Frank Lloyd Wright's Winslow House: Birth of the Prairie Style

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Before Frank Lloyd Wright became famous for his iconic designs, he was still exploring his style in the Victorian era. Join us as we explore the Winslow House in River Forest, Illinois, the first Prairie Style House in the world, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Location: River Forest, Illinois
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Public Domain Photos from: Library of Congress, Smithsonian, Architectural Review, The Prairie School Review
CC BY 2.0(creativecommon...) Photos from: Flickr User: Oak Park Cycle Club, Teemu008
CC BY-SA 3.0(creativecommon... from: Wikipedia User: Thshriver
CC BY-SA 4.0(creativecommon...) Photos from: Wikipedia User: Bilyan Belchev
Assets from: Envato Elements
Music form Epidemic Sound

[@ThisHouse]

Today's house was a fan request. Let us know what other houses you would like to see us cover!

[@sprague49]

I'd love a review of Pleasant Home! 217 Home Ave, Oak Park, IL. AKA the John Farson House, designed by architect George Washington Maher and completed 1897. Very early Prairie School.

[@marciafallon7653]

I would love to hear the story of the mansion at what is now Waveny Park in New Canaan, CT. When I was growing up it already belonged to the town and was known as the Latham Estate.

[@JunkShackBaby]

The Schowendgerdt House in Warrenton Mo. It has recently been renovated and people say its gorgeous. I have yet to schedule a tour but maybe you could? Your videos are so informative and a pleasure to watch. Thank you for that ;)

[@rosezingleman5007]

I’d love to see the Merchants National Bank by Purcell, Feick & Elmslie in Winona Minnesota. When I last saw it in 2013, it was still a bank. Its interior is stunning and the exterior also owes a lot to Louis Sullivan.

[@bscottb8]

Crane Mansion, Castle Hill, Ipswich MA, designed by Chicago architect David Adler. Also, Castle in the Clouds, Moultonborough, NH, designed by Boston architect J. Williams Beal.

[@lauriehall1249]

This house is timeless. You can decorate any way you want with that sophisticated layout. I would love to see the current interior.

[@samsmom1491]

Frank Lloyd Wright was a genius. The only criticism I can give is not enough attention is paid to the kitchen until later designs.

[@Mark723]

Love this house, both the home featured in this video and the channel. Never new about this Frank Lloyd Wright home - one can really get a sense of an architect coming into his own style. Thank you for this.

[@mileshigh1321]

I like the lines and look of the place! Like to see how the interior looks today. Hopefully still as nice as when it was built!

[@BanBiofuels]

It's a beautiful house, especially the rear view. It looks like this home is FLW's most practical home in terms of longevity and low maintenance.

[@QueenBee-gx4rp]

I really like this house….and the picture of the children was adorable! I’ll bet they had a lot of fun there!

[@afletchermansson4418]

Very nice presentation. It's interesting to compare this project to his later work in Oak Park to see the evolution of his Prairie Style vision.

[@terrymenz5838]

This is my favorite of all the Frank Lloyd houses. I appreciate the blend of Victorian and modern as I prefer older structures over contemporary. Thanks for this!

[@calendarpage]

Since moving to the Midwest, I've become a fan of Prairie Style. I like this house and don't think I've seen it on other FLW videos.

[@christopherkraft1327]

This is one of my favorite Frank Lloyd Wright's homes!!! 👍👍🙂

[@lorriredmon8212]

I love FLW! I grew up just up the street from his Home and Studio in Oak Park, and have always been a fan of him and Sullivan. I have seen this house from the outside but never a glimpse of the interior. Thank you for showing the amazing details inside.

[@michaelanderson7735]

Great video on a special house designed by a legendary house designer.

[@alexanderptashnik]

Absolute gem. This is the kind of content that I love. Please make it longer and in greater depth as possible.

[@craiggillett5985]

Agree, such a revolutionary design

[@nicoleheatherington4365]

Wow, this house belonged to my parents best friends!

[@lisaannepierce7203]

I too, have never seen this house and would love a current showing. As much as I love FLW, I never thought I would enjoy living in one of them. But this one I could live in. There is one of his homes near where I live and every few years it is open to the public. I wonder if this house is ever on a tour?

[@ladylavender66]

I agree that I wouldn’t want to live in some of his other houses (I’ve toured 2 near me) but this one looks very livable! Very intrigued by how different the back of the house looks from the front.

[@rosezingleman5007]

I just love the facade of the Winslow House. Yes, the interior is a bit confusing, but Wright often had issues with staircases, even the Robie House has a kind of odd staircase. The Winslow House has a kind of elegance that is very enduring.

[@wendyannh]

Thank you for doing this house, Ken! I’ve seen pictures of the exterior but never the interior.

[@ra3playzgamez-withpuddingp425]

I live in Oregon, where there is a Frank Lloyd Wright house. I have grown to love how he developed his style. Fascinating look at his humble beginning!

[@Joy-TheLazyCatLady2]

I think this is my favorite FLR home. It's absolutely gorgeous. Thank you.✌🏻💟😁🏨🇺🇸

[@thomasbrown6970]

So interesting. I have never heard of this house before.

[@NelsonClick]

Wow! I've never seen this. I see it; the geometry. I like it because it enters so easily into your mind. It's a pleasant conversation the moment you see it. It's tentatively perfect. I see Palladio in it. Three windows over four windows. Perfectly centered entrance. So this is how it all started.

[@patrickbass3542]

Beautiful!

[@leephillips2837]

one of the most important things to understand, this house is HUGE. scale is being reordered by Wright. Thanks for the back view. I've seen the front in pictures first and then in person. It would be great to see the floor plans of the other floors to understand the complexity of the building. Also, defining Inglenook would be great. I've never seen the interiors of the space. Said inglenook looks very Victorian, something I've never considered before, given his next works of the next few years.

[@jillatherton4660]

I prefer the unusual exterior elevation; nicely proportioned.

[@davedesigns4667]

Nice video Ken.. excellent segment

[@garaldtao1801]

I love this house and I would like to add that I am a bit of an airplane enthusiast myself.

[@garaldtao1801]

For those who are unfamiliar with the joke, it is from a skit called Halfwits on an old Canadian show called SCTV. Martin Short's character makes this hilarious comment about Frank Lloyd Wright.

[@JosephStJames2000]

What a quirky house! I love the front elevation with its recessed second floor giving the illusion that the roof is floating over the first floor. And then the rear view has such exuberance in stark contrast to the restrained front of the house. Great choice!

[@wannaduckfin]

Fabulous.

[@michaelsteele8515]

Love this house!

[@BanBiofuels]

This is one of Wright's most practical and livable designs.

[@robb2biago]

That house seems so heavy and blockish. That conservatory and the backyard view is so stunning. What was your phrase? “Confusing array of design elements” is kind. The arch of the carport is out of place. I can’t remember when I toured that home, but it was just the lower level and backyard.

[@paulrand4038]

any thing that FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT designed is ultimately creativity of a great mind creating things all around us... and thank goodness for him to do this for us

[@cnr414Nicole]

So beautiful 😍.

[@wannaduckfin]

I so enjoy your videos!

[@LinzYoutube]

I really wish your videos were longer. I just start getting into the, and they're done already. They're very well done, but I'd like to enjoy them for a little longer than 3 minutes.

[@jilltagmorris]

Adore this!

[@wiguy3]

Was the first floor half bath in the original design? So many of his homes, this was not a feature. Today it would be considered an absolute necessity.

[@hughjamesbishop6195]

My mother’s house was designed by an architect that trained under Frank, it has many of the same design characteristics Granted it’s a raised one story It’s an absolutely gorgeous house!

[@craiggillett5985]

Thank-you for this. Such an amazing home considering the era within which it was conceived. He really was a revolutionary architect. Im sure there is a similar house to this in Mount Clare New Jersey.

[@MSportsEngineering]

For me, the marvel of FLW is not the architecture but how EARLY he created it.

[@craiggillett5985]

Yes, I’m learning a lot valour him through this channel, prior to Cams short films, I mistakenly thought he came of age in the 30’s and 40’s. I had no idea he was working in the transitional phase of early modernism.

[@emilyrosewell308]

I love this house❤️

[@johnlorrieboskovic2836]

Kentuck Knob is an interesting FLW home - and it truly was a family home for many years. One of the few where the owners were able to have him build the home with a basement.

[@susprime7018]

Very lovely.

[@julielewisizame]

I really enjoy your videos ty

[@horizon42q]

You need to go to the Park Inn Hotel in Mason City, Iowa. It’s the last Frank Lloyd Wright's hotel still standing. It’s beautiful

[@skpjoecoursegold366]

I like the house but not the door/2 windows area, it sticks out like a sore thumb, looks very odd.

[@opheliabelleu8025]

September 2024 - It's on the market!

[@craiggillett5985]

Love it

[@user-bu9qs6zu9r]

I like it

[@handyatmusic]

I see many videos about fascinating Wright homes falling into disrepair, beset by construction defects or just the ravages of time. Are early Wright house plans in the public domain? Can they be copied and rebuilt with modern construction methods?

[@wam44]

This house was on the market and sold some years ago. The inside pic's from the listing were incredible-I wanted it real bad LOL. I heard it had some weird features upstairs-a huge exhaust fan to pull hot air up and out. the fan was not shown in the listing pictures. This video doesn't do this piece of art justice...

[@lamaraleachman5910]

❤❤❤

[@lizlittle1641]

I love the uniqueness of the inside but not a fan of the outside.

[@mark_osborne]

Horrendous inefficient interior . Gorgeous curb appeal.

[@johnryman1366]

He'd never approve of the new colors...yuk, suburbia

[@gregblanton9386]

Frank Loyd Wright basically ripped off the Japanese Wayo Kenchiku style of architecture in his toned down lineal designs.

[@wendyannh]

A lot of his work was based on Japanese design. Among other things, he utilized tatami mat dimensions as his grid system, at least in the Robie house. Those proportions contribute to the calm and peaceful feeling of the houses he used them in.

[@brandonpiazza6210]

Hate it.

[@mr.x8259]

Dull.

[@kissingcandy1]

wow! I love this house. I could live in it. so interesting seeing the transition of style from Victorian to modernism.

[@marciafallon7653]

Beautiful!