Prairie Style Architecture

Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin D. Martin House, in Buffalo, NY. - Photo: Wikimedia

If you are looking for an interesting, and beautiful style of architecture for a house or smaller sized commercial building, then you may want to look towards the prairie style architecture.

The prairie style architecture was drafted originally in the loft room of the Steinway Piano Company building in Chicago, Illinois in the 1890’s. The Prairie Style was popular from the 1900’s through about 1912.

Probably the most famous follower of the Louis Sullivan teachings on Prairie Style architecture was Frank Lloyd Wright.

Also termed Prairie School Architecture, the Prairie style was and is most commonly found in the Midwestern United States.

Prairie style homes are distinct in their design. Created with horizontal lines, flat roofs with overhanging eaves and windows grouped in horizontal bands.

Some of the most famous Prairie Style homes are the Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, NY, along with the Guggenheim Museum in New York City and Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.

There is one thought that stands out above the rest, the Robie House. Located on the campus on the University of Chicago, it is the quintessential example of the Prairie Style Architecture.

Illinois still holds the greatest number of Prairie Style Architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright lived for a time in Oak Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Here you will find street after street of Prairie Style Architecture.

Prairie homes were made to function efficiently in the prairie climate. The horizontal lines were thought to match those of the native prairie landscape. The interior was designed to be multifunctional and utilizing the suns natural light and natural air flow throughout the house. The Prairie Style architecture is by far some of the most beautiful you will find in the Midwest.

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