Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was an American architect, and one of the most famous architects in history. During his career spanning over more than 70 years he designed more than 1,000 buildings, about half of which were built. In 2019, eight of these buildings were listed as a world heritage site named The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright by UNESCO.

Sites

World Heritage listed buildings

• 1 Unity Temple, 875 Lake St (Oak Park, Illinois), ☏ +1 708 383-8873. 10:30AM-4:30PM daily. A National Historic Landmark. The small temple, which celebrated its Centennial in 2009, is a fascinating piece of architecture. Oak Park has many other buildings desingned by Wright. $10 adults (self guided). (updated Nov 2017)

• 2 Frederick C. Robie House, 5757 S Woodlawn Ave (Chicago/Hyde Park, Illinois), ☏ +1-312-994-4000. Tours Th-M 11AM-3PM every 30 minutes. This fabulously impractical house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is one of the world's most famous examples of the Midwestern "Prairie School" of architecture, which aimed to create buildings with prominent horizontal lines evocative of the prairie landscape. The interior is bizarre, intended to remind its inhabitants of a ship, and is surrounded by stained art glass windows. You must take an official tour to see the interior, which lasts about an hour. Tours of the surrounding historic neighborhood are offered as well — it is best to make reservations online beforehand. Be sure to take a gander at the University of Chicago's Business School across the street, which was designed to emulate the style of the Robie House in a more modern fashion. $17, $14 seniors/students/military, children under 4 free.  

• 3 Taliesin, 5607 Cty. Rd. C (Spring Green, Wisconsin. Entrances from both Highway 14 and Highway 23), toll-free: +1-877-588-7900, tours@taliesinpreservation.org. May – October, 9AM-4:30PM. Once the family home of famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright — and then an architectural commune / school under his direction — "Taliesin" refers both to the iconic house he designed there, and also to the sprawling complex of buildings on the site. Regular performances and receptions are held here, and it's still a working school. There's an inexpensive tour ($16), where you'll see exteriors and interiors of the Hillside School. The longer tours, which take you to the interior and gardens of the home, Taliesin, are highly recommended for Wright enthusiasts but pricey ($47-$80).  

• 4 Hollyhock House (Los Angeles/Northwest, California). Th-Su 11AM-4PM. Open for self-guided tours. tours $7 adults, $3 students/seniors (online only), children free. (updated Aug 2022)

• 5 Fallingwater, 1491 Mill Run Road (between Ohiopyle and Mill Run, several miles north of town, Pennsylvania), ☏ +1 724 329-8501, fallingwater@paconserve.org. Mar-Nov: Th-Tu 10AM-4PM; Dec: F-Su 11:30AM-3PM; closed Jan-Feb). Tours must be purchased in advance online or by phone. Grounds are open daily, weather permitting. Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous structure and considered one of the finest works of architecture in the country, the house perched atop a waterfall is open for tours. $23 adults, $17 youth, $8 grounds only.  

• 6 Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House (Madison, Wisconsin). The first of two houses designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for journalist Herbert Jacobs and his wife Katherine, built in 1937 at a cost of $5,500. (updated Jul 2019)

• 7 Taliesin West, 12621 N Lloyd Wright Blvd (Scottsdale (Arizona)), ☏ +1 480-627-5340, info@franklloydwright.org. Jun-Aug: Th-M 8:30AM-3PM; Sep: Sa Th 8:30AM-5PM, F 8:30AM-8PM. Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home. There's a discount on most tours for booking in advance. Tour $28-40 adults, $24 students.  

• 8 Guggenheim Museum, 1071 5th Ave (Manhattan/Upper East Side at 89th St; Subway:  4  5  6  to 86th St), ☏ +1-212-423-3500. Su-W,F 10AM-5:45PM, Sa 10AM-7:45PM, closed Th. Probably the most famous of the Guggenheim foundations (others found in Bilbao and Venice), which hold avant-garde modern art by artists such as Kandinsky and Mondrian, the New York branch is housed in a unique and famous Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building rendered in a rounded, organic form and completed in 1959. Be sure to take the elevator to the top floor, then follow the spiral viewing floors downwards to the street level. $25 adults, $18 seniors/students, free for children under 12. Pay what you wish on Sa 5:45PM-7:45PM. (updated Jan 2017)

Other

Frank Lloyd Wright built an additional home in Kankakee, Illinois. However, it is not listed as a UNESCO site. Nearby Fallingwater in the Laurel Highlands, you can also find Kentuck Knob and Polymath Park. While not UNESCO sites, these homes are examples of Frank Lloyd Wright’s philosophy of organic architecture, and each location is open to the public for tours.

• 9 Darwin D. Martin House Complex, Buffalo, New York. The most important work of the first half of Frank Lloyd Wright's career, and the first commission for that renowned architect outside of Chicago, the Darwin D. Martin Complex is one of the crown jewels of Buffalo's huge architectural cornucopia. The nearby Walter V. Davidson House, at 57 Tillinghast Place, is noticeably smaller and more unassuming than the Darwin Martin House. It was perhaps a forerunner of the "Usonian" houses he designed for middle-class clients toward the end of his career. It is privately owned and not open for tours.