Walk Wright In to Wright Plus 2018

From Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie style to a stately mansion inspired by European design, 20th century elegance assumes a variety of architectural forms vividly present on the Wright Plus 2018 Architectural Housewalk.

Public ticket sales are now underway for the annual Housewalk, all day on Saturday, May 19.

Presenting interior tours of rarely seen private homes and public buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries, Wright Plus 2018 features examples of Wright’s early experimental years to his mature Prairie style, as well as extraordinary residences by Wright’s fellow architects.

Wright-designed buildings on the walk include the Peter A. Beachy House (1906), a Wright masterpiece with typical Prairie elements blending Japanese influences; the Rollin Furbeck House (1897), a brilliant exploration of architectural geometry during Wright's experimental pre-Prairie period; and the Charles E. Roberts House – designed by legendary Chicago firm, Burnham and Root – which Wright remodeled in 1896.

Two buildings will make their Wright Plus debut, including the Charles E. Roberts Stable, which Wright designed in 1900 and Charles E. White remodeled into a home in 1929, and the Stennett House (1885), a classic Victorian with period ornamentation and adaptations for modern living.

A special treat for 2018 is the Burton F. Hales (Henry Fiddelke, 1904-05). This grand Tudor Revival mansion with Arts and Crafts features stands on a prominent lot in in Oak Park and harkens back to a bygone era of elegant living.

The walk also features two lavish Prairie-style homes, the Herman W. Mallen House (George Washington Maher, 1905) and Edward McCready House (Spencer and Powers, 1907), each with its own distinctive art glass windows.

Thoroughly researched presentation displays and docent-led tours are provided at each building on the Wright Plus 2018 Housewalk.

Trust members only may stop for a break and tour at the Housewalk’s bonus building. The First United Methodist Church of Oak Park (Tallmadge & Watson, 1925) is an impressive English Gothic Revival building featuring breathtaking Giannini & Hilgart stained glass windows.

Also on the Wright Plus tour is the place where Wright’s innovative Prairie homes were designed and his studio architects worked: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio. Wright Plus tickets include entry to the newly restored Unity Temple; Wright’s Prairie-style masterpiece, the Frederick C. Robie House in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood; and The Rookery Building in the heart of Chicago’s financial district.

Tickets to the Wright Plus 2018 Housewalk are available at $90 each through Feb. 28. Ticket prices will then increase by $5 to $10 monthly on a tiered pricing schedule.

For more information about the Wright Plus 2018 Housewalk, visit flwright.org/wrightplus.