Frank Lloyd Wright
Today I started my day with an amazing breakfast sandwich from Spinning J. Keeley recommended having it on a homemade buttermilk biscuit - done!
Then I took a trip down memory lane and headed out to Oak Park. My main goal was to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, and I did that but also spent some time checking out the different areas and places I lived and frequented in the 7 years I lived there. It has really changed a lot in the 26 years since I moved, but it looks wonderful.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio is a special place. It was built in the late 1800’s and changed hands many times before being purchased in the 1970’s and restoration started to make it into a museum and celebrate the many accomplishments and innovations of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The front of the house which faces Forest Ave.
The tour takes an hour and is totally worth it. The guides are all volunteers but go through a very extensive training to become a tour guide. Each one puts their own tour together so you get a little different version every time you take the tour. Not saying they make stuff up, just that each one has a slightly different focus because there are so many details they can cover.
The Prairie style architecture Frank is known by followed immediately after the Victorian style so you can just imagine how different it was. There are 37 Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the Oak Park/River Forest area so very rich in architectural history. They also offer a walking tour starting at the Home and Studio which I have taken in the past.
I love the detailing in his windows. There were several additions built on the original home and you can see the evolution of his design in the newer areas.
The baby grand piano in the children’s playroom. He cut a whole in the wall and suspended it over the stairs with a rope so that it didn’t take up too much room.
He got tired of riding his horse into downtown Chicago for work so added a studio to his home where he had a group of architects working for him along with artisans.
Downtown Oak Park wasn’t a big deal when I lived there but it’s a happening place now. They have built so many high rise apartment buildings close to where the train stops and lots of new shops and restaurants. For lunch I tried a place that was recommended to me called Lea French Street Food. Fast French food!
My go-to French lunch.....the Croque Monsieur.
The weather here has been great! Today was perfect - sunny but not too warm. Hope that continues! Thanks for coming along - more fun ahead!