Me-go: Around-the-World

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park

   

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I’ve spent plenty of time in Oak Park, Illinois and still have family there. Even so, I’ve never visited any of the Frank Lloyd Wright sights growing up. When a friend mentioned biking there I decided to tag along—two is better than one when riding through the rough neighborhoods separating Chicago from Oak Park.

Before I could head out to the suburbs I had to make a quick stop downtown at The Art Institute of Chicago to attend a Creative Mornings talk by Shawn Smith of Shawnimals. The talk was interesting and the location was stunning.

Sara biked all the was from the North side to meet me for our ride. Look at that beautiful new bike lane running through the Loop!

We decided on the most direct route, taking us through Garfield Park and Austin. It was sunny out and we didn’t run into any trouble until we passed by a crime scene surrounded by six news vans. Moving on through the park, we eventually came upon Unity Temple completed in 1908.

Although we took no photographs inside, the interior of Wright’s home and studio was incredibly impressive. He used narrow hallways and vaulted ceilings to create a feeling of open space. The “children’s play room” was particularly special.

Afterward we followed the tourists on the audio tour wearing headphones to the other Wright-designed homes down the street. What an amazing street to live on…

Oh, look, my friend Dusty’s sculpture is on the Oak Park Sculpture walk in front of one of the houses.

After a long day of biking we deserved a good lunch before turning around to head home.

3 responses to “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park”

  1. Nina Avatar
    Nina

    Gorgeous photos. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Megan Avatar
      Megan

      You should get out there sometime, Nina, it’s really special.

  2. Sara Avatar
    Sara

    What a fun day! And you are right, I would love to live on that particular street!