Many years ago, on a weekend trip to Chicago with my fellow graduate students from Champaign, we had the opportunity to see some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work in Oak Park. We were struck with the elegance of the forms, the dynamic asymmetrical compositions and the intimate scale of the details. Wright challenged the accepted architectural norm with vigor and confidence. No element was too small or unimportant. The attention to detail was inspiring for young architects.
Recently, I had the occasion to tour the stunning 1903 William E. Martin House, which made me remember touring my first Wright designed residence back in graduate school. The T-shaped plan is anchored by a massive fireplace and three-story structure capped by three low pitched hip roofs recalling a pagoda-like massing. To relate the structure to the Prairie Style, Wright employed the cantilever with great overhangs to protect the fenestration and form deep shadows that dramatize the horizontality of the composition.
The horizontal line, Wright considered as the line of domesticity and the basis for the grammar of the Prairie House. The geometric forms of the house are imbedded into the landscape with long low garden walls stretching into the green. Natural and artificial dissolve creating a subtle transition from outside to interior. The minimal pallet of materials — stucco, stained wood trim and shingles — define the structure, all finished in natural colors at once contrasting with and complimenting the natural context.
The entry sequence starts at the public sidewalk marked by a pair of low massive concrete blocks located in the extreme southwest corner of the site. Typical of the architect, the front door is not obvious to make the entry more private, quiet mysterious. The circuitous orthogonal walk is intriguing, forming a series of 90 degree turns creating anticipation while letting you get to know and see the residence from different perspectives. A gate is defined by two pilasters with lanterns and a gridded wood gate in the garden wall, defining a threshold between public and private. Another turn and ascending seven broad steps and we find the sheltered entrance.
Now the detail becomes more sophisticated and human in scale. Opening the door into a thin compressed hall one is surprised by the colorful geometric lead glass lay-light and the built-in benches and sideboard. The plan unfolds into the hall, which provides circulation and glimpses into the living room, breakfast room and dining room. The intimate breakfast room is dramatically illuminated with morning sunlight through a triangular bay window filled with art glass panels. The living room, with its bands of art glass windows, intimate corner Inglenook and French doors, opens to the garden.
The open floor plan suggests rooms that overlap, as opposed to definition with walls and doors. The south porch has three exposures, taking full advantage of views, sunlight and breezes from east to west. The minimal space feels like an outside living room designed for pre-air conditioning use. This is a collection of spaces creatively linked together to form a seamless architectural experience. The master architect created space that elevated the functional requirements into meaningful sculpture. His concept was to make honest, organic architecture in form, structure, material, pattern and texture. All said, Wright was a prolific, building 500 of the most beautiful and influential structures in the world.
The Martin House owners, Rick and Laura Tilaski, have spent the last 22 years lovingly researching and restoring their home and are now ready to move on. This is a great opportunity for some family that loves Prairie School architecture and wants the pleasure of living and entertaining in a work of art. The house will continue to inspire young architects as they complete their education and develop their own visions.
Oak Parker Garret Eakin is an award winning architect, historic preservation commissioner and an adjunct professor at The School of the Art Institute.