were shared by and with Prairie School architects in the Architectural League of America and the Chicago Architectural Club. These professional networks were important to architects' learning and development; their value was reflected by Sullivan's ideas in the essay collection Kindergarten Chats, devaluing formal education and lauding mentorship in architectural education.Zabel, Craig (1991). "George Grant Elmslie and the Glory and Burden of the Sullivan Legacy". In Garner, John S. (ed.). ''The Midwest in American architecture''. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. pp. 4, 29. . At a Chicago convention in 1900, Sullivan spoke about the power of mental logic and the study of nature to inspire stylish and logical buildings. One League convention introduced the idea of pure design – composing a building by analyzing parts that could be expressed as simple geometric shapes – to Wright, who incorporated the idea into his designs. Inspired by Sullivan's ornamental geometry, Elmslie featured the hexagon in Thornton Fractional Township High School (Calmut City, 1934–35) and the Thomas A. Edison School (Hammond, 1935–37), Wright highlighted the hexagon in the Hanna House ("honeycomb house, Palo Alto, California, 1936), and Griffin used the octagon in Northern Illinois University's campus. Prairie School architects

Wright Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...

, Elmslie, and Maher worked for Jospeh Silsbee, who instilled a sense of informality, irregularity, and complexity through planning and rough, organic surfaces in these architects, Wright especially, giving a

picturesque Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in ''Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year ...

and dynamic quality to the Prairie School style. By the early 1920s, " Tudor and Mediterranean Revivals were popular for suburban houses and shopping districts, and Georgian was favored for large city houses; even the middle-class

Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

bungalow had been dipped in

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

or Spanish Colonial frosting. Church and university architects employed the academic Gothic of Ralph Adams Cram” (p. 544). The Prairie School was in conversation with other modernist movements like

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

Bauhaus The Staatliches Bauhaus (), commonly known as the , was a German art school operational from 1919 to 1933 that combined Decorative arts, crafts and the fine arts.Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 4th edn., ...

Expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

, and Constructivism. Architectural historian H. Allen Brooks identifies works built in or before 1902 as being part of "the Sullivan Phase," – emphasizing simplification, structured ornament, and a new uniquely American architecture – buildings built from 1902–1909 as the "Wrightian" phase – spanning from when Wright reached maturity as an architect to his departure from Oak Park to Europe, rural Wisconsin, California, and Japan – and the Prairie School's full maturity in 1909–1914/16. Professors Richard Guy Wilson and Sidney K. Robinson divide Prairie School periods into the style that spread from the Chicago area from the late 1890s to the late 1920s, and a post-hiatus-Wright-led era of creativity on a more national scale from the mid-1930s on, including the " Usonian" house.Wilson, Richard Guy; Robinson, Sidney K. (1977). ''The Prairie School in Iowa'' (1st ed ed.). Ames: Iowa State University Press. pp. 30, 32.

Architects and designers

The Prairie School is mostly associated with a generation of architects employed or influenced by Wright or Sullivan. While the style originated in Chicago, some Prairie School architects spread its influence well beyond the Midwest, like Barry Byrne's church designs in Europe and Mahony's and Griffin's work in Australia and India. A Prairie School work considered harmony with interior decor and landscape architecture as part of the total design, so some architects, like

, also designed interiors, and sometimes partnered with craftspeople like Richard Walter Bock. A partial list of Prairie School architects and designers includes: * Percy Dwight Bentley * John S. Van Bergen * Parker N. Berry * Richard Walter Bock * Lawrence Buck * Ransom Buffalow * Barry Byrne * Alfred Caldwell * Arthur A. Carrara * Louis W. Claude * William Drummond * George Grant Elmslie * Hugh M. G. Garden * Marion Mahony Griffin *

* Arthur Heun * John H. Howe * Jens Jensen * Henry John Klutho * George Washington Maher * Mason Maury * John Randal McDonald * Otto A. Merman * George Mann Niedecken (Interior) * Thomas Olson * Dwight Heald Perkins * William Gray Purcell * Purcell, Feick and Elmslie * Eben E. Roberts * Isabel Roberts * Richard E. Schmidt * Robert C. Spenser, Jr. * Claude and Starck * William LaBarthe Steele * Francis Conroy Sullivan * Taliesin associated architects * Thomas E. Tallmadge * Trost & Trost * Vernon S. Watson * Andrew Willatzen * Taylor Woolley *

* Lloyd Wright

Influences

Prairie School houses are characterized by open floor plans creating a sense of spaciousness, continuous horizontal lines punctuated by short vertical accents, and indigenous materials contributing to a sense of the building belonging to the landscape. These were related to the American Arts and Crafts movement and its emphasis on hand craftsmanship, simplicity, and function. Both were alternatives to the then-dominant Classical Revival Style of Greco-Roman forms. The

Arts and Crafts movement The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and America. Initiat ...

led to a medieval cottage revival in England, but the Prairie School embraced modernity more. Some firms, such as Purcell & Elmslie, which accepted the honest presence of machine worked surfaces, consciously rejected the term "Arts and Crafts" for their work. The Prairie School was also influenced by the Idealistic Romantics who believed better homes would create better people, and the Transcendentalist philosophy of

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...

in its focus on nature. Architecturally, horizontal continuity and spatial openness were seen in the earlier shingle style, elements like overhanging eaves and horizontal accents of leaded windows were seen in the Queen Anne style, and the proportions and open plans were similar to bungalows. Prairie School houses often adhered to the suburban ethos of the centering of a single family household through attention to spaces like dining rooms and fireplaces where family could gather. Existing mainly in suburbs, the prairie is alluded to as a symbol of the history of the setting, not something that was always visible and surrounding the houses. Many Prairie School architects were influenced by Louis Sullivan, who was part of the Chicago School. His lessons that form follows function, that artists humanize modern materials and techniques, and that rhythm was an important aspect of design are integral to the Prairie School. Maher, Irving Pond, Garden, Spencer, and Elmslie wrote about the concept of rhythm in architecture, and Maher developed the "motive-rhythm theory," about a work as a composition guided by a motif. They generally believed that historical styles arose naturally from the sprit of their settings and therefore rejected historical revivalism. Elmslie wrote that architecture should be inspired by its specific local context, in contrast to the

International Style The International Style is a major architectural style and movement that began in western Europe in the 1920s and dominated modern architecture until the 1970s. It is defined by strict adherence to Functionalism (architecture), functional and Fo ...

that he saw as cold and impersonal. Architects also designed for practicality in their regional setting; the low shape helps maintain temperature and the overhangs protect from sun and snow piling. Early Prairie Style houses omitted attics and cellars to enhance the low proportions, and the Usonian house of the late 1930s went farther to reduce extra space above, below, and between key spaces. The Midwest influenced the prairie-like forms and natural imagery in Prairie School designs, and it provided a unique context philosophically. Unlike the East Coast, which had stronger cultural ties to Europe, the Midwest could be more intuitively inspired by itself. Designers looked to the form of the prairie, local wildlife, indigenous American art, and the philosophy that the prairie "represented newness, and a sense of experimentation, like a broad, unwritten page” (p. 114). The rhetoric of prosperity represented by the prairie also resonated well with banks, a major type of Prairie School building. The sense of openness and attention to nature were also influenced by Japanese architecture and

ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art that flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock printing, woodblock prints and Nikuhitsu-ga, paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes ...

prints, which Prairie School figures like Wright and Marion Mahoney Griffin studied. The Midwest's contrasting industrial and rural landscapes may also have influenced the Prairie School's acceptance of machine production alongside natural forms and images.

Reception

The Prairie School was one of many international movements toward architectural modernism, sharing philosophies of "form following function," the "less is more" ethos of Minimalists, emphasis on the structure and its building materials, and other elements seen in

, Expressionist, and Constructivist architecture. Like many movements in arts and architecture, it was not initially well-loved. Architect Montgomery Schuyler wrote in the ''

Architectural Record ''Architectural Record'' is a US-based monthly magazine dedicated to architecture and interior design. Its editor in chief is Josephine Minutillo. ''The Record'', as it is sometimes colloquially referred to, is widely-recognized as an important ...

'' in 1912 that Wright's style had not fully matured and that his buildings felt incomplete. Magazine the ''Western Architect'' published in 1911 that, "None have...failed to signally in the production of livable houses as Frank Lloyd Wright," but by 1915, more than 50% of the ''Western Architect's'' pages highlighted the Prairie School and featured issues devoted to Purcell and Elsmlie, Guenzel and Drummond, Van Bergen, and Tallmadge and Watson –though never Wright. The success and acceptance of Prairie School architecture was influenced by the popularity of bungalows and homemaker magazines in the growing suburban culture. The magazine '' House Beautiful'' published the first two articles written about Wright and gave the Prairie School much positive publicity, providing approval for respectability in these modern style homes instead of historical revivals. Wright helped distinguish the Prairie School single-family house by making it less like a box, opening it up and out to nature. The lack of expensive ornament and historical European influence seen more in the Eastern United States appealed to the "common sense" proclivities of Midwesterners. The Great Depression moved people to value the stability of land ownership over the instability of urban life, while the increased prevalence of the automobile enabled suburban growth. The longevity of the Prairie style may be partly due to its ability to blend with other styles, such as the house for the seed merchant Salzer, built in 1912, to accommodate Mrs. Salzer's preference for colonial style, and the D.S. Brown house in Peoria, Illinois which accommodated Mrs. Brown's preference for a traditional design. By the 1920s, Prairie School houses became more common beyond the suburbs of Chicago and into more rural parts of the Midwest. Architectural historians have debated why the Prairie School fell out of favor by the mid-1920s. In her autobiography, Prairie School architect Marion Mahony suggests:

The enthusiastic and able young men as proved in their later work were doubtless as influential in the office later as were these early ones but Wright's early concentration on publicity and his claims that everybody was his disciple had a deadening influence on the Chicago group and only after a quarter of a century do we find creative architecture conspicuously evident in the United States.

The intuitive nature of Midwestern sensibilities lessened at this point and were marred by a desire for conformity and a sense of inferiority to the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, often abbreviated as simply the East, is a macroregion of the United States located to the east of the Mississippi River. It includes 17–26 states and Washington, D.C., the national capital. As of 2011, the Eastern ...

. Prairie School architects used to be commissioned for buildings with a individualist sense of identity and place, but this desire was replaced by one for conformity. Peter B. Wight noted in 1905 the way Midwestern clients lacked the same level of interest in historical revivals than Eastern clients, but that in 1915 that colonial style architecture had become sought after in the Midwest. The first

World War A world war is an international War, conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I ...

had increased patriotism and sympathy for

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

that contributed to the interest in colonial and other historical revival styles. The architects at the time cited women's – wives' and daughters' – desire to be fashionable and conform to architectural trends like

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the arch ...

as a cause for the decline of the Prairie School. This was expressed by Tallmadge and Byrne at the time and echoed by Brooks in the 1970s. By the late 1920s, the Prairie School architects had informally disbanded, working on other types of projects or adapting their styles in ways that didn't contribute to the wider movement of "the Prairie School," sharing common ideals like they used to. Wright especially moved on higher-profile projects and expressed an attitude toward other architects "stealing his ideas," (p. 235) and doing a poor job generally. The Prairie School lost popularity between the World Wars, when the vales of conformity overtook those of individual expression, and when attention and sympathy were focused on Europe. Interest renewed after 1945, "when public taste again favored a low, small-scale, anti-monumental architecture, an architecture rooted in the earth," (p. 348) but by then the architects and their influences had died or dispersed. Elements of the style live on in the more recent popularity of ranch-style houses – both designing for a sense of spaciousness as smaller homes became economically necessary.

Buildings

's Wisconsin home and estate,

Taliesin Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Britons (Celtic people), Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the ''Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to ...

, was designated as a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1976 and a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

in 2019. The aptly named " The Prairie School," a private day school in

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...

, designed by Taliesin Associates (an architectural firm originated by Wright), and located almost adjacent to Wright's Wingspread Conference Center, exemplifies Prairie School architecture. Mahony's and Griffin's work in Australia and India, notably the collection of homes at '' Castlecrag'', New South Wales, and Barry Byrne's churches in Europe demonstrate the Prairie School’s reach far from its Chicago roots, using the philosophy in different contexts. Isabel Roberts' Veterans' Memorial Library in St. Cloud, Florida, is another. The House at 8 Berkley Drive at

Lockport, New York Lockport is both a city and the town that surrounds it in Niagara County, New York, United States. The city is the Niagara county seat, with a population of 21,165 according to 2010 census figures, and an estimated population of 20,305 as of 20 ...

was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2009. The Oak Circle Historic District in Wilmette, Illinois primarily consists of fifteen single-family homes representative of the Prairie School and Craftsman styles constructed between 1917 and 1929. The Oak Circle Historic District was added to the

on June 21, 2001; it was the first historic district to be designated in Wilmette. The Rock Crest–Rock Glen Historic District in

Mason City, Iowa Mason City is a city and the county seat of Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, United States. The population was 27,338 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Mason City is known for its musical heritage, a significant ...

, designed by Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahoney Griffith circa 1912, was listed on the

in 1979. All of the houses part of a planned development and adjacent commercial buildings – The Historic Park Inn Hotel and City National Bank – were designed in the Prairie School style. Completed in 1910, the Historic Park Inn Hotel is the last remaining

-designed hotel in the world, of the six for which he was the architect of record. The Dr. G.C. Stockman House is another example of Wright's Prairie School style found in Mason City. Built in 1908, the Stockman House was the first Wright-designed Prairie School-style house in Iowa. Today, the house functions as a museum welcoming visitors and architectural enthusiasts from all around the world. A partial list of Prairie School buildings includes: * McDermott House, Glencoe, Illinois, 1928 – Barry Byrne * Christ the King, Cork, Ireland, 1928–1931 – Byrne * First Congregational Church,

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Illinois, 1908 – William E. Drummond * William E. Drummond's house, River Forest, Illinois, 1910 – Drummond * Rock Crest–Rock Glen Historic District –

and Marion Mahoney Griffin * William H. Emery Jr. House, 1903 – Walter Burley Griffin * Frederick Carter House, Evanston, Illinois, 1910 – Griffin * J. G. Melson house, Mason City, Iowa, 1912 – Griffin * Stinson Memorial Library,

Anna, Illinois Anna is the largest city and retail trade center in Union County, Illinois, United States. Located in Southern Illinois, its population was 4,303 at the 2020 United States census, a decline from 5,135 in 2000. It is known for being tied to its cl ...

, 1913–14 – Griffin * Morocco Temple,

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, 1910 – Henry John Klutho * First Reformed Church,

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...

, 1900s – Langdon and Hohly, architects * House at 8 Berkley Drive – Duane Lyman * James A. Patten house, Evanston, Illinois, 1901 – George W. Maher * Henry Schultz House, Winnetka, Illinois, 1907 – Maher * The Kenilworth Club entrance,

Kenilworth, Illinois Kenilworth is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, north of downtown Chicago. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census it had a population of 2,514. It is the newest of the nine suburban North Shore (Chicago), North Shore c ...

, 1907 – Maher * Cafe Brauer, Chicago, Illinois, 1908, – Dwight Heald Perkins * House in LaSalle, Illinois – Irving K. Pond and Allen B. Pond * Merchants National Bank, Winona, Minnesota, 1912, – Purcell and Elmslie * Purcell House,

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

, Minnesota, 1913 – Purcell and Elmslie * Parish House, First Congregational Church, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, 1913 – Purcell and Elmslie * Veterans' Memorial Library – Isabel Roberts * August Magnus house, Winnetka, Illinois, 1905 – Robert C. Spencer, Jr. * Teller's Wicket from the National Farmers Bank, Owatonna, Minnesota – Louis Sullivan * The Prairie School – Taliesin Associates * Vernon Watson House, Oak Park, Illinois, 1904 – Vernon S. Watson * Avery Coonley Playhouse, Riverside, Illinois, 1912 – Frank Lloyd Wright * Larkin Administration Building, Buffalo, New York – Wright *

– Wright * The Historic Park Inn Hotel and City National Bank – Wright * Dr. G.C. Stockman House – Wright * Meyer May House,

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, 1908–1909 – Wright * Ward Willits House, Highland Park, Illinois, 1901 – Wright * Darwin Martin House, Buffalo, New York, 1903–1905 – Wright *

Robie House The Robie House (also the Frederick C. Robie House) is a historic house museum on the campus of the University of Chicago in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Designed by the architect Frank Llo ...

, Chicago, Illinois, 1908 – Wright * Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois, 1905–1908 – Wright * Larkin Administration Building, Buffalo, New York, 1906 – Wright * Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, Madison, Wisconsin, 1938 – Wright * Herbert F. Johnson House, ( Wingspread), Wind Point, Wisconsin, 1939 – Wright

Modern interest

Prairie School architecture exemplifies changes in both the fields of fine arts and cultural history in the early 20th century. Interest in the ideas and designs of the Prairie School artists and architects has grown since the late 1980s, thanks in part to celebrity collecting and high-profile auction results on many of the decorative designs from buildings of the era. In addition to numerous books, magazine articles, videos and merchandise promoting the movement, a number of original Prairie School building sites have become public museums, open for tours and special interactive events.

and

, Frank Lloyd Wright's Wisconsin home and estate,

, remains a popular tourist destination near

Spring Green, Wisconsin Spring Green is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,566 at the 2020 census. The village is located within the Town of Spring Green. It is perhaps best known for the architect Frank Lloyd Wright's estate ...

, as well as a Frank Lloyd Wright Trail guiding visitors to notable cites. Several not-for-profit organizations and online communities have been formed to educate people about the Prairie School movement and help preserve the designs associated with it. Some of these organizations and sites are listed in the External links section below.

Gallery

File:Willits House.jpg, Ward Willits House, Highland Park, Illinois, 1901, one of the first Prairie Houses by

File:Darwin D. Martin House.jpg, The Darwin Martin House, Buffalo, New York, 1903–1905, Frank Lloyd Wright File:Robie House.jpg,

, Chicago, Illinois, 1908, Frank Lloyd Wright File:UnityTempleOakHill.jpg, Unity Temple, Oak Park, Illinois, 1905–1908, Frank Lloyd Wright File:LarkinAdministrationBuilding1906.jpg, Larkin Administration Building, Buffalo, New York, 1906, Frank Lloyd Wright File:Merchants National Bank Winona.jpg, Merchants National Bank, Winona, Minnesota, 1912, Purcell and Elmslie File:Purcell-Cutts House.jpg, Purcell House, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1913, Purcell and Elmslie File:Henry Schultz House.jpg, Henry Schultz House, Winnetka, Illinois, 1907, George W. Maher File:Magerstadt House HABS.jpg, The Ernest J. Magerstadt House, Chicago, Illinois, 1908, George W. Maher File:Kenilworth club entrance.jpg, The Kenilworth Club entrance, Kenilworth, Illinois, 1907, George W. Maher File:William H. Emery, Jr. House 01.JPG, William H. Emery Jr. House, 1903,

File:Ralph Griffin House.jpg, Ralph Griffin House, Edwardsville, Illinois, 1913, Walter Burley Griffin File:Frederick Carter House.jpg, Frederick Carter House, Evanston, Illinois, 1910, Walter Burley Griffin File:William E. Drummond House.jpg, Architect William E. Drummond's own house, River Forest, Illinois, 1910 File:First Congregational Church - William Drummond architect.jpg, First Congregational Church, Chicago, Illinois, 1908, William E. Drummond File:Elevation view - Morocco Temple, 219 Newnan Street, Jacksonville, Duval County, FL HABS FLA,16-JACK,11-1.tif, Morocco Temple, Jacksonville, Florida, 1910, Henry John Klutho File:Lincoln Park Cafe Brauer circa 1908 aka South Pond Refactory.tif, Cafe Brauer, Chicago, Illinois, 1908, Dwight Heald Perkins File:First Reformed Church, Toledo, Ohio - DPLA - 059df0dc5ee72a9fa596b45a3df1d1e8 (page 1).jpg, First Reformed Church, Toledo, Ohio, 1900s, Langdon and Hohly, architects File:WingspreadFrankLloydWrightKenoshaWisconsin.jpg, Herbert F. Johnson House, ( Wingspread), Wind Point, Wisconsin, 1939, Frank Lloyd Wright.

References

General and cited references

* Brooks, H. Allen, ''Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School'', Braziller (in association with the Cooper-Hewitt Museum), New York 1984; * Brooks, H. Allen, ''The Prairie School'', W.W. Norton, New York 2006; * Brooks, H. Allen (editor), ''Prairie School Architecture: Studies from "The Western Architect"'', University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Buffalo 1975; * Brooks, H. Allen, ''The Prairie School: Frank Lloyd Wright and his Midwest Contemporaries'', University of Toronto Press, Toronto 1972; * Brooks, H. Allen (editor), ''Writings on Wright: Selected Comment on Frank Lloyd Wright'',

MIT Press The MIT Press is the university press of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The MIT Press publishes a number of academic journals and has been a pioneer in the Open Ac ...

, Cambridge MA and London 1981; * Visser, Kristin, ''Frank Lloyd Wright & the Prairie School in Wisconsin: An Architectural Touring Guide'', Trails Media Group; 2nd Rev edition (June, 1998). .

External links

Unity Temple Restoration Foundation

Minneapolis Institute of Arts ''"Unified Vision – the Architecture and Design of the Prairie School" ''

Pleasant Home Foundation for George W. Maher's Farson House

This Historic Midwestern Masterpiece Got the Renovation It Deserved

Frank Lloyd Wright's Historic Park Inn Hotel

Frank Lloyd Wright's Stockman House

Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin

Frank Lloyd Wright Trail
{{Authority control American architectural styles House styles