Millard, George Madison, House
Why it's listed
This house at 1689 Lake Avenue in Highland Park, Illinois, was designed in 1906 by Frank Lloyd Wright for George Madison Millard. It is a Prairie School residence with a cruciform plan massed around a central hearth. Its walls are horizontal brown-stained board and batten, capped by hipped roofs with overhangs of about three and a half feet. Ribbon strips of windows, some with leaded glass, run across the walls. The inventory notes that the house most closely resembles, and predates, Wright's Frederick C. Robie House of 1909 in Chicago, particularly in the long axis of the plan. It was listed as an example of Wright's Prairie School work and as a forerunner of the Robie House in plan, massing and organization. The same Millards later commissioned Wright to build "La Miniature" in Pasadena, California, in 1923. The house remains residential. Its interior room layout has been altered and the kitchen remodeled, and its condition was recorded as fair to deteriorated.
Significance in brief: The form presents the house as an example of Wright's Prairie School style. It also describes it as a precursor to the plan, massing and organization of his Frederick C. Robie House of 1909 in Chicago. The form notes that the same Millards later commissioned Wright's "La Miniature" in Pasadena, California, in 1923.
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 82002571, listed September 29, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1689 Lake Ave., Highland Park |
|---|---|
| County | Lake County |
| Listed | September 29, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002571 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Architectural style | Prairie School Style |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Residential use, original and present. Condition is marked fair/deteriorated, with the interior room organization altered and the kitchen remodeled. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 42.18744, -87.78552 (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 82002571.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5542047
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.