Chicago V

In addition to the office building/high rise tours, we took tours to Oak Park and Illinois Institute of Technology school of architecture.  Oak Park is where Frank Lloyd Wright got his start in the early 1900's with "organic architecture" or "Prairie style".  He strove to build in harmony with nature, simple, horizontal lines with open spaces, as opposed to the Queen Anne, Victorian designs of that time.  Lots of leaded glass, great attention to detail, down to the furniture and, at times, some of the clothing of the owners.  He built a number of homes in Oak Park that still stand, timeless in their lines.

One of Wright's proteges was Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who designed the Illinois Institute of Technology, designed their buildings, ran their school of architecture from 1938-1958, became a world class architect in his own right.  Reputed to have coined the phrases "Less is more" and "God is in the details".  Designed many, many buildings in Chicago and elsewhere.  Both tours were great.

The Heurtly House, my favorite FLW house, 5,000 sq. ft. beauty completed 1902, recently purchased for $2.5 million and extensively renovated.  All those front windows are leaded glass.  Picture doesn't do it justice.

Another FLW house, I don't know the name or year.  Notice the clean, horizontal lines, pleasing, simple overall look vs. Victorian style; looks very contemporary doesn't it?