George W. Smith House (Oak Park, Illinois)
George W. Smith House | |
Ridgeland-Oak Park Historic District (ID83003564[1] ) | |
Added to NRHP | December 8, 1983 |
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The George W. Smith House is a home in the Chicago suburb of
History
The George W. Smith House was designed in 1895 by architect Frank Lloyd Wright as one of a series of low-cost homes for engineer and inventor
Architecture
The home is cast in
The Smith House is similar to the Harry Goodrich House through its high pitched and double sloped roof. The Goodrich House, an 1896 Wright design, may have also been one of the unbuilt homes Wright designed for Roberts.[2] The shingles stand in contrast to the style Frank Lloyd Wright was using by the time the house was built in 1898. By that period he began to employ horizontal boards with batten siding, which emphasized the linear, horizontal effects of his later work. The design for the G.W. Smith House, very stylistic, is clearly an example of Wright's early period.[2]
The home features elements from Shingle style and demonstrates early experimentation by Wright which ultimately led to his unique Prairie style.[2] The shingled cladding is a give away of Shingle style and it is meant, in general, to unify the irregular outline of the house. The house also lacks corner boards, allowing the shingled cladding to wrap continuously around the building as well as hip roof dormers, both elements are typical to Shingle style.[8] Wright's early experimentation with elements that became hallmark to Prairie style can also be seen in the Smith House. The broad, flat chimney that dominates the front elevation as well as minimal horizontal banding are both evident elements found in the home and within the Prairie School of architecture.[9]
Significance
The house is an early example of Frank Lloyd Wright's work. It is included as a contributing property within the
See also
References
- Heinz, Thomas A. The Vision of Frank Lloyd Wright, Chartwell Books, Inc., Edison, New Jersey: 2006, (ISBN 0785821457).
- McAlester, Virginia & Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc, New York: 1984, (ISBN 0394739698).
- Storrer, William Allin. The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, ISBN 0-226-77621-2(S.045).
Notes
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ ISBN 0961691506). Retrieved 4 June 2007.
- ^ a b c Heinz, p. 70.
- ^ Frank Lloyd Wright Architectural Guide Map, Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust.
- ^ a b c d "Ridgeland-Oak Park Historic District," (PDF), National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, HAARGIS Database, Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
- ^ a b Heinz, p. 67.
- ^ Siry, Joseph. "Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple and Architecture for Liberal Religion in Chicago, 1885-1909," (JSTOR), The Art Bulletin, Vol. 73, No. 2. June 1991, pp. 257-282. Retrieved 4 June 2007.
- ^ McAlester, pp. 289-290.
- ^ McAlester, pp. 439-440.