Eight private homes, three public buildings on Frank Lloyd Wright tour

Peter A. Beachy House (1906)

Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust’s 37th Annual Wright Plus Housewalk 2011
Ultimate Plus Package offers a full weekend of unique architecture related events

OAK PARK, IL – Tickets are now available for the internationally acclaimed Wright Plus 2011 housewalk, showcasing rare interior tours of private homes created by Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries in historic Oak Park, Illinois.

Wright Plus 2011, Saturday, May 21, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., features magnificent private residences in Oak Park. Guests enjoy interpretations based on in-depth research of the homes’ history and architecture, including discussions of the original occupants’ lifestyles. This exceptional housewalk, which attracts visitors from around the world, offers an intimate look at a selection of beautiful homes lining the historic streets of Oak Park, a community west of downtown Chicago, which boasts the world’s largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residences.

Arthur B. Heurtley House (1902)

Tickets are available at GoWright.org and by calling 877-848-3559. Tickets are $85 for Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust members and $100 for non-members.

The Wright Plus housewalk features eight private homes, three of which are designed by Wright, and three Wright-designed public buildings. The Peter A. Beachy House (1906) and Arthur B. Heurtley House (1902) are Wright designs from the early Prairie period when Wright was seeking to develop a distinctly American architecture. The Harrison P. Young House (1895), remodeled by Wright, is a blend of his emerging Prairie signature with Tudor Revival elements. The three public buildings designed by Wright—Unity Temple, the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, and the Robie House —are National Historic Landmarks.

A.J. Redmond House (1900)

Also featured on Wright Plus are three homes designed by architect E. E. Roberts: The Joseph Dunlop House II (1897), A.J. Redmond House (1900) and Americus B. Melville II House (1916). The homes exhibit Queen Anne style, Victorian and Classical features infused with Prairie School influences. The Walter Gale House II (1905) by Handy and Cady is a classic Colonial Revival with newly discovered history and the W.H. Yorke House (1886) is an elegant historic home merging Victorian detail with modern uses. Architect research is ongoing for this residence. Both residences are being shown on the housewalk for the first time. 

The Ultimate Plus Weekend
Along with the famed housewalk tour, the Preservation Trust also offers the following tours and events Thursday, May 19 to Sunday, May 22 as part of the Ultimate Plus Weekend: Chairman’s Reception and Twilight Tour, Friday Excursion, Exclusively Wright Plus Dinners and Conservation Conversations. Most events can be purchased separately as well as part of the Ultimate Plus Weekend package.

The Chairman’s Reception and Twilight Tour kick off the Wright Plus experience with a rare Twilight Tour of the Robie House in Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, followed by an elegant reception at the beautiful 1905 Wright-designed lobby of the Rookery Building in the historic financial district of downtown Chicago.

The Friday Excursion, Private Passage to Wright’s Wisconsin, is day trip to Racine, Wisconsin to tour the unique buildings Wright designed for the Johnson family. Guests will visit the private Wingspread residence, Herbert Johnson’s splendid 14,000-square-foot home, followed by a tour of the innovative SC Johnson campus, including both Wright’s iconic Administration Building as well as the newly built Fortaleza Hall.

Harrison P. Young House (1895)

Exclusively Wright Plus Dinners offer an intimate experience combining a beautiful historic home and the exquisite cuisine of an acclaimed chef. The evening includes champagne, live music, private tours and conversations with the current owners. Conservation Conversations and Sunday Around the Corner: An Exploration of Hyde Park Treasures allow two unique ways to cap off the weekend’s festivities. Included in the Ultimate Plus Package, Conservation Conversations is an intimate look at how current homeowners have preserved, conserved and restored their Wright-designed structures. Available for individual purchase, Sunday Around the Corner, provides an exclusive behind-the-scenes tour of the restoration of one of the 20th century's most influential buildings—Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House. Guests will also learn how the historic area around 58th Street and Woodlawn Avenue, on the University of Chicago campus, took shape after the completion of Wright’s iconic Robie House.

The Ultimate Plus Weekend Package includes three night’s accommodation in a deluxe room (double occupancy) at the historic Carleton of Oak Park, Official Hotel of Wright Plus 2011, and transportation from hotel to all events.