17+ Spectacular Frank Lloyd Wright Houses You Can Visit

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was a renowned American architect who is most known for his Falling water house. His phenomenal works have significantly influenced the architecture industry, making him one of the most influential architects of all time. He designed around 1000 buildings over the span of his seven decades-long career, out of which over 500 were realized. 

The founder of the Prarie style of architecture, Frank Llyod wright also innovated the organic style of architecture. His philosophy revolved around establishing harmony between the built environment and natural human surroundings. His works strived to blur the boundary between the interior and exterior of buildings. 

Each of his projects aligned with his core philosophy yet was unique in its own way. The long list of  Frank Lloyd Wright architecture works entails several residences. A small glimpse of this is given in this article. We’ve curated a list of 20+ Frank Lloyd Wright Houses belonging to the Prarie, organic, and Usonian styles.

1. Fallingwater House

Often considered a marvel of modern architecture and Frank Llyod Wright’s masterpiece, the Fallingwater house is a quintessential example of organic architecture. This house is the epitome of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural works.  

The house is perched above a tranquil waterfall in rural Mill Run, PA. Originally designed as a vacation home for the Kauffman family, the house establishes a serene relationship with the spectacular landscape. This makes the Frank Lloyd Wright waterfall house seem like a part of the landscape.

Built using quarried stone from the site and then modern materials such as reinforced concrete, the house exemplified the capabilities of modern materials. It now functions as a museum and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

2. Frederick C. Robie House

One of the greatest expressions of Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture, the Robie house is the epitome of Prairie-style houses. Characterized by exaggerated roof overhangs, horizontal massing, and a row of ribbon windows, the house is simply spectacular. 

It features a revolutionizing grand open plan with interconnected living, dining and kitchen. The brick and concrete building pays an ode to the flat plains of the Prairie landscape and also exemplifies its indigenous architectural style. 

3. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio in Oak Park

The first ever Frank Lloyd Wright house designed with complete creative freedom was his own home and studio in Oak Park. In spite of it being his very first project, the house laid the foundation for his famous Prarie architectural style. 

The striking form of the house is inspired by the popular East coast Shingle style of architecture. Asymmetrical form and stark geometrical forms along with an open-plan layout are the defining features of this house. Wright spent 20-odd years in his home devising the famous Prarie architectural style along with his associates.  

4. William H. Winslow House

This Frank Lloyd Wright house is proclaimed to be the first Prarie house. It is also the first commissioned residence that Wright designed after completing Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio in Oak Park.

Although the house has cues of traditional architecture, it is also the beginning of the development of Wright’s style. The articulate form displays symmetry, being covered in roman brick, and terracotta, making it seem in line with traditional architecture. 

5. Arthur Heurtley House

An early example of the Prarie style of architecture, the Arthur Heurtely house is revolutionizing as it broke several design norms of conventional styles. It eliminated the presence of an attic in the basement and inverted the house plan by placing the living and common spaces on the second floor. 

This Frank Lloyd Wright house features design elements that later became a staple of the Prarie style. Emphasis on the horizontal plane, ribbon windows, and overhanging roofs are the typical features defining the design of this home. 

6. Taliesin

Often referred to as ‘an autobiography in stone and wood’, the original Taliesin Frank Lloyd Wright house was his primary residence for decades. It was also the ‘laboratory of organic architecture’, having seen the genesis of numerous designs. 

This 800 acres estate is representative of the Prarie architectural style. Characterized by its horizontal planes, and built with locally quarried yellow limestone and a natural-looking form that perfectly blends with the surrounding landscape. This iconic Frank Lloyd Wright house has been a witness to several tragedies and renovations, it is now a UNESCO world heritage site.  

7. Taliesin West

Taliesin West is the last Frank Lloyd Wright home that he built to escape the harsh Midwest winters. Located in the Arizonan desert, this home was Wright’s attempt in defining the architectural style of Arizona.

Wright called it a look over the rim of the world, as it emerged from the desert landscape as a low-slung silhouette defined by its redwood beams. The local masonry, sloping roofs and the trademark symbols inspired by native petroglyphs are other defining features of this hyper-personalized house.   

8. Martin House

Another spectacular example of the Prarie style of architecture is the Martin house. It is considered to be one of the most iconic Frank Lloyd Wright houses. Located in western New York, this house is a part of an extensive complex designed for Darwin D. Martin.

The house exemplifies the defining features of the Prarie architecture, featuring an open-plan layout, horizontal spread, and the staple stone and wood ensemble. It is one of the grandest Prarie houses ever commissioned with a supposedly unlimited budget. The remarkable house also houses an extensive art glass collection designed by Wright. 

9. Graycliff

Often called the ‘Jewel on the Lake’ the Graycliff house is a summer home built for the Martins. Located in Derby, New York overlooking lake Eerie, this house is also built in the Prarie architectural style. 

It has several features that were revolutionary at the time it was first built. These include rows of ribbon windows providing spectacular views of the lake, cantilevered balconies, and oversized terraces. The house is built with local materials, that include limestone and sand mortar used from the nearby beach.

10. Cedar Rock

This charming abode is one of the most authentic Frank Lloyd Wright houses. The 1800 sq. ft. house located in Buchanan County, Iowa is an example of a Usonian home. Wright has designed every single thing in the house, down to the cup and plates. 

The minimalist approach of the house creates comfortable spaces that belong to the surrounding landscape. Flat roofs, brick walls, and floor-to-ceiling windows are the defining features of this classic Usonian-built mass. 

11. Rosenbaum House

Rosenbaum house is often considered as the epitomizing Usonian home design, a subdued Prarie. The Usonian style of architecture developed by Frank Lloyd Wright was a minimalist version of his famous Prarie style. 

This Frank Lloyd Wright house sits on the northern bank of the Tennesse river and is the only home built by FLW that is situated in Alabama. The low-lying horizontal mass has an L-shaped plan that opens up to a spectacular landscape. The house features a long row of oversized windows and is cypress clad, blurring the boundary between the built and the natural landscape.  

12. Hanna-Honeycomb House

This unconventional family home was Wright’s first attempt at creating non-rectilinear forms. Having a honeycomb-like shape, the Hanna-Honeycomb house laid the foundation for the Usonian design style. 

It is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s first houses to be built in San Franciso. It features extensive rows of windows proving views of the outside, the juxtaposition of several horizontal planes creating a form that seems to rise from the landscape. It is built using native redwood and bricks. 

13. Hollyhock House

Hollyhock House is often referred to as the concrete temple of a home, this Frank Lloyd Wright house was Wright’s attempt at defining the Los Angeles architecture style. He later dubbed to call it, Californian Romanza. 

Created as a part of the large complex commissioned by Aline Barnsdall, this house features split levels, and courtyards, and has motifs of the ominous Mayan temples and the hollyhock flower. The house integrates the indoors and outdoors in an enigmatic built mass. 

14. Seth Peterson Cottage

A lesser-known yet supremely noteworthy Frank Lloyd Wright house is the Seth Peterson cottage. This remarkable 880 sq. ft. home is a Usonian-style home perched on a promontory alongside lake Delton. 

The charming abode is a single-room home has architecture oozing through every built square footage. The house in spite of being small is designed to feel enough. Featuring the classic elements of the Usonian style, the house sits perfectly well amid the forested landscape. 

15. Laurent House

This Frank Lloyd Wright house is referred to as ‘the little gem’ by Frank himself. Built as an accessible home for mobility-impaired World War II veteran, Kenneth Laurent and his wife Phyllis, this house were way ahead of its time. 

It is a signature Usonian-style home that truly defines the style. The quaint little home exemplifies accessible and approachable design that is user-centric. Wright would often boast about the house, budging clients to visit the place to truly understand the essence of his style. 

16. Avery Coonley House

The Avery Coonley House by Frank Lloyd Wright marked the first time, the architect used zoned planning. This approach of marking the spaces according to the function then stayed with him throughout the rest of his career. 

The house on the estate is complemented by the extravagant landscape and cottage. The unique planning of the house has an inverted layout with living and dining rooms raised to the floor above and separate functions located in different wings. The exterior of the house uses stylish features like textile blocks and glass art amping the aesthetics. 

17. Emil Bach House

An example of the late-Prarie style architecture, this Frank Lloyd Wright house has a string individualistic appearance. Located in the Roger Park neighborhood in Chicago, it is a part of a series of geometric houses having cubic shapes and extending roof overhangs. 

The home was originally meant to be a country home, that is just an unencumbered walk away from lake Michigan. It now stands in a bustling crowded neighborhood had become a rental of great historic and cultural significance. 

18. Willits House

This magnificent 6000 sq. ft. home is believed to be the first true prairie-style Frank Lloyd Wright house by many scholars. Located in Highland Park Illinois, this home has a cruciform-shaped plan.

It uses wooden frames and stucco-style construction with the elimination of doorways and boundaries. Other Prarie features of extending roof overhangs, ribbon windows, and horizontal form are also displayed. 

19. Wingspread

The last Frank Lloyd Wright house to be built in the Prarie architectural style was the Wingspread house. It has a dynamic pinwheel-shaped plan that evolved from the initial cruciform plans. 

The abode was designed for Herbert Fisk Johnson Jr, the owner of the SC Johnson headquarters. It makes a statement with its cantilevering fins that house terraces and separate spaces that are zoned around the central space. In the heart of the plan is the threes storeyed octagonal living room with a large vertical fireplace. It also features unique additions like a crow’s nest and Romeo and Juliet balconies that were requested by the clients.   

20. Jacobs I

A Frank Llyod Wright House that truly stands true to his Usonian house’s vision is the Herber Jacobs house. The Usonian house philosophy aimed to create organic and Parrie-style structures that were affordable to the common middle-class American. This affordable housing style was perfectly exemplified in this Usonian home. 

The rest 140 homes that he built went on to become more elaborate, thereby losing the core philosophy of the style. Simple natural materials like wood and stone brick used alongside the staple glass curtain wall define this house. It seems to be emerging from the landscape, blurring the edge between the interiors and the exteriors. 

21. Dana-Thomas House

The most extravagant Frank Lloyd Wright house, the Dana-Thomas house is a 35 rooms mansion that was commissioned as a remodeling project. Blessed with an unlimited budget, Wright transformed it into the most exquisite Frank Lloyd Wright architecture works. 

It is an early-Prarie style house that features a vast two-storeyed barrel vault ceiling and a large collection of decor designed by wright. With over 100 original site-specific furniture pieces and 250 art glass fenestrations, this project remains one of the most well-preserved Prarie architecture houses of all.  

22. David and Gladys Wright House

Considered to be a precursor to the iconic Guggenheim Museum, this Frank Lloyd Wright home was built for his son and daughter-in-law in Pheonix. They refer to it as their Taj Mahal.  This unusual work of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture features a spiraling ramp that leads to the main raised floor housing the functions. 

At the core of the house is a courtyard featuring a pool and a shaded garden. The exterior provides views of the surrounding Arizonian desert. Its facade features custom details on the concrete blocks. 

The List of Iconic Frank Lloyd Wright Houses can go on…

Frank Lloyd Wright has created several masterpieces in his long career. Starting from the Prarie style to the organic and Usonian style homes, every project is spectacular in its unique way. The legacy of this great architect will forever be cherished by all.

“The mother art is architecture. Without an architecture of our own we have no soul of our  own civilization.” — Frank Lloyd Wright

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