View source for Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

{{Short description|House museum in Oak Park, Illinois}}
{{About|Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois|his home and studio in Spring Green, Wisconsin|Taliesin (studio)|his home and studio in Scottsdale, Arizona|Taliesin West|his son Lloyd's home and studio|Lloyd Wright Home and Studio}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
| nrhp_type = nhl
| nrhp_type2       = cp
| nocat           = yes
| partof2          = Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District
| partof2_refnum   = 73000699<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| image = Frank Lloyd Wright Home Studio.jpg
| caption = 
| location = 428 Forest Avenue (house) and 951 Chicago Avenue (studio)<br/>[[Oak Park, Illinois]], United States
| coordinates = {{coord|41|53|39|N|87|47|59|W|display=inline,title}}
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-marker = building
| mapframe-zoom = 12
| mapframe-caption = Interactive showing Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio's location
| built = 1889
| architect = [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]
| architecture = Shingle Style
| designated_nrhp_type = January 7, 1976<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1225&ResourceType=Building |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040803192025/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1225&ResourceType=Building |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 3, 2004 |title=Wright, Frank Lloyd, Home and Studio |access-date=July 20, 2008 |work=National Historic Landmark summary listing |publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
| added = September 14, 1972<ref name="nris" />
| visitation_num = 
| visitation_year = 
| area = {{convert|0.4|acre}}
| refnum = 72000456<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
| mpsub = 
| alt = Black-and-white image of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio's exterior
}}

The '''Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio''' is a [[historic house museum]] in [[Oak Park, Illinois]], United States. It was built in 1889 by the American architect [[Frank Lloyd Wright]], who lived there with his family for two decades and expanded it multiple times. The house to the south was designed in either the [[Shingle style architecture|Shingle style]] or the [[Queen Anne style architecture|Queen Anne style]], while the studio to the north was designed in the [[Prairie style]]. The museum is managed by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, which has restored the building to its appearance in 1909, the year Wright moved out. The building is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as a [[National Historic Landmark]], and it is a contributing property to the [[Frank Lloyd Wright–Prairie School of Architecture Historic District]].

Wright bought the site in 1889, shortly after marrying Catherine "Kitty" Tobin, and developed a cottage there, where they raised six children. Wright added rooms to the house in 1895, and he built the studio annex in 1898, where he and his associates designed dozens of buildings. Wright moved out of the house in 1909, and the home and studio sections were divided into separate residences two years later. Kitty lived in the studio until 1918. After Frank sold the building in 1925, the house and studio became an apartment building and was resold multiple times in the mid-20th century, being split into six residences by the 1940s. The Oak Park Development Corporation bought the building in 1974 and resold it the next year to the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]]. The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation renovated the building over the next decade. The foundation later became the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust, which bought the house in 2012 and continues to operate it as a museum.

In designing the building, Wright often experimented with various architectural features, and he generally used details that were functional rather than purely decorative. The facades are made of brick, stone, [[batten]]s, and [[Roof shingle|shingles]]. Both sections of the building are wood-frame structures arranged around central fireplaces. The sparsely ornamented rooms contain objects designed by Wright. The house's first floor includes an entry hall, living room, dining room, study, and kitchen, the latter three of which date from 1895. The attached studio has a reception hall, library, office, and double-height drafting room on the same story. The second floor has several bedrooms, a dayroom, and a children's playroom, while the basement was built during the 1980s. The building has received extensive architectural commentary over the years, and it has been the subject of many media works, including books and films.

== Site ==
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio complex is located in [[Oak Park, Illinois]], United States.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GqOmcvq0MAsC&pg=PA41 |title=A Guide to Frank Lloyd Wright Public Places: Wright Sites |publisher=Princeton Architectural Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-1-56898-275-5 |editor-last=Sanderson |editor-first=Arlene |pages=56–57 |access-date=January 20, 2025}}</ref> The house and studio occupy a plot measuring {{Convert|88.3|by|165|ft}}, bounded by Chicago Avenue to the north and Forest Avenue to the west.<ref name="Weil p. 93">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=93}}</ref> The house carries the address of 428 Forest Avenue, while the studio is located at 951 Chicago Avenue.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19720308">{{cite web |last=Vrba |first=Harriet |date=March 8, 1972 |title=A Wright start |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&d=01011970-12311972&e=lloyd%20wright&o=house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19720308_english_39&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=39}}</ref> Despite the relatively large size of the lot, the house is placed near the southern end, away from Chicago Avenue.<ref name="Abernathy p. 9" /><ref name="Weil p. 93" /> A driveway east of the studio leads to a two-car garage, and a driveway south of the house leads to a one-car garage.<ref name="Weil p. 11" /> These three garages were all added in 1911.<ref name="Weil p. 11" /><ref name="Oak Leaves 19790613" /> A concrete wall on Forest Avenue, and a taller brick wall on Chicago Avenue, were also built after 1911.<ref name="Weil p. 48" />

When the American architect [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] built the house and studio, there was a [[Ginkgo biloba|ginkgo]] tree east of the house, as well as a [[tulip tree]] and [[Kentucky coffeetree]] in its front yard.<ref name="Weil p. 94" /> The original ginkgo tree, planted in the early 19th century, remained in place in the early 21st century.<ref name="Venteicher z177">{{cite web |last=Venteicher |first=Wes |date=April 24, 2014 |title=Wright Studio's ginkgo tree getting extra attention these days |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2014/04/24/wright-studios-ginkgo-tree-getting-extra-attention-these-days/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref> The property also contained a [[black willow]] and may have also included butternut, walnut, sugar maple, and honey locust trees, in addition to [[forsythia]] bushes.<ref name="Weil p. 94">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=94}}</ref> The building is surrounded by a low garden wall, which was designed to blend in with the surrounding trees.<ref name="Abernathy p. 9" /> There are also various planters, urns, and vegetation.<ref name="Abernathy p. 6" /><ref name="Weil p. 7" />

Just east of the Wright Home and Studio is a house that belonged to Wright's mother Anna,<ref name="Weil p. 25">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=25}}</ref> which is located at 931 Chicago Avenue.<ref name="Kamin r459" /> The house was built {{Circa|1866}} in the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] style.<ref name="Weil p. 25" /> Also on the same [[City block|block]] to the south are the [[William H. Copeland House]] and [[Arthur Heurtley House]], along the east side of Forest Avenue. The [[Walter Gale House]], [[Francis J. Woolley House]], and [[Robert P. Parker House]] are located on the block to the west, while the [[Nathan G. Moore House]] and [[Edward R. Hills House]] are on the west side of Forest Avenue, one block to the south.<ref>{{cite web | title=Oak Park Map Viewer | website=GIS Consortium – Local Governments That Work Collectively | url=https://communitymapviewer.gisconsortium.org/OakParkIL | access-date=February 15, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=LaTrace |first=AJ |date=April 29, 2015 |title=Exploring Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park |url=https://chicago.curbed.com/maps/oak-park-frank-lloyd-wright-walking-tour |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Curbed Chicago}}</ref>

== Residential and studio use{{Anchor|History}} ==

=== Wright use ===

==== Development ====
Frank Lloyd Wright was born in [[Richland Center, Wisconsin]], in 1867 and moved to Illinois in 1887 to pursue an architectural career.<ref>{{harvnb|Levine|1996|ps=.|pages=2–3}}</ref><ref name="Abernathy p. 4">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=4}}</ref> Wright first worked for [[Joseph Lyman Silsbee]] before joining the [[Chicago]]–based architectural firm of [[Adler & Sullivan]] in early 1888.<ref>{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=13}}</ref> Soon after, he moved to [[Oak Park, Illinois|Oak Park]] (then part of the town of [[Cicero, Illinois|Cicero]]) in Chicago's suburbs.<ref name="Schrenk p. 14">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=14}}</ref><ref name="Gill p. 87">{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|page=87}}</ref> Wright initially lived alone<ref name="Levine p. 4">{{harvnb|Levine|1996|ps=.|page=4}}</ref> before his mother Anna and two sisters joined him.<ref name="Weil p. 1">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=1}}</ref><ref name="Gill p. 87" /> In June 1889, the 21-year-old Wright married the 18-year-old Catherine Lee "Kitty" Tobin,<ref name="Levine p. 4" /><ref name="Weil p. 12" /> whom he had met at a local church.<ref>{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|page=88}}</ref> With his mother's assistance, Wright obtained a house and barn at the southeast corner of Chicago and Forest avenues in Oak Park.<ref name="Levine p. 4" /> This site was occupied by a gardener named John Blair, who had obtained the site from the developer John Austin.<ref name="Weil p. 12" /> At the time, most of Oak Park's residents lived further south,<ref name="Oak Leaves 19800507">{{cite web |last=Garnett |first=Stephan |date=May 7, 1980 |title=Home, studio show Wright's character |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=home%20studio&i=f&d=01011980-12311981&e=lloyd%20wright&m=between&ord=e1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19800507_english_12&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=12}}</ref> and the site overlooked a [[prairie]] to the north.<ref name="Abernathy p. 9">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=9}}</ref> Wright's mother moved to an adjacent house on Chicago Avenue.<ref name="Weil p. 12" />

Wright borrowed $5,000 from one of his bosses, [[Louis Sullivan]],<ref name="Weil p. 12" /><ref name="Gill p. 89">{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|page=89}}</ref><ref name="McDonald p. 1">{{harvnb|McDonald|2018|ps=.|page=1}}</ref>{{efn-ur|Equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1889|index=US-GDP|value=5000|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}} who took [[Title (property)|title]] to the land.<ref name="Abernathy p. 4" /><ref name="Levine p. 4" /> In exchange, Wright had to repay the loan within five years.<ref name="Schrenk p. 17">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=17}}</ref> Excluding the land cost, Wright eventually spent $5,300, which included $1,200 from his own savings and $3,500 from Sullivan's loan.<ref name="Gill p. 89" /><ref name="Weil pp. 48–49">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=48–49}}</ref>{{efn-ur|The amount from his savings is equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1889|index=US-GDP|value=1200|r=-3|fmt=c}}, while the amount from the loan is equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1889|index=US-GDP|value=3500|r=-3|fmt=c}}, in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}} Wright designed the house without regard to what anyone else thought; for example, he carved adages into the walls despite his wife's opposition.<ref name="p384543074" /> Wright was 22 years old when the house was finished in 1889.<ref name="n165298820">{{Cite news |last=Sutton |first=Horace |date=August 17, 1980 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's own Oak Park |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-baltimore-sun-frank-lloyd-wrights-o/165298820/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=The Baltimore Sun |pages=85}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1986-06-08">{{Cite news |last=Lockwood |first=Charles |date=June 8, 1986 |title=The Houses Wright Built |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/08/travel/the-houses-wright-built.html |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="p306864489">{{cite news |last=Yenckel |first=James T. |date=February 1, 1987 |title=Places and Spaces of Frank Lloyd Wright |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/travel/1987/02/01/places-and-spaces-of-frank-lloyd-wright/6e8e7242-53b4-430b-95ba-f0080c0f6f6b/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |newspaper=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286 |id={{ProQuest|306864489}}}}</ref> As built, the house was little more than a cottage,<ref name="Levine p. 8">{{harvnb|Levine|1996|ps=.|page=8}}</ref><ref name="Gill p. 91">{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|page=91}}</ref> with five rooms on the first floor (including an entry hall) and three rooms on the second floor.<ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|pages=4–5}}</ref> The original design included a large [[gable roof]] inspired by two of [[Bruce Price]]'s cottages in [[Tuxedo Park, New York]].<ref name="Schrenk p. 17" /><ref name="Gill p. 91" /> Wright also designed clothing for Kitty so it would match the interior color scheme.<ref name="p384543074" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 27">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=27}}</ref>

==== Initial modifications ====
Wright began modifying the house almost immediately after its completion, when he replaced the windows.<ref>{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|page=92}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=31}}</ref> Six of his children were born in the Oak Park house: [[Lloyd Wright|Frank Jr.]] (better known as Lloyd; 1890), [[John Lloyd Wright|John]] (1892), Catherine (1894), [[David Samuel Wright|David]] (1895), Frances (1898), and Robert (1903).<ref name="Abernathy p. 5">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=5}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 6">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=6}}</ref> Kitty bemoaned the fact that her husband focused more on the house's design than on his own family,<ref name="Gill pp. 93–94">{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|pages=93–94}}</ref> and Wright himself reflected that he did not feel like a father figure to his children.<ref name="p384543074" /> Additionally, the family frequently spent outside their means while living in Oak Park.<ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /><ref name="Gill p. 102">{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|page=102}}</ref> They hosted extravagant dinner parties and musical performances,<ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /> and in the meantime Wright fell into debt.<ref name="Gill p. 102" /> To support his family, Wright took on additional jobs, even though his employment contract with Adler & Sullivan forbade it.<ref name="Levine p. 4" /><ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /> Wright worked in the second-floor studio–bedroom,<ref name="Weil pp. 74–75" /> creating ten "bootleg houses" without his bosses' authorization from 1891 to 1893.<ref name="Schrenk p. 20">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=20}}</ref> When Sullivan learned of Wright's secondary jobs, Wright was either fired<ref name="p171123080">{{cite news |last=Gapp |first=Paul |date=July 14, 1974 |title=Historic Wright home purchased for preservation |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-historic-wright-home-pur/165148443/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=34 |id={{ProQuest|171123080}}}}</ref><ref name="p384543074">{{Cite news |last=Smith |first=Susan C. |date=July 8, 1998 |title=The master in his own domain OAK PARK/ Among Frank Lloyd Wright's modern masterpieces is the studio and home he built for himself and his family in a leafy Chicago suburb – a three-dimensional testament to Wright's radical vision of form and function. |work=The Globe and Mail |page=C.12 |id={{ProQuest|384543074}}}}</ref> or quit.<ref name="Levine p. 4" /><ref name="Gill p. 99">{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|page=99}}</ref> Sullivan's partner [[Dankmar Adler]] transferred ownership of the Oak Park house to Wright,<ref name="Gill p. 99" /> who started his own architectural practice.<ref name="Levine p. 4" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 20" />

The house was first expanded in 1895.<ref name="Weil pp. 74–75" /> On the first floor, the original kitchen was expanded into a dining room, and the original dining room became a study.<ref name="Abernathy p. 5; Kalec p. 26; Weil p. 6">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=5}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|page=26}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=6}}</ref> In addition, a kitchen was added at the rear.<ref name="Abernathy p. 5" /><ref name="Weil p. 6" /> On the second floor, Wright's studio–bedroom was split into two rooms (one each for the Wrights' sons and daughters), while the nursery became a dayroom and was expanded.<ref name="Abernathy p. 5; Kalec p. 26; Weil p. 6" /> Kitty used the dayroom for reading, sewing, and taking care of the children,<ref name="Abernathy p. 23">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=23}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 81">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=81}}</ref> A playroom was also built on the second floor,<ref name="Abernathy p. 5; Kalec p. 26; Weil p. 6" /> where Kitty hosted a [[Froebel gifts|Froebel-game]] kindergarten class.<ref name="Weil p. 85">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=85}}</ref><ref name="Abernathy p. 26">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=26}}</ref> Though the playroom was ostensibly built for the children, the historian [[Brendan Gill]] writes that the space probably would have been constructed in some other fashion even if the Wrights had had no children.<ref name="Gill pp. 93–94" /> After a house was built to the south in 1897, Wright filled in parts of the dining-room windows for privacy.<ref name="Schrenk p. 27" /><ref name="Weil p. 64" />

==== Studio expansion ====
[[File:Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio 05.JPG|alt=Architectural details of the studio wing. In the foreground are ornately decorated columns.|thumb|The studio wing's loggia]]

After Wright moved his firm's Chicago headquarters to the top story of [[Steinway Hall (Chicago)|Steinway Hall]] in 1897,<ref>{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=22}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|page=117}}</ref> he drew up plans for an architectural studio at his own house.<ref name="Abernathy p. 6">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=6}}</ref><ref name="Schrenk p. 37">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=37}}</ref><ref name="Oak Leaves 19760602">{{cite web |last=Shelby |first=J. E. "Cap" |date=June 2, 1976 |title=Cap's Comments |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=home%20studio&i=f&d=01011976-12311977&e=lloyd%20wright&m=between&ord=e1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19760602_english_24&df=11&dt=20 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=24}}</ref> He did not have money to build the studio until the Luxfer Prism Company hired him to design a building.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19760602" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 37" /> Construction was finished by February 1898, when Wright's official [[letterhead]] was changed to mention his Oak Park studio,<ref name="Schrenk p. 37" /> and Wright and his associates began working out of the studio that year.<ref name="Abernathy p. 6" /><ref name="Kalec p. 3">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=3}}</ref> The building served as an advertisement for Wright's architectural practice,<ref name="p172590369">{{cite news |last=Daniels |first=Mary |date=February 7, 1982 |title=Resurrection of a Frank Lloyd Wright legacy is the work of a team of Oak Park detectives |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-resurrection-of-a-frank/165305522/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=13.1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-resurrection-of-a-frank/165305491/ 13.2] |id={{ProQuest|172590369}}}}</ref><ref name="nyt-1996-03-03">{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=March 3, 1996 |title=Wright's Old Neighborhood |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/03/magazine/wright-s-old-neighborhood.html |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and he frequently showed the interiors to potential clients.<ref name="Schrenk p. 26">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=26}}</ref>

Wright's firm designed [[Prairie style]] buildings ''en masse'' after the studio's completion,<ref name="Oak Leaves 19720308" /><ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /><ref name="wrightlife">{{Cite book |last=Twombly |first=Robert C. |url={{Google books|KSA1HTTU-eMC|Frank Lloyd Wright: His Life and His Architecture|page=153|plainurl=yes}} |title=Frank Lloyd Wright: His Life and His Architecture |date=1979 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-471-85797-6 |location=New York |page=153 |access-date=August 14, 2007}}</ref> though sources disagree on how many buildings they designed.<ref name="Weil p. 117">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=117}}</ref><ref name="Kalec p. 19">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=19}}</ref>{{Efn|{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=}} gives a figure of 120 residential buildings and 42 other structures,<ref name="Kalec p. 19" /> while {{harvnb|ps=|Weil|2001}} gives a figure of over 200 buildings.<ref name="Weil p. 117" />}} Their designs included the [[Dana-Thomas House]], [[Darwin D. Martin House]], [[Coonley House]], [[Willits House]], [[Laura Gale House]], [[Thomas H. Gale House]], [[Robie House]], [[Unity Temple]], and [[Larkin Administration Building|Larkin Building]].<ref name="wrightlife" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 6" /> Typically, Wright had five to seven associates, some of whom worked on designs of their own while working for him.<ref name="Schrenk p. 51">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=51}}</ref> These associates included [[Richard Bock]], [[Barry Byrne]], [[William Eugene Drummond]], [[Walter Burley Griffin]], [[Marion Mahony Griffin]], [[George Mann Niedecken]], [[Isabel Roberts]], [[John S. Van Bergen]], and [[Charles E. White Jr.]]<ref name="Weil p. 118">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=118}}</ref><ref name="Inklebarger b437">{{cite web |last=Inklebarger |first=Timothy |date=January 3, 2014 |title=Wright Home and Studio to open balcony to tours |url=https://www.oakpark.com/2014/01/03/wright-home-and-studio-to-open-balcony-to-tours/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Wednesday Journal}}</ref> Generally, many of Wright's associates stayed only a few years before founding their own firms.<ref name="Schrenk p. 51" /> Many of the architects were members of arts groups in Chicago, and they frequently traveled to the [[Art Institute of Chicago]] or relaxed in the house's playroom.<ref name="Weil p. 118" /> Wright's Oak Park associates formed a close-knit group, in a similar manner to the [[Taliesin Fellowship]] decades later.<ref>{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|page=185}}</ref>

Even after the studio structure was completed, Wright continued to tinker with his design.<ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /><ref name="Weil p. 97" /> He seldom removed things outright, instead adding decorations on top of existing ones.<ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /><ref name="p283634659">{{cite news |last=Giangrasse |first=Joan |date=January 26, 1994 |title=Guide Creates Picture of Wright She Gives Visitors a Peek Into Mind of the Architect |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=56 |id={{ProQuest|283634659}}}}</ref> His assistants quipped that he made modifications to the house even when his other projects were behind schedule.<ref name="Weil p. 97">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=97}}</ref><ref name="n165408835">{{Cite news |last=Johnson |first=Maria C. |date=January 19, 1992 |title=Looking for Mr. Wright |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-and-record-looking-for-mr-wrightm/165408835/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=News and Record |pages=58}}</ref> In 1905, Wright added a low wall in front of the studio wing's entrance loggia.<ref name="Kalec p. 18" /><ref name="Weil p. 104">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=104}}</ref>  The rear wall of the studio's reception hall was remodeled, and skylights were added to the studio rooms' ceilings.<ref name="Weil p. 8">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=8}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 109">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=109}}</ref> More clerestory windows were added to the studio's drafting room and library during that time.<ref name="Weil p. 8" /><ref>{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=17}}</ref> In addition, Wright added ledges below the drafting room's balcony,<ref name="Abernathy p. 38; Kalec pp. 20–21; Weil p. 119">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=38}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|pages=20–21}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=119}}</ref> and the studio was redecorated with branches and grasses collected by Wright's associates.<ref name="Weil p. 118" />

=== Subdivision of interiors ===
[[File:Front View of Home.JPG|alt=The entrance to the studio on Chicago Avenue. There is a partition wall in front of the entrance itself, which is through a loggia with columns. Above the loggia is a triangular gable.|thumb|In 1911, Wright erected a high wall in front of the studio entrance to create a private porch.<ref name="Abernathy p. 43; Kalec p. 29; Weil p. 105">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=43}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|page=29}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=105}}</ref>]]
By 1908, Wright had become disillusioned with the Oak Park studio, and his associates recalled that he was spending less and less time in the studio.<ref>{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=160}}</ref> Wright traveled to Europe in 1909 to work on his ''[[Wasmuth Portfolio]]'',<ref name="Kalec p. 4">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=4}}</ref><ref name="Abernathy p. 42">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=42}}</ref><ref name="Schrenk pp. 162–163">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|pages=162–163}}</ref> and he ran off with [[Mamah Borthwick]], a client's wife.<ref name="Schrenk pp. 162–163" /><ref>{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|page=198}}</ref> John Van Bergen and Isabel Roberts finished up his works-in-progress and then closed the Oak Park studio.<ref name="Weil p. 118" /><ref>{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=164}}</ref> This marked the end of what was known as his "Oak Park era".<ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /> Upon his return to the U.S., Wright built his [[Taliesin (studio)|Taliesin]] studio in 1911 near [[Spring Green, Wisconsin]].<ref name="Abernathy p. 42" /> Kitty and the children remained in Illinois.<ref name="McDonald p. 1" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 42" /><ref name="n165185122">{{Cite news |last=Willard |first=John |date=June 11, 1978 |title=The Wright Way |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/quad-city-times-the-wright-wayjohn-will/165185122/ |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Quad-City Times |pages=10–11}}</ref> A news article that Christmas reported that Wright "did not feel any regret he was not present in the Oak Park house where his lawful wife and their six children were spending their Christmas".<ref>{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|pages=221–222}}</ref>

To augment his family's income, in 1911, he created a second residence within the studio,<ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /> constructing a [[Firewall (construction)|firewall]] between the studio and the original home.<ref name="p172590369" /><ref name="Kalec pp. 29–30">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|pages=29–30}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=11–12}}</ref> The house section's main entrance was relocated, and its living room was expanded north.<ref name="Abernathy p. 42" /><ref name="Kalec pp. 29–30" /> The partition between the children's second-floor bedrooms was removed.<ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 42" /> In front of the studio's entrance, Wright erected a high wall, creating a private porch.<ref name="Abernathy p. 43; Kalec p. 29; Weil p. 105" /> The studio's drafting room, its office, and the passageway to the main house were respectively repurposed into a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen. The studio's Chicago Avenue entrance was remodeled, and bedrooms were constructed on the second floor, replacing the drafting room's balcony.<ref name="Kalec pp. 29–30" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 43">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=43}}</ref> Wright built a [[walled garden]] west of the studio, creating a private space for that residence.<ref name="Abernathy p. 43" /><ref name="Weil p. 132">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=132}}</ref> To the south and east of the building, he added two driveways and three garages.<ref name="Weil p. 11" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 43" /> Another rental apartment was then built above the garages.<ref name="Abernathy p. 43; Kalec p. 30; Weil p. 12">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=43}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|page=30}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=12}}</ref> With the growing popularity of automobiles, Wright installed a [[gasoline pump]] in the garages.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Steffensen |first=Ingrid |date=August 6, 2009 |title=The Auto as Architect's Inspiration |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/automobiles/09wright.html |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

After the modifications were completed, Kitty and her children moved into the studio.<ref name="Weil p. 11">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=11}}</ref> Wright borrowed $20,000 from the businessman [[Darwin D. Martin]],{{efn-ur|Equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1911|index=US-GDP|value=20000|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}} for whom he had designed [[Darwin D. Martin House|a house]] in [[Buffalo, New York]].<ref name="McDonald p. 1" /> Though Wright's name remained on the property [[deed]], Martin was his main creditor.<ref name="McDonald pp. 1–2">{{harvnb|McDonald|2018|ps=.|pages=1–2}}</ref> Alfred MacArthur, one of Wright's tenants agreed in 1915 to pay $15,000 for the structure on Forest Avenue.{{efn-ur|Equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1915|index=US-GDP|value=15000|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}}<ref name="Schrenk p. 209" /> However, Martin would allow the sale only if Wright agreed to several restrictive conditions, so Wright ultimately reneged on his sale agreement.<ref name="Schrenk p. 209" /> Kitty, their son John, their youngest children, and multiple employees continued to live in the studio.<ref name="Schrenk p. 209">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=209}}</ref> The employees who lived there included [[Alfonso Iannelli]], who lived there in 1914 while designing sculptures for the [[Midway Gardens]], and [[Rudolph Schindler (architect)|Rudolph Schindler]], who lived there in 1919 while designing Los Angeles's [[Hollyhock House]] and other buildings. Schindler recalled that the old studio was very leaky and unsuccessfully tried to upgrade the heating.<ref name="Schrenk p. 210">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=210}}</ref>

=== Relocation of the Wright family ===
Kitty and her youngest son moved out of the studio in 1918, after the remaining Wright children had already moved away.<ref name="Weil p. 14">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=14}}</ref> MacArthur moved out in 1920 because Wright had raised the monthly rent to $170,{{efn-ur|Equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1920|index=US|value=170|r=0|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US}}{{inflation-fn|US|group=lower-alpha}}}} far above the [[market rate]] for the area.<ref name="Schrenk p. 210" /> Schindler convinced Wright to lower the rent, and he was able to re-rent the house to a factory manager and the studio to a [[United States Shipping Board]] manager. The servants' residence was split into additional apartments, and Schindler moved out in April 1920.<ref name="Schrenk p. 211">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=211}}</ref> At some point between 1918 and 1925, the four bedrooms above the studio were converted into a living room.<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=121}}</ref>

Wright's brother-in-law Andrew Porter, who lived in Anna Wright's house next door, drew plans for an expansion of the Wright house at the request of his wife, Frank's sister Jane.<ref name="Schrenk p. 211" /> This expansion, which would have connected with Frank's studio, was never built because the Porters instead decided to buy the [[Arthur Heurtley House]].<ref name="Schrenk pp. 212–213" /> Instead, Wright designed an overpass between the drafting room and the apartment above the garage, so these rooms could be combined as needed.<ref name="Weil p. 14" /><ref name="Schrenk pp. 212–213" /> Wright still had not paid off his debt to Martin, who nonetheless allowed Wright to place the building for sale.<ref name="Schrenk pp. 212–213">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|pages=212–213}}</ref> By 1922, local artists had rented space in two of the complex's apartments, while Wright's family lived in the third apartment;<ref name="McDonald p. 1" /> an article from the next year cites five artists as living there.<ref name="Schrenk p. 213">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=213}}</ref> The Austin–Oak Park–River Forest Art League moved into the studio section of the complex in 1924.<ref name="McDonald p. 1" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 213" />

=== Later ownership ===

==== Mid-1920s to mid-1940s ====
[[File:Frank Lloyd Wright Home.jpg|thumb|Exterior of Wright's studio as seen from Chicago Avenue|alt=Exterior of Wright's studio as seen from Chicago Avenue. There is a low brick wall in front of the studio. Stairs lead through the brick wall, ascending to a terrace. There is a loggia with columns at the rear of the terrace. The main entrance is behind the loggia.]]
The studio and house were sold in 1925 to John O. Bastear and Alva Thomas.<ref name="Schrenk p. 213" /><ref name="n165098651">{{Cite news |last=Chase |first=Al |date=July 17, 1925 |title=Syndicate Gets Block on Boul Mich at Ohio |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-syndicate-gets-block-on/165098651/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=22}}</ref> Bastear and Thomas are recorded as having paid $28,250 for the building, with a loan from Martin,{{efn-ur|Equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1925|index=US-GDP|value=28250|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}}<ref name="McDonald p. 1" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 213" /> while the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' reported the sale price as $33,250.{{efn-ur|Equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1925|index=US-GDP|value=33250|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 17, 1925 |title=Art League Buys Home of F. L. Wright for Studio |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-art-league-buys-home-of/165098006/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=17}}</ref> The new owners were to pay Martin $250 a month through 1930, collecting rent revenue from the building.{{efn-ur|Equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1920|index=US|value=250|r=0|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US}}{{inflation-fn|US|group=lower-alpha}}}}<ref name="Schrenk p. 214">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=214}}</ref> The Austin–Oak Park–River Forest Art League then expanded its space there.<ref name="n165098651" /> Oak Park's village government rejected the art organization's proposal to turn the studio into a [[teahouse]], instead permitting the league to host art exhibitions there.<ref name="Schrenk p. 213" /> The building housed the Art League until 1928<ref name="Schrenk p. 213" /> or 1929.<ref name="McDonald p. 1" />

After Bastear and Thomas failed to repay their loan from Martin, the latter sued 20 defendants in 1930 to collect nearly $33,000 in debt.{{efn-ur|Equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1930|index=US-GDP|value=33000|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}}<ref name="Schrenk p. 214" /> Martin won his lawsuit in 1933, initiating a [[foreclosure]] proceeding.<ref name="Schrenk p. 214" /><ref name="McDonald pp. 1–2" /> His wife Isabelle acquired the house for $33,000. The next year, she transferred ownership to her husband's firm, Buffalo Phoenix Company, which continued to rent the house out.<ref name="Schrenk p. 214" /> The Martin family also had difficulties renting out the Wright Home and Studio, so it again went into foreclosure in 1943. That year, Norman and Elizabeth Beggs paid $18,000 for the complex.{{efn-ur|Equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1943|index=US-GDP|value=18000|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}}<ref name="Schrenk p. 215">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=215}}</ref>

==== Nooker ownership ====
Clyde and Charlotte Nooker bought the building in 1946.<ref name="Weil p. 14" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 215" /><ref name="McDonald p. 2">{{harvnb|McDonald|2018|ps=.|page=2}}</ref> During the mid-20th century, the building was divided into six apartments:{{Efn|Some sources claim that there may have been up to seven apartments.<ref name="Abernathy p. 43" /><ref name="p291016104" />}} three on the first floor, two on the second floor, and one above the garage.<ref name="Weil p. 14" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 215" /> The Nookers lived in the former studio.<ref name="Schrenk p. 215" /> In 1956, Wright designed a bathroom, dressing room, and kitchen for the Nookers, and he restored the studio's library and office.<ref name="Kalec p. 4" /><ref name="Weil p. 14" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 215" />

The Nooker family opened the house to the public for occasional tours in either 1965<ref name="Schrenk p. 215" /> or 1966.<ref name="Schrenk p. 215" /><ref name="n165080126">{{Cite news |last=Nagelberg |first=Alvin |date=October 5, 1972 |title=Wright Landmark for Sale |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-wright-landmark-for-sale/165080126/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=74}}</ref> To allow visitors to see the drafting room and the original house, the Nookers relocated to the apartment at the rear of the first floor.<ref name="Schrenk p. 215" /> The tours included the second dining room from 1895 and the second-floor bedrooms.<ref name="Weil p. 48">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=48}}</ref> Because of the various modifications over the years, the tours were conducted in two parts, and relatively few of the original decorations remained.<ref name="Schrenk p. 215" /> The ''Chicago Tribune'' wrote that Charlotte Nooker often gave tours while wearing a replica of one of Wright's capes.<ref name="p283634659" /> The ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' described the building as "a run-down rooming house where worshipful architects would appear at the doorstep, on pilgrimage".<ref name="p249979205">{{Cite news |last=Miller |first=Sarah Bryan |date=April 4, 2010 |title=Genius – and ego – of an architect Frank Lloyd Wright's designs are on display at his former home and studio. |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |page=T.1 |id={{ProQuest|249979205}}}}</ref>

By the early 1970s, fourteen of the house's 25 rooms were open to the public five days a week between April and December.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=James |date=October 8, 1971 |title=Museums you might not know |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-museums-you-might-not-kn/165099840/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=69}}</ref> The two second-floor apartments were occupied by multiple women who shared a bathroom, a kitchen (within the master bedroom), and a dining room (within the playroom).<ref name="Schrenk p. 216">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=216}}</ref> Charlotte placed the house for sale in 1972 when her husband died.<ref name="n165080126" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 216" /> The director of Oak Park's Landmarks Commission said the Nooker family had declined an offer from local residents to purchase the house.<ref name="n165080126" /> Local residents formed the Committee for the Purchase of the Frank Lloyd Wright House and Studio in late 1973.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gross |first=Bonnie |date=October 28, 1973 |title=Villagers negotiate for Wright complex |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-villagers-negotiate-for-wri/165146879/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=3}}</ref> Dawn Goshorn, who later became president of the Wright Home and Studio Foundation, led efforts to acquire the building.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19750402" /><ref name="n165160214">{{Cite news |date=November 16, 1975 |title=Suzy Says |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-suzy-says/165160214/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=Daily News |pages=12 |issn=2692-1251}}</ref> Goshorn asked several local banks for loans; they agreed to provide up to $150,000 to buy the building,<ref name="Oak Leaves 19750402" /> although Charlotte wanted $400,000.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19750402">{{cite web |last=Vrba |first=Harriet |date=April 2, 1975 |title=Dawn sheds light on studio finance |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1975&bdd=1970&d=01011975-12311975&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19750402_english_17&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=17}}</ref><ref name="Sikora b646">{{cite web |last=Sikora |first=Lacey |date=July 22, 2024 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Trust celebrates 50 Years of community |url=https://www.oakpark.com/2024/07/22/frank-lloyd-wright-trust-celebrates-50-years-of-community/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |website=Wednesday Journal}}</ref> Charlotte eventually reduced her asking price to $168,000.<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=17}}</ref>

== Museum use ==

=== 1970s sales ===
[[File:Frank Lloyd Wright - Oak Park, IL - Home and Studio (3).jpg|thumb|Exterior of the studio's library as seen from Forest Avenue|alt=Exterior of the library as seen from Forest Avenue. The library is a small octagonal brick structure with windows at its top.]]
The Oak Park Development Corporation bought the house and studio in July 1974;<ref name="Oak Leaves 19760602" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 216" /> it was the first project the corporation had ever undertaken.<ref name="n165393874">{{Cite news |last=Little |first=Anne |date=February 26, 1986 |title=Development Corp. built confidence |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-development-corp-built/165393874/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=8.6, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-development-corp-built/165393941/ 8.32], [https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-development-corp-built/165394034/ 8.34]}}</ref> The purchase price was financed by a loan from Avenue State Bank,<ref name="McDonald p. 2" /> which provided $168,000.<ref name="p171123080" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=July 21, 1974 |title=Praiseworthy |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-praiseworthy/165152539/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=57 |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |date=July 17, 1974 |title=A heritage of greatness is secured |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1974&bdd=1970&d=01011974-12311974&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19740717_english_5&df=1&dt=10h_25&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=5}}</ref>{{Efn|A 1986 ''Chicago Tribune'' article gives a conflicting figure of $165,000.<ref name="n165393874" />}} The corporation handed over operations to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation,<ref name="p171123080" /><ref name="Oak Leaves 19740911">{{cite web |date=September 11, 1974 |title=Wright home is a popular spot |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1974&bdd=1970&d=01011974-12311974&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19740911_english_25&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=25 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=September 8, 1974 |title=Actress Ann Baxter makes Wright foundation donation |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-actress-ann-baxter-makes-wr/165094623/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=5}}</ref> which had been organized that June to care for the building.<ref name="Weil p. 18">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=18}}</ref><ref name="Sikora b646" /> The home and studio opened as a museum on July 17, 1974,<ref name="Schrenk p. 216" /><ref name="Weil p. 21">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=21}}</ref> charging an admission fee to raise funds for preservation.<ref name="p171123080" /><ref name="Weil p. 21" /> Shortly afterward, Frank's eldest son Lloyd revisited the building, saying that "it's a miracle" that the house section's decorations remained largely intact.<ref name="p171107221">{{cite news |last=Gapp |first=Paul |date=July 18, 1974 |title=Wright's son returns to home his father built |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=3 |id={{ProQuest|171107221}}}}</ref> Lloyd regarded the building's sale as part of a "stupid" trend of selling off land for profit, though he expressed optimism about the complex's preservation.<ref name="p171107221" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gross |first=Bonnie |date=July 21, 1974 |title=Lloyd Wright takes sentimental journey to childhood home |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-lloyd-wright-takes-sentimen/165092790/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=56}}</ref> The trust hired dozens of "interpreters" or tour guides; within seven weeks, they had given tours to 1,600 visitors.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19740911" />

The Home and Studio Foundation requested a special permit from the village to host events,<ref name="Oak Leaves 19741127">{{cite web |last=Pennington |first=Nancy |date=November 27, 1974 |title=Plan group recommends permit |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1974&bdd=1970&d=01011974-12311974&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19741127_english_8&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 17, 1974 |title=Wright home: Look at mysterious man |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-wright-home-look-at-myster/165154248/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=3}}</ref> though local residents worried that this would increase noise pollution and congestion.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19741127" /><ref>{{Cite news |date=November 24, 1974 |title=Draw open permit for FLW foundation |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-draw-open-permit-for-flw-fo/165154817/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=1}}</ref> The village's planning commission recommended that December that the special permit be granted.<ref>{{cite web |last=Licata |first=Judy |date=December 18, 1974 |title=Wright permit gets first okay |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1974&bdd=1970&d=01011974-12311974&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19741218_english_5&df=11&dt=20 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=5}}</ref> The foundation also asked the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]] to buy the building and [[Leaseback|lease it back]] for a [[nominal fee]].<ref name="Oak Leaves 19741127" /> By early 1975, the National Trust had agreed to buy the building and provide a $106,500 [[matching grant]] if the foundation raised an equivalent amount before June 30.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19750402" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Gapp |first=Paul |date=April 20, 1975 |title=U. S. foundation to buy Wright home |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=41 |id={{ProQuest|171204893}}}}</ref> Although the trust usually distributed small grants, it made an exemption for the museum because of the urgency involved.<ref name="p134068079">{{cite news |last=Klein |first=Frederick C. |date=November 11, 1976 |title=How Oak Park Staved Off Blight |work=The Wall Street Journal |page=20 |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|134068079}}}}</ref> The village approved a special permit that February, under the condition that the foundation buy the house back if the trust were to dissolve.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brown |first=Sharon |date=February 5, 1975 |title=Wright home unit finally makes it |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=permit&i=f&by=1975&bdd=1970&d=01011975-12311975&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19750205_english_13&df=1&dt=4 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=5 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=February 5, 1975 |title=Wright museum wins liberal permit—finally |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-wright-museum-wins-liberal/165161240/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=81}}</ref> The Home and Studio Foundation also requested $15,000 in federal [[Community Development Block Grant|community development funds]] for the building's purchase,<ref>{{cite web |last=Pennington |first=Nancy |date=January 29, 1975 |title=Hearing on grant uses is scheduled |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1975&bdd=1970&d=01011975-12311975&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19750129_english_5&df=11&dt=20 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=5 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=December 15, 1974 |title=Development fund choices narrowed |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-development-fund-choices-na/165154443/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=3}}</ref> The [[United States Department of Housing and Urban Development]] provided $22,500 in community development funds,<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 8, 1975 |title=Village finally wins HUD grant |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-village-finally-wins-hud-gr/165161979/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=1}}</ref> including money diverted from other projects.<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 1, 1975 |title=Wright home may get more HUD money |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-wright-home-may-get-more-hu/165162061/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=72}}</ref> With this money, the foundation was able to hire an executive director<!-- Paula Nelson -->.<ref name="n165178046">{{Cite news |last=Giametta |first=Charles |date=March 3, 1976 |title=Frank L. Wright Home, Studio work underway |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-frank-l-wright-home-studi/165178046/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=3}}</ref>

The Home and Studio Foundation raised funds from a variety of sources, from formal fundraising benefits to small-dollar donations.<ref name="Weil p. 20">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=20}}</ref> Funds came from individual donations, organizations, and various governments;<ref name="n165152455" /> the vast majority of the funds came from local residents.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19750514">{{cite web |last=Vrba |first=Harriet |date=May 14, 1975 |title=Wright fund drive in home stretch |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1975&bdd=1970&d=01011975-12311975&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19750514_english_6&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=6}}</ref> The donors included the actress [[Anne Baxter]], one of Wright's grandchildren.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19740911" /><ref name="Oak Leaves 19750514" /> To raise additional money,<ref name="p172590369" /> the foundation opened the Ginkgo Tree Shop in December 1974<ref>{{cite web |last=Braucher |first=Nancy |date=November 10, 1976 |title=Ginkgo shop has the Wright spirit |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1976&bdd=1970&d=01011976-12311976&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19761110_english_61&df=11&dt=20 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=60}}</ref> or 1975.<ref name="Weil pp. 22–23">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=22–23}}</ref> After sufficient funding had been raised,<ref name="Weil p. 20" /> the National Trust finalized its acquisition in mid-1975.<ref name="p120295077a">{{cite news |date=August 19, 1975 |title=Briefs on the Arts: Jewish Museum Adds a Display Warner Bros. Gift To Burbank Library National Trust Buys Wright Home |work=The New York Times |pages=41 |issn=0362-4331 |id={{ProQuest|120295077}} |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=September 21, 1975 |title=Trust Purchases Wright's Home |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/green-bay-press-gazette-trust-purchases/165152688/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=Green Bay Press-Gazette |pages=64}}</ref><ref name="n165152455">{{Cite news |date=July 15, 1974 |title=Civic Group Buys Frank Lloyd Wright's Home for Restoration |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/freeport-journal-standard-civic-group-bu/165152455/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=Freeport Journal-Standard |pages=2 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> The price was variously cited as $168,000<ref name="n165152455" /> or $190,000.<ref name="n165160214" /><ref name="p120295077a" /> The Home and Studio Foundation leased the building for 40 years at $10 annually,<ref name="n165148317">{{Cite news |date=August 31, 1975 |title=Architect's Home to Be Restored |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star-architects-home-to/165148317/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=The Kansas City Star |pages=105}}</ref><ref name="p120295077a" /> and a local teacher was hired as a live-in caretaker.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jordan |first=Betty |date=November 5, 1975 |title=Jan Novak; Her expertise is in Wright direction |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1975&bdd=1970&d=01011975-12311975&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19751105_english_24&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=24}}</ref> By then, there were plans to raise $500,000 for renovation,<ref name="n165160214" /><ref name="p120295077a" />

=== Renovation ===

==== Initial work and house renovation ====
The building had deteriorated extensively over the years, both because of a lack of maintenance and because it had been completed hastily; for instance, the library was  tilting to one side.<ref name="Schrenk p. 216" /> As such, the National Trust began emergency repairs,<ref name="Schrenk p. 216" /><ref name="p511855922">{{cite news |last=Marlin |first=William |date=November 14, 1975 |title=Oak Park renews ties to Frank Lloyd Wright: Simple, close-knit Template for development Emergency repairs |work=The Christian Science Monitor |page=32 |issn=0882-7729 |id={{ProQuest|511855922}}}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 31">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=31}}</ref> including fixes to the windows, walls, chimneys, and roof.<ref name="Weil p. 47">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=47}}</ref> The project began on February 28, 1976, when the wall in front of the studio's main entrance was demolished.<ref name="n165178046" /> At the time, there were plans to have the [[National Park Service]] take over the building,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brune |first=Tom |date=January 18, 1976 |title=Nine more scramble for federal bucks |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-nine-more-scramble-for-fede/165177270/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=1}}</ref> and the cost of the renovation had increased to $1 million.<ref name="p171425592">{{cite news |date=October 17, 1976 |title=Kin seek cash to restore Wright home |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=44 |id={{ProQuest|171425592}}}}</ref><ref name="n165166666">{{Cite news |last=Marlin |first=William |date=November 25, 1976 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's complex—architects' mecca |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/fort-collins-coloradoan-frank-lloyd-wrig/165166666/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=Fort Collins Coloradoan |pages=47}}</ref> The federal government had provided a $10,000 grant,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gapp |first=Paul |date=April 17, 1975 |title=U.S. to help restore 6 Oak Park landmark houses |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-us-to-help-restore-6-o/165152177/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=166}}</ref> and the Oak Park village government provided another $20,000.<ref name="p171425592" /> To raise further money, the foundation hosted tours of several Wright–designed houses in Oak Park.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gapp |first=Paul |date=March 20, 1975 |title=Wright tour offers feast for eyes |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-wright-tour-offers-feast/165150068/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=171 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=October 5, 1975 |title=Last bicycle tour set |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-last-bicycle-tour-set/165152786/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=7}}</ref> Ultimately, the foundation raised $250,000 between 1974 and 1980, all of which was spent on urgent repairs.<ref name="p172590369" /><ref name="Oak Leaves 19811007">{{cite web |date=October 7, 1981 |title=Restoration of Wright Home sparks drive |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=restoration%20home%20studio&i=f&d=01011980-12311981&e=lloyd%20wright&m=between&ord=e1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19811007_english_21&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=21}}</ref>

Ten to fifteen volunteers formed the building's primary restoration team,<ref name="p172590369" /> out of more than 300 people who volunteered for the Home and Studio Foundation annually.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ryan |first=Jeanette Mines |date=December 23, 1983 |title=Wright Foundation looking for a few good volunteers |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-wright-foundation-lookin/165308278/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=WC_B6 |id={{ProQuest|170538996}}}}</ref> The restoration team was variously nicknamed the "Hole in the Wall Gang", because they had destroyed the wall between the home and studio, and the "Saturday Morning Strippers", because they removed old paint from the walls.<ref name="n165484096">{{Cite news |last=Venteicher |first=Wes |date=August 3, 2014 |title=Marking 40 years of tours at Illinois home |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-plain-dealer-marking-40-years-of-tou/165484096/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=The Plain Dealer |pages=75}}</ref> The restorers sought to replicate the original design precisely.<ref name="Weil p. 32">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=32}}</ref><ref name="n165392688" /> This was complicated by the fact that no blueprints of the entire complex existed.<ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /><ref name="Weil p. 31" /> There had been many unrecorded alterations over the years,<ref name="Weil p. 31" /> and certain aspects of the original design, such as the paint colors, had to be analyzed several times.<ref>{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|pages=218–219}}</ref> The Home and Studio Foundation conducted archeological studies of the original architectural details,<ref name="p169524417">{{cite news |last=Gapp |first=Paul |date=April 21, 1977 |title=Turning a home into its old self the Wright way |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=A1 |id={{ProQuest|169524417}}}}</ref> and it also commissioned studies of the building's history.<ref name="Schrenk p. 216" /><ref name="p511855922" /> The foundation obtained documents about the building and interviewed several of the Wrights' surviving children,<ref name="Schrenk p. 216" /><ref name="p169524417" /> who often disagreed over the historical details.<ref name="p172590369" /> Wright's descendants also helped with fundraising efforts.<ref name="Weil pp. 22–23" /> The museum remained open during the restoration,<ref name="Weil p. 32" /><ref name="nyt-1978-07-27">{{Cite news |last=Goldberger |first=Paul |date=July 27, 1978 |title=A Wright Revival |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/27/archives/a-wright-revival-wright-revival-a-labor-of-love-by-homeowners.html |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> accommodating 7,500 annual visitors by the late 1970s.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19780503">{{cite web |date=May 3, 1978 |title=Warm weather sprouts new season of tours |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1978&bdd=1970&d=01011978-12311978&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19780503_english_58&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |pages=58, [https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1978&bdd=1970&d=01011978-12311978&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19780503_english_59&df=1&dt=10 59]}}</ref>

In late 1977, the foundation presented four options for the building's restoration, which ranged from retaining the existing appearance to restoring a design from a certain year.<ref name="Weil pp. 44–45">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=44–45}}</ref><ref name="n165295976">{{Cite news |last=Gapp |first=Paul |date=March 4, 1979 |title=Wright restoration rolls along |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-wright-restoration-rolls/165295976/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=188}}</ref> Ultimately, the foundation decided to restore the house to its 1909 appearance.<ref name="p172590369" /><ref name="Weil pp. 44–45" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 218">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=218}}</ref> Lloyd coordinated with the Home and Studio Foundation until his death in 1978, and Lloyd's brother David was also active in the restoration process.<ref name="Schrenk p. 218" /><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=37}}</ref> The first phase of renovations cost $38,000 and included repairs to the roof, windows, walls, and decorative trim.<ref name="n165166666" /> The first room to be completed was the dining room, which was finished in 1977<ref name="Weil p. 32" /><ref name="Weil p. 47" /> with a budget of $30,000.<ref name="n165166666" /> During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Home and Studio Foundation also made changes to the windows, woodwork, veranda walls, and lighting, and it updated the playroom, the dayroom, and the living room's [[inglenook]].<ref name="Weil p. 47" /> It also obtained some of the original furniture.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19800507" /> A local bank donated funds to refurbish a mural in the house in 1979,<ref name="Oak Leaves 19790124">{{cite web |date=January 24, 1979 |title=Bank contributes funds to restore Giannini mural |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1979&bdd=1970&d=01011979-12311979&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19790124_english_28&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=28}}</ref> and the Ginkgo Tree Shop relocated to the garage that year.<ref name="Weil pp. 22–23" /><ref name="Oak Leaves 19790613">{{cite web |date=June 13, 1979 |title=Wright bookstore moves to new home |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1979&bdd=1970&d=01011979-12311979&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19790613_english_29&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=29}}</ref>

==== Studio renovation ====
[[File:Frank Lloyd Wright Studio ceiling DSCN9799.jpg|thumb|The drafting room ceiling, which was restored in the 1980s|alt=The drafting room ceiling, which was restored in the 1980s. The ceiling has wooden beams and is octagonal in shape.]]
From 1980 to 1981, another $180,000 was raised for the building's renovation,<ref name="Oak Leaves 19811007" /> including some funds from auctions.<ref>{{cite news |last=Carroll |first=Margaret |date=March 17, 1980 |title=An on you... bidding right to benefit the Frank Lloyd Wright Home/Studio Foundation |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-an-on-you-bidding-rig/165302719/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=B4 |id={{ProQuest|170161157}}}}</ref> The Home and Studio Foundation announced in October 1981 that it would raise $1 million for further renovations;<ref name="Oak Leaves 19811007" /><ref name="p172449328">{{cite news |last=Ziemba |first=Stanley |date=October 10, 1981 |title=Needs $1 million: Wright home restoration |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-needs-1-million-wright/165302645/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=S5 |id={{ProQuest|172449328}}}}</ref> at the time, the foundation had already raised more than $300,000.<ref name="p172449328" /> The studio's renovation began in September 1982,<ref name="n165305024">{{Cite news |last=Daniels |first=Mary |date=October 24, 1982 |title=Wright group welcomes challenge of federal aid |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-wright-group-welcomes-ch/165305024/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=60}}</ref> at which point that work was budgeted at $650,000.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dold |first=R. Bruce |date=October 1, 1982 |title=Vintage home to have a fresh look |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-vintage-home-to-have-a-f/165305581/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=10}}</ref> Unlike the home, the studio had to be fully reconstructed.<ref name="p291016104">{{cite news |last=Swanson |first=Stevenson |date=May 12, 1987 |title=It's 1909 once more in restored home of Frank Lloyd Wright |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-its-1909-again-at-wrigh/165394857/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=4 |id={{ProQuest|291016104}}}}</ref> Initial work on the studio included repairs to the structural foundation, floors, and walls.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19821027">{{cite web |last=Ferenc |first=Jeff |date=October 27, 1982 |title=Wright home is grant recipient |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=studio&i=f&by=1982&bdd=1980&d=10011982-10311982&e=lloyd%20wright&m=between&ord=e1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19821027_english_12&df=1&dt=7 |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=12}}</ref><ref name="n165316758">{{Cite news |last=Daniels |first=Mary |date=March 18, 1984 |title=Grant aids restoration of Wright studio |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-grant-aids-restoration-o/165316758/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=70}}</ref> The Home and Studio Foundation received a $100,000 [[challenge grant]] from the [[National Endowment for the Arts]] the next month, which required the foundation to raise another $400,000 by January 1985.<ref name="n165305024" /><ref name="Oak Leaves 19821027" />

The village of Oak Park bought the adjacent residence of Wright's mother in 1983 and agreed to renovate it.<ref name="Weil p. 25" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Gibson |first=Ray |date=January 21, 1983 |title=Wright's mom's home in line for renovation |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-wrights-moms-home-in-l/165305825/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=WC1 |id={{ProQuest|175749599}}}}</ref> At that point, the Home and Studio Foundation had raised about $1.1 million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Kay |first=Jane Holtz |date=January 7, 1983 |title=The isolation of Frank Lloyd Wright's 'complete works of art' |work=The Christian Science Monitor |page=15 |issn=0882-7729 |id={{ProQuest|1037992378}}}}</ref> The foundation relocated to Wright's mother's house in 1985.<ref name="Weil p. 25" /> As part of the studio's restoration, workers built a full basement,<ref name="Weil p. 101">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=101}}</ref><ref name="p291016104" /> hiring an outside firm to shore up the building.<ref name="n165484096" /> The facade was restored to its 1911 appearance.<ref name="Schrenk pp. 219–220">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|pages=219–220}}</ref> The rooms above the office and drafting room were removed, and the office and the drafting room's balcony and storage areas were rebuilt.<ref name="Schrenk pp. 219–220" /><ref name="Weil pp. 122–123" /> In addition, workers restored the  library.<ref name="Schrenk pp. 219–220" /><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=115}}</ref> Workers discovered pieces of the original design and furnishings that had remained in the house over the years.<ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /><ref name="n165469283">{{Cite news |last=Stanmar |first=Greg |date=July 7, 2002 |title=The Wright house; Prowess shines in Oak Park |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pantagraph-the-wright-house-prowess/165469283/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=The Pantagraph |pages=G1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-pantagraph-the-wright-house-prowess/165469379/ G2]}}</ref> The foundation received a grant from [[Steelcase]] in early 1984, which covered much of the remaining restoration cost.<ref name="n165316758" />

The building recorded 35,000<ref>{{cite web |date=December 11, 1985 |title=Home and studio seeking volunteers for many jobs |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=home%20studio&i=f&by=1985&bdd=1980&d=01011985-12311985&e=lloyd%20wright&m=between&ord=e1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19851211_english_31&df=11&dt=20 |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=31}}</ref> to 40,000 annual visitors by the mid-1980s.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19860423">{{cite web |last=Cooper |first=Charlotte |date=April 23, 1986 |title=Oak Park remembers glory days |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=home%20studio&i=f&by=1986&bdd=1980&d=01011986-12311986&e=lloyd%20wright&m=between&ord=e1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19860423_english_8&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=8}}</ref><ref name="n165393874" /> ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' wrote that the increasing visitation "is another example of a steadily growing interest" in Wright's work.<ref name="p386326198">{{Cite news |last=Conlon |first=Michael |date=May 30, 1985 |title=Architect's house a shrine to design |work=The Globe and Mail |page=BL.8 |id={{ProQuest|386326198}}}}</ref> Workers restored the house's murals in 1986,<ref name="n165391966">{{Cite news |last=Phillips |first=Richard |date=May 11, 1986 |title=Resurrecting Mural Takes Faith—and Major Surgery |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-resurrecting-mural-takes/165391966/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=15.1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-resurrecting-mural-takes/165392262/ 15.4]}}</ref> and [[American Express]] financed the restoration of two sculptures above the studio's entrance.<ref>{{cite web |date=April 16, 1986 |title=Boulders in Wright spot |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=home%20studio&i=f&by=1986&bdd=1980&d=01011986-12311986&e=lloyd%20wright&m=between&ord=e1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19860416_english_10&df=11&dt=20 |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=10}}</ref> By the middle of that year, the project was finished except for furnishings.<ref name="nyt-1986-06-08" /><ref name="n165392688">{{Cite news|last=Klibanoff|first=Hank|date=August 17, 1986|title=Fighting for what's Wright near Chicago|via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-fighting-for-whats-wri/165392688/|access-date=February 13, 2025|work=The Miami Herald|pages=135}}</ref> The Home and Studio Foundation borrowed Wright–designed objects from other buildings due to the high cost of these objects.<ref name="p172590369" />

=== Late 1980s to 2000s ===
The museum was officially rededicated in May 1987 after all remaining work was finished.<ref name="p291016104" /><ref name="n165400820">{{Cite news |date=May 9, 1987 |title=Renovated Wright House Shows Master's Early Work |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sheboygan-press-renovated-wright-hou/165400820/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=The Sheboygan Press |pages=14 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> The studio's renovation alone had cost $1.25 million,<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=98}}</ref> and the overall project had cost about $2 million.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19860423" /><ref name="n165400321">{{Cite news |date=May 6, 1987 |title=Works of Frank Lloyd Wright Enjoying Renewed Popularity |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-tyler-courier-times-works-of-frank-l/165400321/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=The Tyler Courier-Times |pages=16 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>{{Efn|''Forest Leaves'' and the [[Associated Press]] give a figure of precisely $2 million.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19860423" /><ref name="n165400321" /> Several other sources give varying estimates of $1.8 million,<ref name="n165392688" /> $2.1 million,<ref name="n165396088" /> or $2.2 million.<ref name="p282438039" />}} The museum had 67,000 annual visitors by the 1980s,<ref name="n165406487">{{Cite news |last=Werne |first=Jo |date=December 18, 1988 |title=Little house is Wright's signature on new look |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-miami-herald-little-house-is-wright/165406487/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=The Miami Herald |pages=134}}</ref> and gift-shop revenue increased as well.<ref name="n165409872">{{Cite news |last=Herko |first=Carl |date=August 2, 1992 |title=Seeing Wright as others do |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-seeing-wright-as-others/165409872/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=The Buffalo News |pages=E1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news-wright/165409833/ E2]}}</ref> The increased visitation caused its own problems: Two faucets and a brick were stolen soon after the renovation was finished.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Campbell |first=Robert |date=September 20, 1988 |title=The Latest on the Wright Legacy |work=Boston Globe |page=34 |id={{ProQuest|294471557}}}}</ref> Additionally, David Wright had insisted that the house's original staircase had been much narrower than what had been built during the renovation.<ref name="Schrenk p. 218" /><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=55}}</ref> As such, workers rebuilt the staircase again in 1991 with funds from David and his wife Gladys.<ref name="Schrenk p. 218" /> The same year, the Home and Studio Foundation landscaped the garden for $5,000, adding plants that had existed when Wright lived there.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bach |first=Erwin E. |date=July 31, 1991 |title=Uncovering Wright's garden design |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=studio%20home&i=f&by=1991&bdd=1990&d=01011991-12311991&e=lloyd%20wright&m=between&ord=e1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19910731_english_79&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=83}}</ref> To pay for maintenance and promotion, the Home and Studio Foundation continued to host tours and sell merchandise.<ref name="p1012370158">{{Cite news |last=Cerabona |first=Ron |date=January 22, 2000 |title=Restoring Genius |work=The Canberra Times |page=14 |id={{ProQuest|1012370158}}}}</ref>

The museum accommodated at least 74,000 annual visitors by the 1990s.<ref name="n165409872" /><ref name="p291125840">{{cite news |last=Singer |first=Stacey |date=May 6, 1996 |title=For Oak Park Homeowners, Wright Tours Take Wrong Turn |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=1 |id={{ProQuest|291125840}}}}</ref>{{Efn|Sources from 1996 give differing figures of 74,<ref name="p291125840" /> 75,<ref name="p1441146268" /> or 77 thousand visitors.<ref name="p2044297634" />}} Local residents were increasingly frustrated with the popularity of the museum and its walking tours, claiming that tourists invaded their privacy,<ref name="p2044297634">{{cite news |last=Pasternak |first=Judy |date=September 12, 1996 |title=Town's Wright turn angers homeowners: A neighborhood of architectural landmarks attracts thousands of tourists each year. Some residents have yanked the welcome mat |work=Los Angeles Times |page=A5 |issn=0458-3035 |id={{ProQuest|2044297634}}}}</ref><ref name="p1441146268">{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Sarah Bryan |date=July 31, 1996 |title=Wright House, Wrong Place |work=The Wall Street Journal |page=A13 |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|1441146268}}}}</ref> though museum officials tried to limit the sizes of their tours.<ref name="p291125840" /> In addition, residents of Forest Avenue claimed that the increase in tourism was making it harder for them to sell their houses.<ref name="p1441146268" /> By 2000, the museum's annual visitation had increased to 115,000.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mannion |first=Annemarie |date=September 27, 2000 |title=Prairie home companion |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-prairie-home-companiona/164948098/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=135}}</ref> The Home and Studio Foundation, which became the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust that year,<ref name="Oak Leaves 20000301a">{{cite web |date=March 1, 2000 |title=Community Briefs |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=studio%20home&i=f&by=2000&bdd=2000&d=01012000-12312000&e=lloyd%20wright&m=between&ord=e1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_river_forest_20000301_english_71&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=71 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Kamin |first=Blair |date=November 15, 2006 |title=Mather rehab wins preservation award |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-mather-rehab-wins-preser/165301632/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=5.8}}</ref> sold engraved bricks to finance the renovations of the Robie House and Wright's Oak Park compound.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 16, 2003 |title=Brick purchases to strengthen Wright's Robie House |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/northwest-herald-brick-purchases-to-stre/164076560/ |access-date=January 27, 2025 |work=Northwest Herald |pages=29}}</ref> In 2007, the museum's Ginkgo Tree Bookshop became the Home and Studio Museum Shop.<ref name="Kamin q588">{{cite web |last=Kamin |first=Blair |date=July 26, 2009 |title=Architecture bookstore has Wright stuff, but may close |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2009/07/26/architecture-bookstore-has-wright-stuff-but-may-close/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref>

=== 2010s to present ===
[[File:Frank Lloyd Wright - Oak Park, IL - Home and Studio (2).jpg|thumb|Exterior of the house as seen from Forest Avenue|alt=Exterior of the house as seen from Forest Avenue. There is a brick wall in front of the first story, where the entrance is located. The second story is within a triangular gable and has large windows.]]
After Celeste Adams became the Wright Trust's president in 2010, she began making plans to repaint the home and studio, and the trust also devised plans for the building's maintenance.<ref>{{cite web |last=Stempniak |first=Marty |date=October 5, 2010 |title=New director shakes up Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park |url=https://www.oakpark.com/2010/10/05/new-director-shakes-up-frank-lloyd-wright-home-and-studio-in-oak-park/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Wednesday Journal}}</ref> The trust began raising funds to buy the home and studio the following July,<ref name="p1012490273">{{cite news |date=May 11, 2012 |title=Wright preservation trust begins new fundraising effort |work=Daily Herald |page=3 |id={{ProQuest|1012490273}}}}</ref> and it obtained the building in May 2012 after paying off its lease.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |date=May 8, 2012 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Group Now Fully Owns Oak Park Studio |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/frank-lloyd-wright-group-now-fully-owns-oak-park-studio/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |website=CBS Chicago |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Lothson |first=Anna |date=May 7, 2012 |title=Oak Park group secures ownership of Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio |url=https://www.oakpark.com/2012/05/07/oak-park-group-secures-ownership-of-frank-lloyd-wright-home-studio/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |website=Wednesday Journal}}</ref><ref name="p1011389743">{{cite news |last=Mannion |first=Annemarie |date=May 10, 2012 |title=Wright preservation group celebrates ownership |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-wright-house-mortgage-pa/165481891/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=0.3}}</ref> Afterward, it continued to raise funds for the building's maintenance.<ref name="p1012490273" /><ref name="p1011389743" /> After one of the windows was damaged in a storm in 2013, the trust repaired that window.<ref>{{cite news |last=Venteicher |first=Wes |date=September 12, 2013 |title=Window repair planned at Wright home and studio |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=10 |id={{ProQuest|1431595962}}}}</ref> Additionally, due to narrow stairs, the restored balcony in the studio's drafting room was originally closed to the public.<ref name="Rodkin d200">{{cite web |last=Rodkin |first=Dennis |date=January 8, 2014 |title=Coming Soon: A Part of Frank Lloyd Wright's Studio That You've Never Seen on any Tour |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/real-estate/january-2014/theyre-opening-a-part-of-frank-lloyd-wrights-house-that-youve-never-seen/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Chicago Magazine}}</ref> The Wright Trust opened the balcony in 2014,<ref name="Inklebarger b437" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Bentley |first=Chris |date=January 3, 2014 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright to open balcony for home studio tours |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2014/01/frank-lloyd-wright-to-open-balcony-for-home-studio-tours/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=The Architect's Newspaper |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Kamin |first=Blair |date=January 3, 2014 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright home to open balcony in March for tours |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2014/01/03/frank-lloyd-wright-home-to-open-balcony-in-march-for-tours-2/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref> although only the first and last tour groups of the day were allowed onto the balcony.<ref name="Rodkin d200" /> The museum had 92,000 annual visitors by the mid-2010s.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kamin |first=Blair |date=January 11, 2015 |title=Beyond Oak Park, exemplary homes abound |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-beyond-oak-park-exempla/165484873/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=1.10}}</ref>

The Wright Trust purchased a neighboring house at 925 Chicago Avenue in December 2017 for $340,000.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Goldsborough |first=Bob |date=January 14, 2018 |title=Finkl steel heir gives house in Evanston to IIT |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-finkl-steel-heir-gives/165489574/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=7–8}}</ref> Although Wright had not had any connection to the house, the trust wished to use it for future investment.<ref name="Goldsborough z200">{{cite web |last=Goldsborough |first=Bob |date=May 9, 2022 |title=House next to Frank Lloyd Wright home in Oak Park to get renovations after complaints of neglect |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2022/05/09/house-next-to-frank-lloyd-wright-home-in-oak-park-to-get-renovations-after-complaints-of-neglect/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref> In June 2019, the trust proposed demolishing 925 Chicago Avenue and modifying 931 Chicago Avenue<ref name="Kamin r459" /> to accommodate a visitor center.<ref name="Sitz y602">{{cite web |last=Sitz |first=Miriam |date=June 17, 2019 |title=John Ronan Designs Visitor and Education Center for Frank Lloyd Wright Trust |url=https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/14137-john-ronan-designs-visitor-and-education-center-for-frank-lloyd-wright-trust |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Architectural Record |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Gibson |first=Eleanor |date=June 20, 2019 |title=Visitor centre revealed for Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park Home and Studio |url=https://www.dezeen.com/2019/06/20/frank-lloyd-wright-oak-park-home-and-studio-visitor-centre-john-ronan-architects-chicago/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Dezeen |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Messman |first=Lauren |date=June 18, 2019 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Trust Plans Visitor Center at His Home and Studio |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/18/arts/design/frank-lloyd-wright-home-chicago.html |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[John Ronan]] was hired to design the one-story visitor center, which would have included a store, an information center, a reception hall, and a plaza connecting it to the  main home.<ref name="Kamin r459">{{cite web |last=Kamin |first=Blair |date=June 17, 2019 |title=A new visitor center is planned for Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park Home and Studio |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2019/06/17/a-new-visitor-center-is-planned-for-frank-lloyd-wrights-oak-park-home-and-studio/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref><ref name="Sitz y602" /> The visitor center would have covered {{Convert|8000|to|9000|ft2}} and accommodated 90,000 annual visitors.<ref name="Schering q678">{{cite web |last=Schering |first=Steve |date=August 29, 2019 |title=Oak Park historic commission rejects proposal for new Frank Lloyd Wright visitor center |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2019/08/29/oak-park-historic-commission-rejects-proposal-for-new-frank-lloyd-wright-visitor-center/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref> Ronan's proposal had beaten out designs from four other firms.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gibson |first=Eleanor |date=June 20, 2019 |title=Visitor centre revealed for Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park Home and Studio |url=https://www.dezeen.com/2019/06/20/frank-lloyd-wright-oak-park-home-and-studio-visitor-centre-john-ronan-architects-chicago/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Dezeen |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Koziarz |first=Jay |date=June 17, 2019 |title=New visitor center for Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio revealed |url=https://chicago.curbed.com/2019/6/17/18682203/frank-lloyd-wright-home-studio-oak-park-visitor-center |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Curbed Chicago}}</ref><ref name="Kamin u922">{{cite web |last=Kamin |first=Blair |date=July 16, 2019 |title=Column: Backers of planned Frank Lloyd Wright visitor center in Oak Park face tough choices after proposal gets cold shoulder |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2019/07/16/column-backers-of-planned-frank-lloyd-wright-visitor-center-in-oak-park-face-tough-choices-after-proposal-gets-cold-shoulder/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref> The Historic Preservation Commission of Oak Park rejected Ronan's plans in August 2019<ref name="Schering q678" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Franklin |first=Sydney |date=September 12, 2019 |title=Oak Park's historic preservation commission rejects proposal for Frank Lloyd Wright visitor center |url=https://www.archpaper.com/2019/09/oak-park-historic-preservation-commission-rejects-frank-lloyd-wright-center/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=The Architect's Newspaper |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Inklebarger |first=Timothy |date=September 3, 2019 |title=Preservation commission rejects Wright plan |url=https://www.oakpark.com/2019/09/03/preservation-commission-rejects-wright-plan/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Wednesday Journal}}</ref> after several commissioners opposed the plans.<ref name="Kamin u922" /> The Wright Trust then announced that it would not proceed with Ronan's design.<ref>{{cite web |last=Inklebarger |first=Timothy |date=September 6, 2019 |title=Wright Trust abandons teardown plans for visitor center |url=https://www.oakpark.com/2019/09/06/wright-trust-abandons-teardown-plans-for-visitor-center/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Wednesday Journal |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Schering |first=Steve |date=September 5, 2019 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Trust to 'reconsider' visitor center plan after historic commission rejects it |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2019/09/05/frank-lloyd-wright-trust-to-reconsider-visitor-center-plan-after-historic-commission-rejects-it/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref>

Tours of the home and studio were suspended in March 2020 due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois]].<ref name="Schering f862">{{cite web |last=Schering |first=Steve |date=June 16, 2020 |title=Tours resume at Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, Robie House |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2020/06/16/tours-resume-at-frank-lloyd-wright-home-and-studio-robie-house/ |access-date=January 21, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref> The building reopened that June.<ref name="Schering f862" /><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Malone |first=David |date=June 8, 2020 |title=Two Frank Lloyd Wright sites set to reopen for tours with enhanced health and safety protocols |magazine=Building Design & Construction |id={{ProQuest|2410751475}}}}</ref> Next door, 925 Chicago Avenue remained vacant for two years, and its exterior became rundown.<ref name="Goldsborough z200" /> The trust announced in 2022 that it would renovate that building.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sikora |first=Lacey |date=February 4, 2022 |title=FLW Trust says it will save, refurbish Chicago Ave. home |url=https://www.oakpark.com/2022/02/04/flw-trust-says-it-will-save-refurbish-chicago-ave-home/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Wednesday Journal}}</ref><ref name="Goldsborough z200" /> The trust devised an alternate plan to convert 925 Chicago Avenue into an art resource center and a library for Wright's archives. Ronan designed plans for a new building that would house a visitor center.<ref name="Sikora h857">{{cite web |last=Sikora |first=Lacey |date=April 3, 2024 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Trust plans Learning Center expansion |url=https://www.oakpark.com/2024/04/03/frank-lloyd-wright-trust-plans-learning-center-expansion/ |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Wednesday Journal}}</ref> During late 2023, the trust replaced the building's roof, installed replacement shingles, and restored the two chimneys.<ref>{{cite web |last=Sikora |first=Lacey |date=November 2, 2023 |title=Home & Studio gets much needed updates with help from Von Dreele-Freerksen |url=https://www.oakpark.com/2023/11/02/home-studio-gets-much-needed-updates-with-help-from-von-dreele-freerksen/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Wednesday Journal}}</ref> The next year, the village of Oak Park approved the revised visitor-center plans.<ref name="Sikora h857" />

== Architecture ==
Wright's Oak Park home and studio was the first house that he designed without a partner.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19760602" /> The house is variously cited as having been designed in the [[Shingle style architecture|Shingle style]]<ref name="Kalec p. 3" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Leigh |first=Betty |date=August 11, 1977 |title=Architecture highlights central Austin |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-architecture-highlights-cen/165166146/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=11}}</ref><ref name="n165396088">{{Cite news |last=Davis |first=Shirley |date=August 30, 1987 |title=Turn Wright at Oak Park |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/quad-city-times-turn-wright-at-oak-park/165396088/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=Quad-City Times |pages=66}}</ref> or the [[Queen Anne style architecture|Queen Anne style]],<ref name="p171123080" /><ref name="nyt-1980-06-01">{{Cite news |last=Guarino |first=Jean |date=June 1, 1980 |title=Visiting the 'Prairie Style' Homes of Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park, Ill. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1980/06/01/archives/visiting-the-prairie-style-homes-of-frank-lloyd-wright-in-oak-park.html |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="n164866859">{{Cite news |last=Rowley |first=Gordon E. |date=October 10, 1982 |title=Checking out what's Wright in Illinois |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-san-francisco-examiner-checking-out/164866859/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=The San Francisco Examiner |pages=95}}</ref> and the studio is cited as being in the [[Prairie style]].<ref name="Abernathy p. 6" /> At the time of the building's construction, architects did not frequently have combined house–studios, though artists did.<ref name="Weil p. 1" /> Wright used the building as a testing ground, frequently adding features only to remove them later.<ref name="Schrenk p. 26" /><ref name="p386326198" /><ref name="n164866859" /> He used geometric shapes throughout the building,<ref name="nyt-1996-03-03" /><ref name="n165400820" /> as well as details such as art glass and organic motifs.<ref name="p249979205" /> Wright generally used architectural features that were functional (such as built-in furniture and seating niches), rather than purely decorative.<ref name="p1544273616">{{cite news |last=Dizik |first=Alina |date=July 11, 2014 |title=The Market: Mansion: The 1889 Edition – A look at three notable homes built the year The Wall Street Journal began publishing |work=The Wall Street Journal |page=M5 |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|1544273616}}}}</ref>

=== Exterior ===
[[File:Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio (west side zoom).JPG|thumb|The house's western facade|alt=The house's western facade as seen from the street. The gable roof is triangular and slopes down to near the tops of the first-floor windows and doorways.]]
The facades of both the house and studio are made of brick, stone, [[batten]]s, and [[Roof shingle|shingles]],<ref name="Abernathy p. 6" /><ref name="Weil p. 7" /> all of which were used to blend in with the forested areas nearby.<ref name="Kalec p. 5">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=5}}</ref><ref name="n165408835" /> The [[Foundation (engineering)|foundation]] walls are made of [[rubblestone]], atop which the base of the facade is clad in a brick veneer.<ref name="Weil pp. 48–49" /> The rest of the facade is made of green wood shingles (later repainted olive) and thin [[Housewrap|sheathing]] boards, while the roof is made of cedar shingles.<ref name="Kalec p. 5" /><ref name="Weil pp. 48–49" /> The exterior includes geometric design features such as rectangular windows, semicircular [[lunette]]s, rhombus-shaped glass panes, and [[Sawtooth roof|sawtooth]]-shaped shingles.<ref name="Abernathy p. 9" /> Both sections also have [[veranda]] walls made of brick and topped by a limestone [[Coping (architecture)|coping]].<ref name="Weil pp. 48–49" /> Wright, who did not like curtains, instead used [[art glass]] and [[clerestory]] windows to illuminate the complex and give its occupants privacy.<ref name="nyt-1980-06-01" /> The high roofs of the exterior contrasted with those of Wright's later buildings, which were generally lower to the ground, with protruding [[eave]]s.<ref name="n165469283" />

==== House ====
The house consists of a stone base<ref name="Levine p. 8" /> and a [[gable roof]] that slopes down to just above the doors and windows.<ref name="Abernathy p. 9" /><ref name="Kalec p. 5" /> The [[National Park Service]] cites the roof's shape as an allusion to Wright's predilection for "picturesque" architectural details.<ref name="NPS p. 2">{{harvnb|National Park Service|1976|ps=.|page=2}}</ref> He also included design details like [[inglenook]]s and protruding polygonal [[Bay (architecture)|bays]],<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="Kalec p. 5" /> in addition to Shingle style elements like rectangular windows and circular verandas.<ref name="Kalec p. 5" />

In contrast to Wright's later buildings, which often had circuitous entrances, the house's entrance is visible right from the street.<ref name="Abernathy p. 9" /> The main entrance faces Forest Avenue to the west.<ref name="Levine p. 8" /> The entrance was originally from a [[Dutch door]],<ref name="Weil p. 51">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=51}}</ref> which opened onto a veranda to the west.<ref name="Abernathy p. 4" /><ref name="Weil p. 51" /> This door, which was restored in the 1970s,<ref name="Weil p. 51" /> is asymmetrically placed on the south or right side of the facade.<ref name="McCarter p. 31">{{harvnb|McCarter|1997|ps=.|page=31}}</ref> Two polygonal bays protrude from the living room onto the veranda,<ref name="Abernathy p. 4" /> and another polygonal bay on the living room's north wall was added in 1895.<ref name="Abernathy p. 5" /><ref name="Weil p. 6" /> The polygonal bays are interspersed with large windows to create [[Curtain wall (architecture)|curtain walls]]; Wright described the exterior walls as "light screens" because they did not "box in" the interior spaces.<ref name="Kalec p. 5" /> The second-story windows are recessed from the triangular gables in the roof.<ref name="McCarter p. 31" />

==== Studio ====
[[File:Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Marker.jpg|alt=Limestone plaque on the studio's facade. The plaque bears the words "Frank Lloyd Wright Architect".|thumb|Limestone plaque on the studio's facade, proclaiming Wright's name and occupation. This is a replica of the original plaque, which was moved in 1911 to [[Taliesin (studio)|Taliesin]].<ref name="Weil p. 107">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=107}}</ref>]]
The studio occupies the house's former northern yard,<ref name="Abernathy p. 7" /> along Chicago Avenue.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dorman |first=John L. |date=November 18, 2015 |title=Tracing Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park, Illinois |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/travel/frank-lloyd-wright-oak-park-illinois.html |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 140" /> The northern [[Elevation (architecture)|elevation]] of the studio's facade is asymmetrical and measures {{Convert|75|ft}} wide.<ref name="Weil p. 140">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=140}}</ref> As seen from the north, the studio consists of a rectangular hall with a two-story octagonal drafting room to the east and a one-and-a-half-story octagonal library to the west.<ref name="Weil p. 7" /> The [[massing]] of the studio reflected the interior layout, an example of the "[[form follows function]]" principle.<ref name="Weil p. 7">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=7}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|pages=15–16}}</ref> The studio was built very cheaply; it rested on brick piers, which were connected to each other by wooden [[joist]]s and [[girder]]s.<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=99}}</ref> When the studio's basement level was constructed in the 1980s the piers were replaced with [[Caisson (engineering)|caissons]].<ref name="Weil p. 101" /> The base of the studio's facade is [[wainscoted]], visually linking it with the house.<ref name="Abernathy p. 6" />

At the center of the studio's northern facade is an entrance [[loggia]].<ref name="Weil p. 7" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 33">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=33}}</ref> It was accessed by a wide stoop until 1905, when a low partition wall flanked by stairs was installed in front of it.<ref name="Kalec p. 18">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=18}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 104" /> Next to the entrance is a limestone plaque proclaiming Wright's name and occupation, in addition to a pair of limestone urns.<ref name="Abernathy p. 33" /><ref name="Weil p. 103">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=103}}</ref> The current plaque is a replica of the original, which was moved in 1911 to [[Taliesin (studio)|Taliesin]].<ref name="Weil p. 107" /> The columns in the loggia have bronze-colored plaster casts designed by [[Richard Bock]].<ref name="Abernathy p. 33; Schrenk p. 43">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=33}}; {{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=43}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 103" /> The loggia's columns depict the tree of life, a book of knowledge, an architectural scroll, and two storks.<ref name="Abernathy p. 33; Schrenk p. 43" /> A cantilevered canopy was installed above the loggia in 1911<ref>{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=29}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 105">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=105}}</ref> and was removed in the 1970s.<ref name="Weil p. 105" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 218" /> Between the drafting room's clerestory windows were figures designed by Bock, which were replaced in the 1970s with replicas of sculptures that Wright himself designed.<ref>{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=217}}</ref>

=== Interior ===
Both sections of the building are wood-frame structures.<ref name="Weil pp. 48–49" /> Wright did not adhere to a [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]]–style floor plan, in which the interior is divided into clearly defined rooms.<ref name="n165408835" /><ref name="p384543074" /> Instead, the building's layout partly resembles a [[open plan]], and many spaces lack doors,<ref name="p384543074" /><ref name="n165408835" /><ref name="n165185122" /> a feature shared with Wright's later commissions,<ref name="Weil p. 9">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=9}}</ref> Though the home and the studio are internally connected, both sections of the building have distinct designs.<ref name="p267116059">{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=T. Sher |date=September 11, 2004 |title=Pursuit of Wright begins at home in Oak Park, Ill. |work=The Record |page=G13 |id={{ProQuest|267116059}}}}</ref> Both the house and the studio are arranged around central fireplaces.<ref name="n165408835" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 7" /> Instead of an attic, the house's second floor has high ceilings.<ref name="Abernathy p. 20">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=20}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 76">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=76}}</ref> Wright used a gold and green color scheme throughout the building,<ref name="p249979205" /><ref name="n165396088" /> and he also selected all the materials used inside.<ref name="p267116059" /> Some of the house's other features, such as running [[tap water]], [[flush toilet]]s, and [[central heating]], were not common at the time of its construction.<ref name="p1544273616" />

The rooms had sparse ornamentation,<ref name="p353226984">{{Cite news |last=Rigby |first=Jill |date=August 6, 1994 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's first home a big hit |work=Kingston Whig – Standard |page=37 |id={{ProQuest|353226984}}}}</ref> being furnished with objects that Wright had obtained at auction.<ref name="Kalec p. 7" /> These included Japanese silk prints, [[Oriental rug]]s, [[Ancient Greek sculpture]], [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]] lamps, and Chinese and Jacobean furniture.<ref name="Abernathy p. 5" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 18">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=18}}</ref> Wright also designed some of his own furniture for the house.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19800507" /><ref name="p267116059" /><ref name="Kalec p. 8" /> By 1905, the original classical artwork had been removed,<ref name="p384543074" /><ref name="Kalec p. 8" /> and Wright had added art by painters from the [[Midwestern United States]].<ref name="Kalec p. 8" /> There are also three murals designed by Orlando Giannini, one of Wright's associates.<ref name="n165391966" /><ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|pages=20, 26}}</ref> Some decorative details, like ceiling panels and the original floor plan, were inspired by [[Japanese architecture]].<ref name="McCarter p. 34">{{harvnb|McCarter|1997|ps=.|page=34}}</ref><ref name="p1637435595">{{Cite news |last=St Clair |first=Rita |date=March 26, 1989 |title=Restoration preserves Wright home |work=The Baltimore Sun |page=3C |issn=1930-8965 |id={{ProQuest|1637435595}}}}</ref> Wright also designed other objects for the building, such as lights, toys, and kitchenware.<ref name="p384543074" /><ref name="p283634659" /><ref name="p267116059" /> The modern-day museum includes objects similar to those belonging to the Wrights.<ref name="p384543074" /><ref name="p404131731">{{Cite news |last=Daniel |first=Jeff |date=September 30, 2001 |title=Elsewhere in Chicago: Art for the Autumn |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |page=T.1 |id={{ProQuest|404131731}}}}</ref> These include furniture and [[Froebel gifts]], as well as a display of [[Lincoln Logs]], a toy invented by Wright's son [[John Lloyd Wright|John]].<ref name="p384543074" />

==== House first floor ====
The original first floor consisted of five rooms arranged around a chimney,<ref name="Levine p. 8" /><ref name="Kalec p. 25">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=4}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=25}}</ref> in a variation of the then-popular "four square" floor plan.<ref name="McCarter p. 31" /> These rooms included an entry hall to the southwest, a living room to the northwest, a dining room to the northeast, a pantry to the east, and a kitchen to the southeast.<ref name="Abernathy p. 4" /><ref name="Weil p. 5">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=5}}</ref> The rooms to the east originally overlooked a rear porch,<ref name="Kalec p. 25" /> and the original kitchen and pantry were the only first-floor rooms with doors.<ref name="Abernathy p. 4" /> With the 1895 modifications, the overall floor plan was changed to a cross-axial plan, which was also adopted in many of Wright's later designs.<ref name="Abernathy p. 5" /><ref name="p353226984" /> A horizontal wooden band runs just above each room's doorways or archways.<ref name="Kalec p. 7">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=7}}</ref><ref name="Abernathy p. 12">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=12}}</ref><ref name="McCarter p. 34" /> Wright tested out various decorations, including Oriental [[Runner (casting)|runners]] that visually separated the rooms.<ref name="Kalec p. 7" /><ref name="Weil p. 56">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=56}}</ref> The entry hall has a plaster [[frieze]], whose design was copied from the ancient Greek [[Pergamon Altar]].<ref name="Schrenk p. 18" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 10; Weil pp. 54–55a">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=10}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=54–55}}</ref> A stair, with a wide landing protruding into the entry hall,<ref name="McCarter p. 31" /> ascends to the second floor.<ref name="Schrenk p. 18" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 10; Weil pp. 54–55a" /> 
[[File:FL Wright Main House fireplace.jpg|alt=An inglenook at the center of the living room, with a round-arched brick fireplace. There is a mirror above the mantel.|thumb|Fireplace in the living room. There is a mirror above the mantel.]]
The living room, an early example of Wright's [[organic architecture]], contrasted with the [[Victorian architecture|Victorian]]–style living rooms that predominated in contemporary homes.<ref name="Kalec p. 7" /> The living room had wide openings without doors, allowing people to see diagonally across to the study.<ref name="Abernathy p. 4" /><ref name="Weil p. 5" /> At the center is an inglenook with a round-arched brick fireplace<ref name="Levine pp. 8–10" /><ref name="Weil p. 60">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=60}}</ref> and built-in seating.<ref name="Kalec p. 8">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=8}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 60" /> The fireplace's [[Fireplace mantel|mantelpiece]] contains an inscription that begins with the adage "Truth Is Life",<ref name="Schrenk p. 18" /><ref name="Levine pp. 8–10">{{harvnb|Levine|1996|ps=.|pages=8–10}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 60" /> which was installed despite Kitty Wright's objections.<ref name="p384543074" /> A mirror is installed above the fireplace, and openings on either side overlook the dining room and study.<ref name="Weil p. 60" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 12" /> The octagonal bays to the north and west had further seating and form a continuous window around the northwest corner.<ref name="Kalec p. 8" /><ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=14}}</ref> The living room's ceiling has plaster beams and a cornice patterned after those of the [[Auditorium Theatre]]'s second-story lobby.<ref name="Weil p. 56" /> The modern-day living room has armchairs, East Asian furniture, and artwork by Wright's friends [[William Wendt]] and [[Charles Abel Corwin]].<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=59–60}}</ref>

The 1895 dining room replaced the original kitchen. It has a red-tile floor, golden walls, and oak trim,<ref name="Kalec pp. 9–10">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|pages=9–10}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 64">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=64}}</ref> which were intended to emphasize the house's earth-toned color palette.<ref name="Abernathy p. 17">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=17}}</ref> In contrast to Wright's earlier rooms, which had wallpaper, the walls are covered with burlap.<ref name="p2382711106">{{cite news |last=Dizik |first=Alina |date=March 25, 2020 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's Dining Room Serves Up His Signature Style; The architect's Oak Park, Ill., home and studio includes a formal dining space considered to be a model for Wright's future designs |work=The Wall Street Journal |page=M5 |issn=0099-9660 |id={{ProQuest|2383333223}}}}</ref> A partially-octagonal, five-sided bay with art-glass windows extends to the south;<ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=17}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|pages=9–10}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=64}}</ref><ref name="n165185122" /> it contains built-in cabinets with radiators inside.<ref name="Kalec pp. 9–10" /><ref name="Weil pp. 70–71">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=70–71}}</ref> The dining room has a table and high-backed chairs;<ref name="n165185122" /><ref name="p2382711106" /> Wright intended these to give the dining room an intimate feel, creating a "room within a room".<ref name="Kalec pp. 9–10" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 17" /> The furniture, which included a custom-made [[high chair]],<ref name="Kalec pp. 9–10" /><ref name="Weil pp. 70–71" /> was among the first Wright ever designed.<ref name="Kalec pp. 9–10" /><ref name="Weil p. 64" /> The dining room has indirect-lighting fixtures covered by wooden grilles.<ref name="n165185122" /><ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=17}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|page=11}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=68}}</ref><ref name="p2382711106" /> Additionally, there is a fireplace at the northern wall, with a high mantelpiece made of red tile.<ref>{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=11}}</ref>

The study replaced the original dining room. After its 1895 renovation, the study had tall cabinets and a sculpture by [[Hermon Atkins MacNeil]].<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=61}}</ref> The study contains a table and chairs salvaged from Wright's other buildings, as well as a replica of a cabinet.<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=63}}</ref> The adjacent pantry was also expanded during the 1895 renovation and has a sink, maple floors, and cabinets.<ref name="Abernathy p. 18">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=18}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=73}}</ref> A secondary stair to the second floor, extending off the pantry, dates from that renovation.<ref name="Weil p. 6" /><ref name="Kalec p. 26">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=26}}</ref> To the east is a maid's room and kitchen, both added in 1895.<ref name="Abernathy p. 5" /><ref name="Kalec p. 26" /> The kitchen has a cast-iron stove, casement windows, and a rear door for ice and coal deliveries.<ref name="Abernathy p. 18" /><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=72}}</ref>

==== Studio first floor ====
[[File:FL Wright studio interior.jpg|alt=Interior of the drafting room in the studio, which has some furniture and a balcony above|thumb|Drafting room]]
The studio's Chicago Avenue loggia leads to a reception hall<ref name="Weil p. 8" /><ref name="Kalec p. 23">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=23}}</ref> with three gold-and-green [[art glass]] skylights, separated by deep wooden beams.<ref name="Kalec p. 23" /><ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=34}}</ref> The south wall of that room was originally angled but was remodeled in the mid-1900s, creating a rectangular reception hall.<ref name="Weil p. 8" /><ref name="Weil p. 109" /> The modern-day reception hall has a magnesite floor and replicas of a desk and chairs.<ref name="Weil p. 111">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=111}}</ref> Doorways lead south from the reception hall to the office, west to the library, and east to the drafting room.<ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=34}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|pages=15–16}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=8}}</ref> Like the original house, the studio's rooms are arranged around a central fireplace.<ref name="Abernathy p. 7">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=7}}</ref> Underneath these rooms is a full basement, which was built in the 1980s for the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust's research center.<ref name="Weil p. 101" />

The double-height drafting room was originally {{Convert|22|ft}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Morris |first=Steven |date=April 17, 1981 |title=.. and in Oak Park, an inside look at the Wright stuff |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-an-inside-look-at-wright/165302860/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=3.1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-an-inside-look-at-wright/165302798/ 3.2] |id={{ProQuest|172306379}}}}</ref> or {{Convert|23|ft}} high.<ref name="Kalec p. 19" /><ref name="Weil p. 97" /> The drafting room's first floor is a square with {{Convert|27|or|28|ft|adj=on}} sides,<ref name="Weil p. 97" /><ref name="Schrenk p. 44">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=44}}</ref> as well as plaster moldings and wood carvings.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19800507" /> The drafting room floor is made of magnesite,<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=126}}</ref> and the first floor has small windows on two sides.<ref name="Abernathy p. 38">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=38}}</ref><ref name="Schrenk p. 48">{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=48}}</ref> Wright designed the original furniture, including backless wooden stools, tables, and cabinets.<ref name="Abernathy p. 38" /> Lamps were suspended from the balcony and above desks.<ref name="Schrenk p. 48" /> The west wall has an arched fireplace mantel, with plaster decorations adapted from the [[Heller House]].<ref name="Schrenk p. 48" /><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=119}}</ref> The corners of the drafting room originally had closets, since the octagonal balcony above it was smaller than the main drafting-room floor.<ref name="Schrenk p. 44" /> Architectural drawings were stored in a vault to the south, and there were heating and wooden cabinets as well.<ref>{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|pages=22, 27}}; {{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=|page=48}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=8, 119}}</ref> Ledges were suspended from the balcony in 1905,<ref name="Abernathy p. 38; Kalec pp. 20–21; Weil p. 119" /> and brick piers and a rectangular fireplace mantel were added in 1911.<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=120}}</ref> When the house was restored in the 1970s, the original mantel was restored,<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=124}}</ref> and replicas of the original furniture were added.<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=128–129}}</ref>

Leading off the drafting room is a corridor with a pitched wooden ceiling<ref name="Kalec p. 27">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=27}}</ref><ref name="Weil p. 136">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=136}}</ref> and a short flight of stairs ascending to the house.<ref name="Weil p. 136" /> A willow tree predating the house's construction was incorporated into the corridor's design;<ref name="Kalec p. 27" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 7" /> the original tree has since been replaced.<ref name="Venteicher z177" /><ref name="p384543074" /> The office, which connects directly to the drafting room, was shared by Wright's staff.<ref name="Weil p. 131">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=131}}</ref> It had poplar and basswood furniture, which he designed himself, in addition to a round-arched brick fireplace.<ref name="Weil p. 131" /><ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=40}}</ref> The office originally had an art-glass ceiling,<ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=40}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|page=28}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=8}}</ref> which was removed in 1911.<ref name="Weil pp. 11–12">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=11–12}}</ref> An art glass door on the west wall, dating from the same era, replaced a set of windows on that wall.<ref name="Weil p. 132" /> Following the 1970s renovation, the original ceiling and windows were restored. The modern office includes replica furniture and a plaster cast of a sculpture by [[Luca della Robbia]]. A staircase descends from the office to a bathroom and storerooms in the basement.<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=134–135}}</ref>

The connection to the library is via a short, low corridor<ref name="Schrenk p. 48" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 37">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=37}}</ref> lined with cabinets.<ref name="Weil p. 111" /> A bathroom was added next to the library corridor in 1911.<ref name="Weil p. 11" /> The library itself is an octagonal room with bookshelves and cabinets on its walls.<ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=37}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|page=24}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=112}}</ref> There are no windows at ground level, as Wright did not want visitors to be distracted.<ref name="Abernathy p. 37" /><ref name="Weil p. 116">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=116}}</ref> Instead, the room is illuminated by globes,<ref name="Schrenk p. 48" /> and the tops of the walls have clerestory windows with wooden grilles.<ref name="Weil p. 112">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=112}}</ref>  The plaster ceiling is pitched upward, matching the slope of the roof;<ref name="Weil p. 112" />  it is concealed above a skylight with [[frosted glass]].<ref name="Weil p. 8" /><ref>{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=24}}</ref> In addition to replicas of the original cabinets, the library is furnished with a table and chairs.<ref name="Weil p. 116" />

==== Second floor ====
The second floor originally included a studio–bedroom to the west, a master bedroom to the northeast, and a nursery (later dayroom) to the southeast.<ref name="Abernathy pp. 4–5; Kalec p. 25; Weil p. 5">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|pages=4–5}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|page=25}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=5}}</ref> The studio–bedroom has a high ceiling and built-in cabinets.<ref name="Abernathy p. 22">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=.|page=22}}</ref><ref name="Weil pp. 74–75">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=74–75}}</ref> The studio–bedroom is bisected by a partition, which separated the Wrights' sons' and daughters' bedrooms; it displays a table and a bed salvaged from Wright's other buildings.<ref name="Weil pp. 74–75" />{{Efn|Though some sources give the partition's height as {{convert|6|ft}},<ref name="Abernathy p. 22" /><ref name="n165408835" /> David Wright recalled that the partition was {{convert|7|ft}} high.<ref name="Weil pp. 74–75" />}} The master bedroom has two Giannini murals of Native Americans, in addition to a frieze, inspired by another in the Auditorium Theatre.<ref name="Abernathy p. 20" /><ref name="Weil p. 76" /> There are [[amphora]]-shaped chandeliers on the ceiling and a replica of the original birchwood bed.<ref name="Abernathy p. 20" /><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=80}}</ref> The dayroom has built-in closets and a polygonal bay at its southern end, which has a lower ceiling than the rest of the room.<ref name="Abernathy p. 23" /><ref name="Weil p. 81" /> The rooms were separated from each other by a bathroom to the east, a closet to the north, and a stair to the south. The bathroom and two additional closets to the east were cantilevered off the facade.<ref name="Abernathy pp. 4–5; Kalec p. 25; Weil p. 5" /> Unusually for bathrooms of the 1890s, the second-floor bathroom has board-and-batten walls.<ref name="Abernathy p. 22" /><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=84}}</ref>
[[File:FL Wright Home playroom.jpg|alt=The interior of the playroom, which has a high barrel vaulted ceiling and a skylight|thumb|Playroom]]
A low passageway north of the dayroom extends east to the playroom, built in 1895.<ref name="Abernathy p. 5" /><ref name="Weil p. 6" /> The playroom has a high [[Barrel vault|barrel-vaulted]] ceiling and a [[skylight]].<ref name="Abernathy p. 26; Kalec p. 14; Weil p. 85">{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=26}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|page=14}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=85}}</ref> The skylight had four ornate oak grilles,<ref name="Kalec p. 14">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=14}}</ref> which were reproduced in the 1980s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Vrba |first=Harriet |date=April 22, 1981 |title=Wright visitors seek 'something fresh' |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1981&bdd=1980&d=01011981-12311981&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19810422_english_10&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=10}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=88}}</ref> The lowest portions of the playroom's walls are made of brick.<ref name="nyt-1980-06-01" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 26; Kalec p. 14; Weil p. 85" /> Within the dayroom's attic, a [[Gallery (theatre)|gallery]] overlooks the playroom.<ref name="Weil p. 85" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 26" /> The north and south walls have [[bay window]]s with benches,<ref name="Weil p. 6" /><ref name="Weil p. 85" /> and there are toy boxes underneath the benches.<ref name="Kalec p. 26" /><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=89}}</ref> The walls are decorated with Japanese prints, while the doorway is topped by a sculpture of the [[Winged Victory of Samothrace]].<ref name="Kalec p. 14" /><ref name="Weil p. 85" /> Geometric shapes are used throughout the playroom, including on the floors.<ref name="Kalec p. 14" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 26" /> Reflecting Wright's love of music, he installed a piano in the playroom,<ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=26}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|page=14}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=90}}</ref> which could be retracted into a stairwell.<ref name="n165185122" /><ref name="p169524417" />  The room also had a fireplace with a bust depicting [[Venus de Milo]].<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=91}}</ref> The mural above the fireplace, depicting a story from ''[[The Arabian Nights]]'', was painted by Giannini.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19790124" /><ref name="Abernathy p. 26; Kalec p. 14; Weil p. 85" />

Above the drafting room was an octagonal balcony with clerestory windows,<ref name="Weil p. 8" /><ref name="n165185122" /> which was accessed by a narrow stair.<ref name="Kalec p. 28">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=28}}</ref> The balcony was supported by a "harness" of chains extending up to the ceiling [[rafters]] and outward to the clerestory walls.<ref>{{harvnb|Abernathy|1988|ps=|page=38}}; {{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=|pages=20–21}}; {{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=123}}</ref> Adjoining the balcony were a [[darkroom]] and workrooms,<ref name="n165185122" /><ref name="Kalec p. 28" /> where Wright's associates worked on art glass, sculptures, paintings, and photography.<ref name="Weil p. 117" /> In 1911, five additional bedrooms were built above the drafting room and the studio office,<ref name="Weil p. 12">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=12}}</ref><ref name="Kalec p. 30">{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=30}}</ref> replacing the drafting room's balcony.<ref name="Weil pp. 11–12" /><ref name="Kalec p. 30" /> These were accessed by a separate stair leading to the drafting room.<ref name="Weil p. 12" /> Also dating from this era was another apartment above the garages,<ref name="Abernathy p. 43; Kalec p. 30; Weil p. 12" /> which included four rooms accessed by their own stairway.<ref name="Weil p. 12" /> During the 1970s and 1980s, the drafting room's balcony was restored, and the rooms above the studio were demolished.<ref name="Weil pp. 122–123">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|pages=122–123}}</ref> The balcony's railing has a quote by [[Rudyard Kipling]],<ref name="Schrenk p. 14" /><ref name="Weil p. 128" /> surrounding a {{convert|13|by|13|ft|adj=on}} square opening.<ref name="Schrenk p. 44" /><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=125}}</ref> In contrast to the original balcony, there are steel beams under the modern-day balcony.<ref name="Weil p. 128">{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=128}}</ref><ref name="n165400820" />

== Management ==
The Wright Home and Studio is owned by the '''Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust''',<ref name="Sikora b646" /><ref name=":0" />  a [[501(c)(3) organization]] established in June 1974.<ref name="Sikora b646" /><ref name="Weil p. 18" /> It preserves the house and educates visitors.<ref name="Kalec p. 4" /> The trust was originally known as the '''Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation''' but was renamed after taking over the [[Robie House]] in 2000.<ref name="Oak Leaves 20000301a" /><ref name="p332529917">{{Cite news |last=Pringle |first=Kirby |date=August 18, 2000 |title=All is Wright in Oak Park Home Tours Showcase Evolution of Architect Frank Lloyd Wright |work=News Gazette |pages=ETC-12 to ETC-14 |id={{ProQuest|332529917}}}}</ref> The trust also maintains the [[Rookery Building]] in Chicago.<ref name="p1012490273" /> Until it acquired Wright's Oak Park house and studio in 2012,<ref name=":0" /><ref name="p1011389743" /> the Wright Trust leased the building from the [[National Trust for Historic Preservation]] for a nominal fee.<ref name="Weil p. 18" /><ref name="n165148317" /><ref name="p120295077a" />

=== Tours ===
[[File:Frank_Lloyd_Wright_Desk,_Oak_Park,_Illinois.jpg|alt=A desk in Wright's office. There are green and gold skylights on the ceiling.|thumb|A desk in Wright's office]]
Tours of the building are given by a group of volunteer guides known as interpreters.<ref name="p1012370158" /><ref>{{cite web |last=Dechter |first=Felicia |date=August 2, 2018 |title=Column: Frank Lloyd Wright Trust volunteers share Oak Park's story with guests from 'all over the world' |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2018/08/02/column-frank-lloyd-wright-trust-volunteers-share-oak-parks-story-with-guests-from-all-over-the-world/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref> Though most interpreters are adults who have undergone interviews or training,<ref>{{cite web |last=Dechter |first=Felicia |date=February 8, 2019 |title=Column: 'Volunteers are face of the Trust': Interpreters sought to lead Frank Lloyd Wright tours |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2019/02/08/column-volunteers-are-face-of-the-trust-interpreters-sought-to-lead-frank-lloyd-wright-tours/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref> the trust has also allowed local students to lead some tours.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bentrup |first=Cheri |date=February 7, 2001 |title=Junior Interpreters lead peers through Home and Studio |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=studio%20home&i=f&d=01012000-12312001&e=lloyd%20wright&m=between&ord=e1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_river_forest_20010207_english_23&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=23 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |last=Argyrakis |first=Andy |date=August 7, 2008 |title=Junior sleuths uncover Wright's design secrets |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-junior-sleuths-uncover-w/165472365/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=5A–4B}}</ref> In addition to guided 60-minute tours of the interior,<ref name="Nast a242">{{cite web |date=March 3, 2021 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio – Museum Review |url=https://www.cntraveler.com/activities/oak-park/frank-lloyd-wright-home-and-studio |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Condé Nast Traveler}}</ref> the Preservation Trust hosts "restoration tours" that discuss aspects of the building's restoration.<ref>{{Cite news |date=September 9, 2011 |title=Restoration tour offered at Wright studio |work=Daily Herald |page=6 |id={{ProQuest|888198880}} |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Littman |first=Margaret |date=January 17, 2008 |title=10 things to do this weekend |url=https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20080117/NEWS/200027792/10-things-to-do-this-weekend |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Crain's Chicago Business}}</ref>

Since 2018, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio has been part of the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail, a collection of 13 buildings designed by Wright in Illinois.<ref>{{cite web |last=Malone |first=David |date=May 8, 2018 |title=Illinois Office of Tourism unveils new Frank Lloyd Wright Trail |url=https://www.bdcnetwork.com/home/news/55161732/illinois-office-of-tourism-unveils-new-frank-lloyd-wright-trail |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Building Design+Construction |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |date=May 4, 2018 |title=13 Wright sites on Illinois trail |url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/cruises/frank-lloyd-wright-trail-illinois-gallery-20180504-photogallery.html |access-date=February 9, 2025 |website=Los Angeles Times |issn=0458-3035}}</ref> The trust also began hosting tours of local buildings in February 1975.<ref name="Oak Leaves 19780503" /> These included the annual Wright Plus walking tour, which began that year<ref name="Weil p. 20" /> and is hosted one Saturday each May.<ref name="p249979205" /> The Wright Plus tours cover several buildings designed by Wright and contemporary architects;<ref>{{Cite news |last=Zak |first=Victor |date=March 18, 2001 |title=Something so right in Oak Park |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-central-new-jersey-home-news-somethi/164072115/ |access-date=January 27, 2025 |work=The Central New Jersey Home News |pages=F1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-central-new-jersey-home-news-oak/164072926/ F5]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Megan |first=Graydon |date=January 24, 2025 |title=Lineup set for Oak Park's Wright Plus house tour, including some featured for first time |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/01/24/lineup-set-for-frank-lloyd-wright-house-tour-including-some-featured-for-first-time/ |access-date=February 6, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref> though the route of the tour is changed every year, the tours have always included the home and studio.<ref name="p249979205" /> There are also self-guided audio tours of other Wright buildings in Oak Park,<ref name="Nast a242" /><ref>{{Cite news |last=Oberie |first=Dee |date=May 7, 1999 |title=All the Wright stuff, plus Hemingway |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-dispatch-all-the-wright-stuff-plus/165457800/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=The Dispatch |pages=B1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-dispatch-all-the-wright-stuff-plus/165457942/ B2]}}</ref> most of which are privately owned, aside from the museum and the nearby [[Unity Temple]].<ref name="p332529917" /> During the COVID-19 pandemic, the trust began hosting outdoor guided tours of these buildings.<ref>{{cite web |last=Petlicki |first=Myrna |date=November 9, 2021 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright home tour brings in visitors from around the world |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2021/11/09/frank-lloyd-wright-home-tour-brings-in-visitors-from-around-the-world/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706}}</ref>

=== Programs, events, and other initiatives ===
Over the years, the Home and Studio Foundation has hosted various programs, including educational workshops for youth,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Maes |first=Nancy |date=March 16, 1990 |title=Games can lead to love of architecture |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-games-can-lead-to-love-o/165408360/ |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=108}}</ref> an architecture camp for adults,<ref>See, for instance: {{cite web |date=July 17, 2014 |title=Architecture Fantasy Camp kicks off Sept. 28 |url=https://www.oakpark.com/2014/07/17/architecture-fantasy-camp-kicks-off-sept-28/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Wednesday Journal |postscript=none}}; {{cite web |author=The Grand Rapids Press |date=July 5, 2009 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright fans: Architecture fantasy camp in Oak Park, Illinois |url=https://www.mlive.com/travel/2009/07/frank_lloyd_wright_fans_archit.html |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=mlive}}</ref> and the annual "Wright Places" tour and conference.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Stoffel |first=Jennifer |date=October 22, 1987 |title=Wright Buildings: The Future and Past |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/22/garden/wright-buildings-the-future-and-past.html |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> During the [[Christmas and holiday season|Christmas holiday season]], the foundation has hosted Christmas–themed events, and it has redecorated parts of the house.<ref name="p282438039">{{cite news |last=Pridmore |first=Jay |date=December 4, 1987 |title=Holiday Re-creation Glimpses the Architect's Human Side |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=5 |id={{ProQuest|282438039}}}}</ref> In addition, the foundation has assisted owners of other historic houses designed by Wright,<ref>{{cite news |last=Foerstner |first=Abigail |date=November 15, 1987 |title=Wright or Wrong? The Battle to Keep Frank Lloyd Wright Interiors Intact |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=1 |id={{ProQuest|291081571}}}}</ref> and it has also sponsored trips to other buildings that Wright designed.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dove |first=Pheralyn |date=October 13, 1994 |title=A visit to temple to stand in God's hands |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-a-visit-to-tem/165417336/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer |pages=128}}</ref> Objects such as books, puzzles, and clothing are sold through the Home and Studio Museum Shop (formerly the Ginkgo Tree Bookshop).<ref name="Kamin q588" /> The trust holds the copyright to several pieces of merchandise, and it collects licensing fees and [[royalty payment]]s from these items.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Littman |first=Margaret |date=October 26, 1998 |title=The price is Wright: For catalogs, museums and now TV, being Frank fuels $30-mil. industry |magazine=Crain's Chicago Business |page=1 |volume=21 |issue=43 |id={{ProQuest|198396114}}}}</ref>

When the Wright Home and Studio Foundation was established, it acquired photographs of, and documents about, the building.<ref name="Schrenk p. 216" /><ref name="p169524417" /> By 1978, the foundation's Research Center owned 180 photographs, 275 drawings, and records of communications between different members of the Wright family.<ref>{{cite web |date=1978-11-08 |title=Kalec picked as director of local Wright archives |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1978&bdd=1970&d=01011978-12311978&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19781108_english_26&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=26}}</ref> The collection expanded to include 12,000 colorized images of the building, including the renovation process.<ref>{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|page=221}}</ref><!-- In the 21st century, the Preservation Trust continues to maintain documents relating to the home and studio. -->

== Impact ==

=== Architectural influence ===
[[File:Frank_Lloyd_Wright_Home_lounge_DSCN9778.jpg|alt=Seats in the living room. The seats themselves are upholstered, and there are polygonal glass windows behind them, which protrude outward.|thumb|Built-in furniture was incorporated into Wright's later work. Shown here are the built-in living-room benches.<ref name="Weil p. 9" />]]
The architects at Wright's Oak Park studio are credited with having helped refine the Prairie style of architecture.<ref name="Levine p. 8" /><ref name="Weil p. 1" /> One writer said that the building "became in itself an architectural model for his prairie school",<ref name="n165298820" /> while another writer state that the house and studio's design had inspired the Prairie style, similarly to how Wright's Robie House had inspired aspects of [[modern architecture]].<ref name="p404131731" /> Many of the building's decorative details were incorporated into Wright's later work.<ref name="n165185122" /><ref name="nyt-1978-07-27" />  The house's decorative details include earth-toned color palettes, open floor plans, built-in furniture, and [[casement window]]s, all of which became characteristics of his later work.<ref name="Weil p. 9" /> His public buildings share similarities with the studio, whose design features include low entry halls leading to larger spaces, as well as mechanical systems embedded into the building's structure.<ref name="Weil p. 9" /> The building's use of geometric motifs was also replicated in Wright's other buildings,<ref name="n165400820" /> as were design concepts such as "rooms within rooms" and indirect entryways.<ref name="Weil p. 9" /><ref name=wp-2019-09-05>{{Cite news|date=2019-09-05|title=On the trail of Frank Lloyd Wright in Illinois and Wisconsin|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/on-the-trail-of-frank-lloyd-wright-in-illinois-and-wisconsin/2019/09/05/662d57e8-bfa4-11e9-a5c6-1e74f7ec4a93_story.html|archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20210130232212/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/on-the-trail-of-frank-lloyd-wright-in-illinois-and-wisconsin/2019/09/05/662d57e8-bfa4-11e9-a5c6-1e74f7ec4a93_story.html|archive-date=2021-01-30|access-date=2025-02-19|newspaper=Washington Post|language=en}}</ref>

The house's playroom was one of Wright's first designs with a skylight,<ref name="Kalec p. 14" /> and it marked the first time he used brick for interior walls.<ref name="Weil p. 85" /> The playroom was the first purely-recreational space Wright ever designed; he went on to design theaters at his other studios at [[Taliesin (studio)|Taliesin]] and [[Taliesin West]].<ref>{{harvnb|Kalec|1982|ps=.|page=12}}</ref> The 1895 dining room was the first time Wright had designed both a room and everything inside it,<ref name="p2382711106" /><ref name="Kalec pp. 9–10" /><ref name="Weil p. 64" /> as well as the first time he illuminated a room using indirect lighting.<ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=68}}</ref> The drafting room's design predated the creation of large, naturally-illuminated rooms in other Wright buildings, such as the [[Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum]], [[Johnson Wax Headquarters]], [[Larkin Administration Building]], and [[Unity Temple]].<ref name="Kalec p. 19" /><ref name="Weil p. 128" /> Other features, such as built-in storage and large family rooms, became commonplace not just in Wright's work, but in American residential architecture.<ref name="n165406487" /> Conversely, after designing the barrel-vaulted ceiling in the home's playroom, Wright only ever designed one other barrel vault, in the [[Dana–Thomas House]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=May 17, 2001 |title=All is Wright in Illinois |work=News Gazette |page=T11 |id={{ProQuest|332665863}}}}</ref>

=== Reception ===
Wright's eldest son Lloyd recalled that, when he was growing up, children derided the building as "the crazy architect's house", although Lloyd could not sympathize with their perspectives.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Leroux |first=Charles |date=November 11, 1976 |title=Lloyd Wright—he's two-thirds of his famed father |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-akron-beacon-journal-lloyd-wrighthe/165171342/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=The Akron Beacon Journal |pages=33}}</ref> [[Russell Sturgis]] dubbed the studio "extremely ugly" and a "monster of awkwardness" in a 1904 critique of Wright's work.<ref>{{harvnb|Schrenk|2021|ps=.|pages=154–155}}</ref> Local residents frequently talked about the house, which stood out from the [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] homes nearby.<ref name="n165166666" /> Though the building's design generally received positive acclaim by the late 20th century, Wright himself had regarded it as a "juvenile expression".<ref name="p353226984" />

In 1976, a writer for ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' said that Wright had "revolutionized the architecture of the world" when he was designing Prairie-style buildings at the Oak Park studio.<ref name="n165166666" /> A ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' reporter described the building as "a rambling, marvelously varied structure" that incorporated many of the same features as Wright's later designs.<ref name="p134068079" /> [[Paul Goldberger]] wrote for ''[[The New York Times]]'' that the home and studio was "a laboratory—not a masterwork".<ref name="nyt-1978-07-27" /> A writer for the ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'' said in 1982 that "the clarity of Wright's original plan is much obscured" due to the modifications over the years.<ref name="n164866859" />  After the 1980s renovation was completed, a ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' reporter wrote that Wright's Oak Park residence "is almost quaint compared with later designs",<ref name="p282438039" /> and the ''[[Quad-City Times]]'' called the home and studio "a beautiful tribute to Wright and his revolutionary ideas".<ref name="n165396088" /> Various sources characterized the home and studio as a place where visitors could observe the beginnings of Wright's work,<ref name="p306864489" /><ref name="n165392688" /><ref name="p1637435595" /> while other observers said that the building encapsulated Wright's style and personality.<ref name="n165408835" /><ref name="p384543074" />

The critic [[Paul Goldberger]] called the building "a remarkable synthesis of 19th-century Shingle Style and Wright's own developing style" in 1996,<ref name="nyt-1996-03-03" /> and the historian Robert McCarter said "the quality of its subtle yet unique presence" helped Wright's nascent architectural practice.<ref name="McCarter p. 31" /> In his biography of Wright, the author [[Brendan Gill]] said the building "continues to bear plausible witness to Wright's high spirits and inventiveness".<ref>{{harvnb|Gill|1987|ps=.|pages=10–11}}</ref> A reporter for the ''[[Waterloo Region Record]]'' said in 2004 that the building "still looks like it is way ahead of its time" despite being over a century old.<ref name="p267116059" /> A ''New York Times'' reporter characterized the studio as "airy and regal" in 2015, noting that the exterior still blended in with the area around it.<ref name="Weil p. 140" />

=== Media and landmark designations ===
[[File:Side Door Entrance of Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio.JPG|thumb|Entrance to the house|alt=The house entrance on Forest Avenue. A short set of stairs leads up to the house, and there is a low brick wall on either side of the stairs.]]
Several books have been written about the house and studio. A book about the plans for the building's restoration was published in 1979 through the [[University of Chicago Press]],<ref name="Kalec p. 4" /><ref name="n165295976" /><ref>{{cite web |date=May 2, 1979 |title=Week offers chance to read about Wright |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&by=1979&bdd=1970&d=01011979-12311979&e=lloyd%20wright&o=home%20house%20studio&m=between&ord=e1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19790502_english_26&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=26 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=July 15, 1979 |title=What's Right About Wright |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-kansas-city-star-whats-right-about/165190042/ |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=The Kansas City Star |pages=111}}</ref> and a booklet about the structure was published in 1983.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gapp |first=Paul |date=April 10, 1983 |title=The Wright house: A history in print |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-the-wright-house-a-hist/165310506/ |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=128}}</ref> The Wright Trust took 1,500 photographs documenting the restoration itself,<ref name="p1637435595" /> and the project was detailed in a 2000 book published by the Wright Trust.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Abercrombie |first=Stanley |date=Jul 2001 |title=Building a legacy: The Restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park Home and Studio |magazine=Interior Design |pages=150–151 |volume=72 |issue=9 |id={{ProQuest|234930819}}}}</ref> Other publications about the home and studio's history include a 1997 book by Kathryn Smith<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Hensler |first=Kate |date=Oct 1997 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and Taliesin West |magazine=Interiors |page=71 |volume=156 |issue=10 |id={{ProQuest|221558965}}}}</ref> and a 2021 book by Lisa D. Schrenk.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Quinan |first=J |date=Feb 2022 |title=The Oak Park studio of Frank Lloyd Wright |magazine=Choice |page=780 |volume=59 |issue=6 |id={{ProQuest|2623461949}}|postscript=none}}; {{cite web |last=Sikora |first=Lacey |date=July 6, 2021 |title=New book gives fresh look at Wright Home and Studio |url=https://www.oakpark.com/2021/07/06/new-book-gives-fresh-look-at-wright-home-and-studio/ |access-date=February 14, 2025 |website=Wednesday Journal}}</ref> In addition, the building was detailed in [[Murray Grigor]]'s 1982 documentary about Wright's Oak Park buildings,<ref>{{cite web |last=Kilzer |first=Mary |date=May 19, 1982 |title=Film flames Scot's desire to know why Wright isn't right at home |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=home%20studio&i=f&by=1982&bdd=1980&d=01011982-12311982&e=lloyd%20wright&m=between&ord=e1,k1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19820519_english_55&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 12, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=55}}</ref> a 1984 episode of the [[PBS]] TV show ''The Old House'',<ref>{{cite web |date=February 29, 1984 |title=Wright home, studio on 'This Old House' |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?k=home%20studio&i=f&by=1984&bdd=1980&d=01011984-12311984&e=lloyd%20wright&o=restoration%20renovation&m=between&ord=e1,k1,o1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19840229_english_69&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 13, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=69}}</ref> and a 1998 video biography by [[A&E (TV network)|A&E Television Networks]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=Jun 1998 |title=The homes of Frank Lloyd Wright |work=American History |page=6 |volume=33 |issue=2 |id={{ProQuest|224064629}}}}</ref> ''Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio'', a 2009 video tour and documentary about Wright, was also set at the building.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Smith |first=Candace |date=June 15, 2009 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright's Home and Studio |magazine=The Booklist |page=89 |volume=105 |issue=19–20 |id={{ProQuest|235570346}}}}</ref>

Oak Park officials considered including the Wright Home and Studio as part of a municipal historic district in 1971.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Schneidman |first=David |date=September 19, 1971 |title=Meeting to Discuss Historical Status of Oak Park Portion |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-meeting-to-discuss-histo/164840504/ |access-date=February 6, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=24}}</ref> The home and studio was nominated along with 54 other Prairie-style buildings in Oak Park, comprising most of the village's 61 Prairie-style structures.<ref>{{cite news |date=January 13, 1972 |title=Oak Park Aim: Preservation: Village Makes 'Wright Move' |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=W2 |id={{ProQuest|170250082}}}}</ref> When the district was created the next year,<ref>{{cite news |last=Schneidman |first=David |date=February 13, 1972 |title=Oak Park Approves Frank Lloyd Wright Landmark District |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=W9 |id={{ProQuest|170204582}}}}</ref> the complex was located in the district's boundaries.<ref>"[http://www.oak-park.us/public/pdfs/Historic%20Preservation/08.10.05%20FLW%20District%20brochure_final.pdf Frank Lloyd Wright–Prairie School of Architecture Historic District] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928083327/http://www.oak-park.us/public/pdfs/Historic%20Preservation/08.10.05%20FLW%20District%20brochure_final.pdf|date=2007-09-28}}," ([[PDF]]), [[Brochure]], Village of Oak Park, Illinois. Retrieved April 19, 2007.</ref> The building is also part of the [[Frank Lloyd Wright–Prairie School of Architecture Historic District]], a [[National Register of Historic Places]] (NRHP) district,<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 22, 1973 |title=Oak Park applies for national historic district |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-oak-park-applies-for-nation/165145435/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=9}}</ref> which was established in 1973.<ref>{{cite web |date=December 19, 1973 |title=Historic district on national list |via=River Forest Public Library |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&d=01011972-12311973&e=lloyd%20wright,historic%20district&m=between&ord=e1,e2&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19731219_english_27&df=1&dt=10=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 11, 2025 |work=Forest Leaves |page=27 |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=December 16, 1973 |title=Oak Park area made U.S. historic district |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-oak-park-area-made-us-his/165146765/ |access-date=February 10, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=1}}</ref> The building was re-added to the NRHP in 1976 when it was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref>[http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1225&ResourceType=Building Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620233615/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1225&ResourceType=Building|date=June 20, 2007}}, NHL Database, National Historic Landmarks Program. Retrieved February 20, 2007</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Weil|2001|ps=.|page=19}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of Frank Lloyd Wright works]]
* [[List of National Historic Landmarks in Illinois]]
* [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Cook County, Illinois]]
* [[Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy]]
* [[Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District]]

== References ==

=== Notes ===
====Explanatory notes====
{{Notelist}}

====Inflation figures====
{{notelist-ur}}

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Sources ===
* {{cite book |last1=Abernathy |first1=Ann |url=https://archive.org/details/oakparkhomestudi0000aber |title=The Oak Park home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright |last2=Thorpe |first2=John G. |date=1988 |publisher=Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation |isbn=978-0-945635-00-0 |publication-place=Oak Park, Ill |page= |url-access=registration |ref={{sfnref|Abernathy|1988}}}}
* {{cite report |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/563b3bbf-ac60-484d-9c70-3db0dc6ecd13/ |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio |publisher=[[National Register of Historic Places]], [[National Park Service]] |access-date= |ref={{harvid|National Park Service|1976}} |year=1976 |website=}}
* {{cite book |last=Gill |first=Brendan |url=https://archive.org/details/manymaskslifeoff0000gill_t0l6 |title=Many Masks: A Life of Frank Lloyd Wright |date=1987 |publisher=G.P. Putnam's Sons |isbn=978-0-399-13232-2 |publication-place=New York |page= |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=Kalec |first=Donald G. |url=https://archive.org/details/homestudiooffran0000unse |title=The home and studio of Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park, Illinois, 1889–1911 |publisher=Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation |year=1982 |publication-place=Oak Park, Ill. |page= |oclc=9943007 |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=Levine |first=Neil |url=https://archive.org/details/architectureoffr0000levi_r3g6 |title=The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright |publisher=Princeton University Press |year=1996 |isbn=978-0-691-03371-6 |chapter=I: Beginnings of the Prairie House |url-access=registration}}
* {{cite book |last=McCarter |first=Robert |title=Frank Lloyd Wright |date=1997 |publisher=Phaidon Press |isbn=978-0-7148-3148-0 |publication-place=London |pages=}}
* {{Cite report |url=https://flwright.org/sites/default/files/ckfinder/userfiles/files/History_of_Ownership_and_Use_of_Frank_Lloyd_Wright.pdf |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio |last=McDonald |first=Bill |year=2018 |work=Wright Plus House Report}}
* {{cite book |last=Schrenk |first=Lisa D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7KIkEAAAQBAJ<!--dokumen – the-oak-park-studio-of-frank-lloyd-wright-9780226319131.html--> |title=The Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=2021 |isbn=978-0-226-31913-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Weil |first=Zarine |url=https://archive.org/details/buildinglegacyre0000unse |title=Building a Legacy: The Restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park Home and Studio |publisher=Pomegranate |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-7649-1461-4 |url-access=registration}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book |last=Harrington |first=Elaine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tHEvNER2EkYC |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, Oak Park |publisher=Edition Axel Menges |year=1996 |isbn=978-3-930698-23-3 |series=Opus (Axel Menges)}}
* {{Cite Wright Companion}} (S.002)

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio}}
* [http://gowright.org/ The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust]
* [http://shopwright.org/ ShopWright.org]
* {{HABS |survey=IL-1099 |id=il0317 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, 428 Forest Avenue & 951 Chicago Avenue, Oak Park, Cook County, IL |photos=7 |data=17 |cap=1}}
* Images of [https://mcid.mcah.columbia.edu/art-atlas/modern-architecture-chicago/frank-lloyd-wright-home-and-studio Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Frank Lloyd Home And Studio}}
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