Charles E. Roberts Stable
Encyclopedia
The Charles E. Roberts Stable is a renovated former barn in the Chicago
suburb of Oak Park, Illinois
, United States. The building has a long history of remodeling work including an 1896 transformation by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright
. The stable remodel was commissioned by Charles E. Roberts
, a patron of Wright's work, the same year Wright worked on an interior remodel of Roberts' House. The building was eventually converted into a residence by Charles E. White, Jr.
, a Wright-associated architect, sources vary as to when this occurred but the house was moved from its original location to its present site in 1929. The home is cast in the Tudor Revival style but still displays the architectural thumb print of Wright's later work. The building is listed as a contributing property
to a federally designated U.S. Registered Historic District.
was an engineer, inventor and an important early client of Frank Lloyd Wright. Roberts was an influential member of the building committee of Unity Temple
in Oak Park. For Roberts, Wright also developed the Quadruple Block Plan of 1900-1903. Many architectural historians have mistakenly identified Charles E. Roberts as the father of Oak Park Studio architect Isabel Roberts
. As has been well documented, Isabel's father was James H. Roberts of South Bend, Indiana
.
In 1896 Charles E. Roberts, an established patron of Frank Lloyd Wright
, commissioned two jobs by the architect. One was the Charles E. Roberts House, which Wright executed an interior remodel on and the other was the Charles E. Roberts Stable. Wright redesigned the structure from an old barn
into a garage
for Roberts' electric car
. The building was eventually converted into a residence by architect Charles E. White, Jr.
, Roberts' son-in-law
and an employee in Wright's studio
in the years 1903-1905. Sources greatly vary on the date of White's conversion. The village of Oak Park's landmark nomination form for Wright's other Roberts project, the patron's home, puts White's conversion of the garage into a residence at in 1929, at the same time the structure was physically moved from its original location to its present location. Historian Thomas O'Gorman, while noting the 1929 move, stated that the Wright-redesigned barn conversion was altered into a dwelling between 1903 and 1904. O'Gorman connects White's remodel to the sheer overhaul the building experienced under Wright's creative thumb.
The house elicits in its a viewer a distinct "English feel." Indeed, through its many remodelings the building is cast in the Tudor Revival style of architecture. The structure displays a steeply pitched, side gable
d roof, rounded bay
and half-timbering, all common elements of the Tudor Revival style. Other 1890s Wright designed buildings also displayed a connection to the traditional domestic architecture styles. The house has a vertical upsweep which projects a sense of shelter and safety associated with Wright's broad, overhanging eaves found in Wright's roof designs. White carried Wright's design a step further in his remodel but Wright's architectural skill is still evident in the structure.
The home expresses a familial coziness, common to Wright's later early modern Prairie homes
. The entire idea of barn conversion, in the late 19th century, was an architectural leap forward. Wright's work on the stable introduced angularity and converted it from a barn to a building which expressed a meld of country charm and modernity. O'Gorman compared the home to those designed by architect Edward Luytens. The prominent roof features second-story dormer
s and its massive scale is balanced by Wright's placement of towering chimney
s at either end of the house. The home's front facade is obscured by bushes, trees and landscaping during the warmer months and the home is best viewed in autumn or winter.
and the Hills-DeCaro House, as well as the Roberts House; each of those buildings were pre-existing homes. The building once sat at the rear of the Charles E. Roberts House, a locally designated Oak Park Landmark, today it stands next door to that structure. The stable is listed as a contributing property
to the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District
. The historic district
was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
on December 4, 1973.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
suburb of Oak Park, Illinois
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. The building has a long history of remodeling work including an 1896 transformation by famous American 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...
. The stable remodel was commissioned by Charles E. Roberts
Charles E. Roberts
Charles E. Roberts was an engineer, inventor and an important early client and patron of Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1896, Wright remodeled Robert's house in Oak Park....
, a patron of Wright's work, the same year Wright worked on an interior remodel of Roberts' House. The building was eventually converted into a residence by Charles E. White, Jr.
Charles E. White, Jr.
Charles E. White, Jr. was a noted Chicago area architect who for a time worked in the Oak Park studio of Frank Lloyd Wright and who, both before and after that time, had a successful and influential career as an architect and a writer on architectural subjects...
, a Wright-associated architect, sources vary as to when this occurred but the house was moved from its original location to its present site in 1929. The home is cast in the Tudor Revival style but still displays the architectural thumb print of Wright's later work. The building is listed as a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to a federally designated U.S. Registered Historic District.
History
Charles E. RobertsCharles E. Roberts
Charles E. Roberts was an engineer, inventor and an important early client and patron of Frank Lloyd Wright. In 1896, Wright remodeled Robert's house in Oak Park....
was an engineer, inventor and an important early client of Frank Lloyd Wright. Roberts was an influential member of the building committee of Unity Temple
Unity Temple
Unity Temple is a Unitarian Universalist church in Oak Park, Illinois, and the home of the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation. It was designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and built between 1905 and 1908. Unity Temple is considered to be one of Wright's most important...
in Oak Park. For Roberts, Wright also developed the Quadruple Block Plan of 1900-1903. Many architectural historians have mistakenly identified Charles E. Roberts as the father of Oak Park Studio architect Isabel Roberts
Isabel Roberts
Isabel Roberts was a Prairie School figure, member of the architectural design team in the Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright and partner with Ida Annah Ryan in the Orlando, Florida architecture firm, “Ryan and Roberts”. It is fair to say that Roberts is an under-appreciated member of Wright’s...
. As has been well documented, Isabel's father was James H. Roberts of South Bend, Indiana
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
.
In 1896 Charles E. Roberts, an established patron of 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...
, commissioned two jobs by the architect. One was the Charles E. Roberts House, which Wright executed an interior remodel on and the other was the Charles E. Roberts Stable. Wright redesigned the structure from an old barn
Barn
A barn is an agricultural building used for storage and as a covered workplace. It may sometimes be used to house livestock or to store farming vehicles and equipment...
into a garage
Garage (house)
A residential garage is part of a home, or an associated building, designed or used for storing a vehicle or vehicles. In some places the term is used synonymously with "carport", though that term normally describes a structure that is not completely enclosed.- British residential garages:Those...
for Roberts' electric car
Electric car
An electric car is an automobile which is propelled by electric motor, using electrical energy stored in batteries or another energy storage device. Electric cars were popular in the late-19th century and early 20th century, until advances in internal combustion engine technology and mass...
. The building was eventually converted into a residence by architect Charles E. White, Jr.
Charles E. White, Jr.
Charles E. White, Jr. was a noted Chicago area architect who for a time worked in the Oak Park studio of Frank Lloyd Wright and who, both before and after that time, had a successful and influential career as an architect and a writer on architectural subjects...
, Roberts' son-in-law
Son-in-Law
Son-in-Law was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and an influential sire, especially for sport horses.The National Horseracing Museum says that Son-in-Law is "probably the best and most distinguished stayer this country has ever known." Described as "one of the principal influences for stamina in...
and an employee in Wright's studio
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio at 951 Chicago Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois, has been restored by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust to its appearance in 1909, the last year Frank Lloyd Wright lived there with his family. Frank Lloyd Wright purchased the property and built the home in...
in the years 1903-1905. Sources greatly vary on the date of White's conversion. The village of Oak Park's landmark nomination form for Wright's other Roberts project, the patron's home, puts White's conversion of the garage into a residence at in 1929, at the same time the structure was physically moved from its original location to its present location. Historian Thomas O'Gorman, while noting the 1929 move, stated that the Wright-redesigned barn conversion was altered into a dwelling between 1903 and 1904. O'Gorman connects White's remodel to the sheer overhaul the building experienced under Wright's creative thumb.
Architecture
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d roof, rounded bay
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
and half-timbering, all common elements of the Tudor Revival style. Other 1890s Wright designed buildings also displayed a connection to the traditional domestic architecture styles. The house has a vertical upsweep which projects a sense of shelter and safety associated with Wright's broad, overhanging eaves found in Wright's roof designs. White carried Wright's design a step further in his remodel but Wright's architectural skill is still evident in the structure.
The home expresses a familial coziness, common to Wright's later early modern Prairie homes
Prairie School
Prairie School was a late 19th and early 20th century architectural style, most common to the Midwestern United States.The works of the Prairie School architects are usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands,...
. The entire idea of barn conversion, in the late 19th century, was an architectural leap forward. Wright's work on the stable introduced angularity and converted it from a barn to a building which expressed a meld of country charm and modernity. O'Gorman compared the home to those designed by architect Edward Luytens. The prominent roof features second-story dormer
Dormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
s and its massive scale is balanced by Wright's placement of towering chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
s at either end of the house. The home's front facade is obscured by bushes, trees and landscaping during the warmer months and the home is best viewed in autumn or winter.
Significance
The Charles E. Roberts Stable is one of several examples of Wright's work on pre-existing structures found in the village of Oak Park. Other examples include the Peter A. Beachy HousePeter A. Beachy House
The Peter A. Beachy House is a home in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois that was entirely remodeled by architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1906. The house that stands today is almost entirely different from the site's original home, a Gothic cottage...
and the Hills-DeCaro House, as well as the Roberts House; each of those buildings were pre-existing homes. The building once sat at the rear of the Charles E. Roberts House, a locally designated Oak Park Landmark, today it stands next door to that structure. The stable is listed as a contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District
Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District
The Frank Lloyd Wright/Prairie School of Architecture Historic District is a residential neighborhood in the Cook County, Illinois village of Oak Park, United States. The Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District is both a federally designated historic district listed on the U.S. National Register of...
. The historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
was listed on 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...
on December 4, 1973.