With a trip to Chicago and Wisconsin in October 2024, I was finally able to complete visits to all the UNESCO inscribed Frank Lloyd Wright buildings.  I was only able to view the Jacobs house from the streets, but took a tour of Taliesin, a very worthwhile visit.

The highlight of the trip, which included Chicago, the Oak Park neighborhood and viewings of various other Wright sites was the Estate Tour of Taliesin, which ran from 9:15-1:15.  This seemed to the be most comprehensive tour being offered at the time. It included the residence, but also the school, his sister’s home, and an opportunity to view many of the other Wright designed out buildings – barns, a windmill, and more.

On the same trip, I visited Madison for a view of the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House and some of the other Wright designed buildings in Madison, including the Unitarian Meeting House (recommended).  The Jacobs House is viewable from two sides.

Before leaving the Chicago area, I also revisited a few sites including Wright’s Oak Park Studio and Home and the Robie House.  On my prior visit I had not entered Unity Temple, something I made up for this day. 

It was a beautiful autumn day (before the election, Halloween decorations up) and I was able to explore the neighborhood seeing around two dozen Wright designed home from the street in Oak Park and neighboring River Forest.  The Oak Park Studio offers a walking self-guided audio tour of the immediate vicinity, but there is a much broader range of his work in the surrounding communities and if one has the time, it is enriching to see a broad range of his early work.  Some of them are stunning. Most are Prairie Style. A few of notice are the Arthur Heurtley House and the Edwin Cheney House.  The latter has biographical interest as shortly thereafter, Wright ran off with Cheney’s wife, Mamah Cheney, who would later die in horrific circumstances at Taliesin.

My visits to the Guggenheim and to Taliesin West date back quite a few years.  In the case of the Guggenheim, I visited as most people do, lovers of the architecture but visiting on occasion of an art exhibition (in my case, I think Jean deBuffet was on display my first time).  I’ve taken tours at Taliesin West twice over the years, once right around sunset.

Hollyhock House had been closed for a while when I visited on a self-guided tour in January 2023. The house itself is relatively small but is an important example of Wright’s California style with cast concrete blocks and significant in his life story.  

I’ve only visited Falling Water, once in early spring almost 20 years ago, but hope to visit it again someday.

For me, and probably for most, Falling Water and the Guggenheim are the standout buildings in this list, but the overall list provides a much more representative collection of works, where one appreciates the whole so much better with each additional work.  The list could be easily augmented and if it were, there are several good examples to add.  

Although it is not listed, I can recommend the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield as it is available for tours, is in excellent shape and is well furnished, including much original glass.  If one were going from Chicago to the Cahokia Mounds UNESCO site, it is more or less on the way. 

I regret I was not able to schedule a visit to the Johnson Wax Building in Racine, Wisconsin.   I have also not yet been able to arrange a tour of the Hanna House in Stanford, California; it is temporarily closed.  Both seem worthy candidates.

After returning from Wisconsin, I finally toured another possible addition, the Marin Civic Center.  I had passed it many times, and had seen interiors in many science fiction films, this was the first time I’d toured it.  Tours are given every Friday at 10:30.