The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust announced that for the first time in the trust’s 40 year history it will include the balcony in its tour of the famed architect’s home and studio in Oak Park.
David Bagnall, curator with the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, said in an interview that the balcony, which overlooks Wright’s studio, 951 Chicago Ave., was once used as a workspace for draftsmen, craftsmen and artists who worked with Wright. The inclusion of the balcony in the tour is part of the trust’s celebration of the 125th anniversary of Wright beginning his architectural practice in Oak Park, where he developed his signature Prairie style.
“We’ve been working over the last few years to expand the narrative of Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park and Chicago,” Bagnall said.
He said the balcony was the workspace of Wright colleagues such as sculptor Richard Bock and Illinois’ first practicing woman architect Marion Mahony. Other notable figures who worked in the balcony for Wright include Walter Burley Griffin, William Eugene Drummond, Charles E. White, Francis Byrne, George Mann Niedecken, Orlando Giannini and Isabel Roberts.
“Against the backdrop of one of Wright’s most strikingly early buildings, the studio staff engaged in lively critiques of each other’s work, interacted with artists and craftsmen and debated art, architecture and politics,” according to a trust news release. “The trust’s new installation will shed light on Wright’s early architecture practice and the contributions of his colleagues.”
Wright produced more than a third of his life’s work at the home and studio between 1898 and 1909. The home and studio, opened for tours since 1974, has attracted more than 2 million visitors, according to the news release.
The expanded tour will begin March 21 and run $10 for trust members and $25 for non-members. Tickets are available at http://www.flwright.org.