If you are looking for an interesting, and beautiful style
of architecture for a house or smaller sized commercial
building, then you may want to look towards the prairie
style architecture.
The prairie style architecture was drafted originally in
the loft room of the Steinway Piano Company building in
Chicago, Illinois in the 1890’s. The Prairie Style was
popular from the 1900’s through about 1912.
Probably the most famous follower of the Louis Sullivan
teachings on Prairie Style architecture was Frank Lloyd
Wright.
Also termed Prairie School Architecture, the Prairie style
was and is most commonly found in the Midwestern United
States.
Prairie style homes are distinct in their design. Created
with horizontal lines, flat roofs with overhanging eves and
windows grouped in horizontal bands.
Some of the most famous Prairie Style homes are the Darwin
D. Martin House in Buffalo, NY, along with the Guggenheim
Museum in New York City and Fallingwater in Pennsylvania.
There is one though that stands out above the rest, the
Robie House. Located on the campus on the University of
Chicago, it is the quintessential example of the Prairie
Style Architecture.
Illinois still holds the greatest number of Prairie Style
Architecture. Frank Lloyd Wright lived for a time in Oak
Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Here you will find
street after street of Prairie Style Architecture.
Prairie homes were made to function efficiently in the
prairie climate. The horizontal lines were thought to match
those of the native prairie landscape. The interior was
designed to be multifunctional and utilizing the suns
natural light and natural air flow throughout the house.
The Prairie Style architecture is by far some of the most
beautiful you will find in the Midwest.