Wright, Frank Lloyd, House and Studio
Also known as: Oak Park House and Studio
Why it's listed
Frank Lloyd Wright built this house in Oak Park, Illinois, for his own family, and later added a studio on the Chicago Avenue side of the lot. The original house has a common brick base and wood shingle siding, and is described as shingle style, reminiscent of work by Joseph Silsbee, for whom Wright had worked before joining Louis Sullivan. As the family grew, Wright changed the plan, enlarging the dining room and adding a vaulted playroom with a large fireplace, balconies and an unusual staircase. The bedrooms have clerestory dormer windows, and many windows are leaded glass. The studio wing added a library, lobby and a two-story drafting room with balconies, comparable on a small scale to Unity Temple, which was designed there. After Wright left his family, the studio was converted into rental apartments. The property matters as his first family home and as the place where he lived and worked during a highly creative period, producing buildings of international fame.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls the building extremely well designed, responding to its site and use with very original details. It was the first house Wright designed for his own family. He lived and worked there during a very important creative period, when he designed buildings of international fame.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 72000456, listed September 14, 1972. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 428 Forest Ave. (house), 951 Chicago Ave. (studio), Oak Park |
|---|---|
| County | Cook County |
| Listed | September 14, 1972 |
| Reference number | 72000456 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 19th and 20th centuries; specific dates 1889, 1895, 1898 |
| Architect / builder | Frank Lloyd Wright; sculpture by Richard Bock according to Wright's ideas |
| Architectural style | Shingle style (original house) |
| Areas of significance | Art, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated January 7, 1976 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Condition marked good and altered; the grounds are described as very well kept. Present use is marked as private residence and museum. The form says the studio space should be restored if shown to the public as originally designed. |
| Acreage | 0.4 |
| Within district | Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District (Boundary Increase) |
| Coordinates | 41.89418, -87.80011 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 72000456.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q3069681
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.