Robie House, designed in 1909 and completed in 1910, is considered to be the quintessence of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie Style of architecture. It was built in Chicago's Hyde Park for the young manufacturing executive Frederick C. Robie and his wife Lora; the building is now property of the University of Chicago.
In sharp contrast to the Gothic university, the house is a low-slung structure with a dramatic flat roof overhanging balconies and sills, giving the house a strongly horizontal appearance. (Shocked neighbours thought it looked like a steamship.) It features many typical Wright features like a huge central fireplace and chimney and box-like segments separating the living and utility areas of the residence. It is also filled with art glass windows and doors which dissolve the divisions between the box-like rooms, making the house a masterpiece of light and transparency.
The house is open to the public, and is well worth a visit. Get information about it at
www.wrightplus.org/robiehouse/index.html