Arthur Heurtley House
Encyclopedia
The Arthur B. Heurtley House is located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois
, United States
. The house was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
and constructed in 1902. The Heurtley House is considered one of the earliest examples of a Frank Lloyd Wright house in full Prairie style. The house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
when it was designated a National Historic Landmark
on February 16, 2000.
s to the windows on the elevated porch as well as a breakfast room on the main floor. The third of the Heurtley's changes converted the "wood room," as it was known on Wright's original drawing into a pantry
or food storage area. It is thought that the breakfast room addition and wood room conversion were done through Frank Lloyd Wright's office but the dates remain unconfirmed.
In 1920 the house was purchased by Frank Lloyd Wright's sister, Jane Porter, and her husband, Andrew. They converted the home into a duplex
in the 1930s and each floor was separated into apartments. The Porters stayed in the Heurtley House for 26 years. After the Porters left the house, two other owners altered the home further. The kitchens and bathrooms were modernized, the front loggia
enclosed and a black iron gate was added to the home's entryway. A master bathroom was added in the last fifteen feet of the main floor veranda and the living room inglenook
and dining room breakfront were removed. A second chimney and a furnace were also added. Between 1997 and 2002, the owners of the house spent 1.2 million dollars on a complete restoration of the building.
s are in the center of the house. The exterior features overhanging eaves, a large central chimney, horizontally grouped windows and terraces and balconies. The home's interior is unique in that its ground plan is reversed from the traditional layout of American homes. The living and dining areas are on the top floor of the house.
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The house was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
and constructed in 1902. The Heurtley House is considered one of the earliest examples of a Frank Lloyd Wright house in full Prairie style. The house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
when it was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
on February 16, 2000.
History
While the Heurtleys owned the home it underwent three major changes. They added screenWindow screen
A window screen, insect screen or bug screen is a metal wire, fiberglass, or other synthetic fiber mesh, stretched in a frame of wood or metal, designed to cover the opening of an open window. Its primary purpose is to keep leaves, debris, insects, birds, and other animals from entering a building...
s to the windows on the elevated porch as well as a breakfast room on the main floor. The third of the Heurtley's changes converted the "wood room," as it was known on Wright's original drawing into a pantry
Pantry
A pantry is a room where food, provisions or dishes are stored and served in an ancillary capacity to the kitchen. The derivation of the word is from the same source as the Old French term paneterie; that is from pain, the French form of the Latin panis for bread.In a late medieval hall, there were...
or food storage area. It is thought that the breakfast room addition and wood room conversion were done through Frank Lloyd Wright's office but the dates remain unconfirmed.
In 1920 the house was purchased by Frank Lloyd Wright's sister, Jane Porter, and her husband, Andrew. They converted the home into a duplex
Duplex (building)
The term duplex can be used to describe several different dwelling unit configurations:A duplex house is defined as a dwelling having apartments with separate entrances for two families. This includes two-story houses having a complete apartment on each floor and also side-by-side apartments on a...
in the 1930s and each floor was separated into apartments. The Porters stayed in the Heurtley House for 26 years. After the Porters left the house, two other owners altered the home further. The kitchens and bathrooms were modernized, the front loggia
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
enclosed and a black iron gate was added to the home's entryway. A master bathroom was added in the last fifteen feet of the main floor veranda and the living room inglenook
Inglenook
An inglenook , or chimney corner, is a small recess that adjoins a fireplace.Inglenook may also refer to:*Inglenook, California, community in Mendocino County...
and dining room breakfront were removed. A second chimney and a furnace were also added. Between 1997 and 2002, the owners of the house spent 1.2 million dollars on a complete restoration of the building.
Architecture
The Heurtley House is one of Wright's earliest, fully mature Prairie style houses and the patterns that he established with the home would eventually appear in many of his greatest works within the style. The fundamental characteristic of Prairie style are all present in the 1902 Heurtley House. The major spaces are raised above the surrounding grounds, ceilings echo roof forms and the fireplaceFireplace
A fireplace is an architectural structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape...
s are in the center of the house. The exterior features overhanging eaves, a large central chimney, horizontally grouped windows and terraces and balconies. The home's interior is unique in that its ground plan is reversed from the traditional layout of American homes. The living and dining areas are on the top floor of the house.