The Beautiful Robie House

As promised earlier, here are the pictures of Robie House taken when I went for the tour. Unfortunately, no photography allowed for the interior part of the house. I forgot to ask the guide the reason for that. Probably due to the fact that they are trying to restore the house to the original state and making the interior museum quality standard. Or maybe they really don't want people to copy the building exactly as all of the houses designed by Frank LlyodWright are unique on the inside too.

Stained Glass Windows. These are considered as 'sacred' for buildings designed by Wright.

The unique shape of concrete throughout the house.
The secluded entry way. One of my favorite part of the building.

More unique stained glass windows. They increase the privacy of the house.

Stairs to the veranda.

The House

Robie House

I had the opportunity to visit Robie House in Hyde Park, Chicago, one of the most famous house designed by the great Frank Lloyd Wright. Considering the house was built in 1910, it can truly be described as "the true modern architecture". If you don't know anything about Frank Lloyd Wright or Robie House, you might mistakenly think that the house was built 2 or 3 years ago.

Frank Lloyd Wright, a true visionary...

Here's some background on the house. I do have several exterior picture of the house, however my computer is having a problem right now, thus I won't be able to upload those pictures, at least for now.

Robie Residence Commentary

"The Robie house, as Wright's best expression of the Prairie masonry structure, is a national landmark....Sheathed in Roman brick and overhung so perfectly that a midsummer noon sun barely strikes the foot of the long, glass-walled southern exposure of the raised above-ground-level living quarters, it demonstrates Wright's total control and appreciation of microclimatic effects. This is coupled with a high degree of integration of the mechanical and electrical systems designed by Wright into the visual expression of the interior. Living and dining space are in-line, with only the fireplace-chimney block providing separation...Sleeping quarters are yet a floor above, play and billiard rooms below; there is no 'basement.' Construction was begun in 1908 and completed the following year. The garage and surrounding wall were later altered from the original design."

— William Allin Storrer. The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright: A Complete Catalog. project 127.

The Creator's Words

"Architecture is the triumph of human imagination over materials, methods and men, to put man into possession of his own earth.

Machinery, materials and men—yes—these are the stuffs by means of which the so-called American architect will get his architecture....Only by the strength of his spirit's grasp upon all three—machinery, materials and men—will the architect be able so to build that his work may be worthy the great name architecture.

Bring out the nature of the materials, let their nature intimately into your scheme....Reveal the nature of the wood, plaster, brick or stone in your designs; they are all by nature friendly and beautiful."

— Frank Lloyd Wright. from Bruce Brooks Pfeiffer and Gerald Nordland, ed. Frank Lloyd Wright: In the Realm of Ideas. p48.

p/s: I fell in love with Frank Lloyd Wright's work when I first saw the Falling Water, the more famous house designed by him. However, due to the rural location of the house, I have never had a chance to visit it, even though I passed the highway leading to the house several times.