An Evening at Frank Lloyd Wrights 1st 'Prairie Style' House

[Melensdad]

Bradley House in Kankakee is now considered a historic landmark and is run by a charitable foundation.

$10 a ticket gets you 2 glasses of wine (or bottles of water) and entry to the grounds.
The main floor of the house was open to the public.
Musical acts performed on the front lawn.
A local acting troupe performed at the back coutyard by the stable.
Food truck was parked out front for your dining pleasure.

Honestly it was one of the best "cheap dates" I can recall.

Sadly the house next door, also a Frank Lloyd Wright design, is in disrepair. It is for sale, the asking price is $775,000 and it will take AT LEAST, another $775,000 to restore that home. I've seen extensive photos of the inside, some rooms look like an architectural crime scene. It is such a shame what has been done to "improve" that home over the years like painting all the beautiful and extensive woodwork white. WTF?

Anyway we had a very pleasant evening.

What is sad is that there are historic homes in many communities around the nation that need preservation and don't put on little events like this one we attended last evening. I'd love to see more communities come together and save some of our old architectural treasures.

 

[FTG-05]

I've been in two FLW homes; the one near Pittsburg with the running water in it and the one in Florence AL.

Absolutely crap designs. The one in AL, two people could barely fit through the doors or hallways; 20-24" wide, something like that. Crap insulation; the tour operator said it took 3-4 HVAC units to keep the place cool in the summer (when we were there). It's not that big of a house.

The one in PA: Mold City.

 

[Melensdad]

I've been in two FLW homes; the one near Pittsburg with the running water in it and the one in Florence AL.

Absolutely crap designs. The one in AL, two people could barely fit through the doors or hallways; 20-24" wide, something like that. Crap insulation; the tour operator said it took 3-4 HVAC units to keep the place cool in the summer (when we were there). It's not that big of a house.

The one in PA: Mold City.

FLLW designed beautiful looking homes, but he pushed the envelope on construction and did things that make them maintenance nightmares. As for the HVAC issues, remember these homes were built BEFORE the invention of air conditioning. The Bradley House, in my photos, is about 6000 square feet and has 6 HVAC units!