I’m a fan and admirer of Frank lloyd Wright…I’ve been to his Oak Park, Ill studio, and I’ve toured many of his buildings (haven’t been to falling water yet-sigh!). What I’d like to know is, has anyone actually LIVED in a F . L. Wright designed house? Are they comfortable? Are the ceilings too low? Yes, I know many of them were built a century ago…but to me, they all look so modern (in comparison to the crap I see being built today).
It was always a shock for me to see old photos of the Wright houses…with a horse and buggy outside! Yet now, I see a brand new car parked outside a 16th century , faux-colonial style house!
You Chicago area dopers-are most of the Oak Park houses inhabited? I’d sure like to own the WINSLOW House! Although, I don’t like Chicago winters! :eek:
While I did not live in a Wright house, I did babysit in one for a short time when I was a teenager. Unfortunately, while I knew it was a Frank Lloyd Wright house at the time, I had no idea what significance that had. I recall some details of the house, but not many - I do remember the inside stairs being of “off” proportions. I’d want to step up higher, if that makes sense.
The couple who owned it were “old money” yuppies: they’d been rich hippies as kids, then returned to the family fold, opened a bunch of restaurants in Chicago and by their early thirties, were millionaires.
I have the unique opportunity to be friends with an instructor at the Arizona Based Taliesin West, FLW Foundation. And yes, he does live in an original FLW Home. I love the organic architecture and famed 45 degree angles and curves. He does live in a gated community and his home is not on a public tour list, but FLW did design it, and it is a wonder to walk the halls of. Is there anything specific you’d like to know?
One of my teachers lives in one, and I’ve spent quite a bit of time socializing and baby-sitting there. I love it. I never, ever noticed that the ceilings are a little low until someone pointed it out - but they seem only low in comparison with other old Chicago homes. They still seem higher than the suburban prefab I grew up in.
It feels very warm and inviting. There’s a bit of an oddity in the bathroom placement that makes parties difficult, but I’m not sure if it was original or an add-on, so I shouldn’t blame Wright for it. It doesn’t feel either “old” or “modern” to me - it feels timeless and solid. Very, very solid.
My father is a great Frank Lloyd Wright fan, and a rather obsessive one at that. He designed and built a home in the middle of New Jersey in the Frank Lloyd Wright style. Luckily, it’s in the middle of nowhere, so it doesn’t look too out of place, but it does feel a little odd. It is the most beautiful home I’ve ever been in, though. I think (although of course architect fans would shudder to hear this) he did Wright one better.
-What were the bathrooms like? Were they small and dimly lit (like most early 20th century ones were?)
-Wrght Houses: are the built with great quality? I understand that many of them were very difficult to demolish!
-Wright was a man ahead of his time , in many respects. I understand that a lot of the standard dimensions he chose were done so as to minimize waste of building materials-some architects credit him with the standard 8’X4’ wallboard dimension-is this true?
Finally-do the roofs leak? :smack:
I don’t live in a FLW home, but I did work at the Oak Park Home & Studio for several years, led tours of some of the private residences when open, and have talked to owners. My comments are really on the prairie style built in the 1900-1915 time frame.
Actually, I’ve found that they are pretty good sized compared to other homes of the era. Wright always believed that you had to have natural light coming into every room, so there was usually a window or skylight. But they could be dim – skylights were usually art glass and in some cases (like the Home), he turned the window 90 degrees for privacy.
Actually, around Oak Park, they’re known for not being great quality and often needing a lot of work. This may be due less to the design than to the fact that he used local materials, which may not have been of high quality.
Oh, my, YES – particularly the flat ones.
Regarding the ceilings being low, supposedly Wright said he was 5’8", and that was the average height, and he designed for that. Then he had some doorways that you’d knock your head on if you were 5’10"!!