September 6, 2025 — 12:00am
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Chartreuse-coloured lawns slope down to wide pavements, unimpeded by fences. Each front yard in this tree-lined street, suitably named Forest Avenue, is an immaculate showcase. No litter, trash cans, and not too many folks out and about on this spring morning. But it’s early, and architecture admirers may still be on their way. I have my headset on, and with a map, I’m on a self-guided walking tour of the grand homes of, what is said to be, one of the US’s most expensive places to live – Oak Park.
There are beautiful houses everywhere in the world, but in this precinct, 14 kilometres west of Chicago, so neat it could be The Stepford Wives backlot, there are 25 homes and buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, regarded as one of the greatest American architects.
Moore-Dugal house in Oak Park.
Admirers can view these privately owned homes only from the verge but Wright’s former home and studio, on the same block, is a museum where I learn about his genius. During the first decade of the 20th century, he developed the Prairie Style, which he called “organic architecture”, for its harmonious use of art and nature. Prior to the designs of Wright and his cohort – among whom was Walter Burley Griffin of Canberra fame – people of means favoured “historical revival” designs, such as Italianate and Greek revival.
After touring Wright’s studio, where my group is instructed “not to touch or lean on walls”, I feel I have his style worked out, and as I stroll Forest and Chicago avenues, I can identify the emphasis of horizontal over vertical and overhanging eaves. My favourite is Moore-Dugal house which, because it began life as a Tudor design and was later redesigned by Wright, is a bit of a mishmash but fantastic, nonetheless.
Nearby is Wright’s Unity Temple, his only remaining Prairie public building. Wright belonged to the Unitarian faith, which emphasised reason, tolerance and freedom. While there’s a brutalist exterior to the work – a concrete cube with Egyptian columns – the honey-warm pews and natural and stained-glass lighting are a welcome contrast to the grey exterior.
The interior of Unity Temple.
Around the corner stands the Queen Anne-style home (not one of Wright’s), where Ernest Hemingway was born in 1899. Unlike Wright, Hemingway came from money, as did many of those residing in Oak Park at the time. A widely circulated quote attributed to the writer that Oak Park was epitomised by “wide lawns and narrow minds”, is apparently a myth, with no written evidence of Hemingway making the quip.
I see many wide lawns along with plenty of Pride flags fluttering on porches, and today, like a century ago, Oak Park is an artists’ enclave and has one of the greatest concentrations of registered voters in the country. All in all, I imagine they hold pretty broad views.
Admirers can view these privately owned homes only from the verge.Getty Images
Back on my tour bus, our guide says a Wright house can sell from $US4 million ($6.14m) to $US6 million; indeed, the Heurtley House, a National Historic Monument, sold for $5.75 million some 20 years ago.
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I gulp when she says residents pay about $US25,000 ($38,950) in property taxes a year (a mix of council and federal rates), which buys them cleanliness, flower boxes in the downtown area and police who arrive “20 seconds” after they call.
Living in Oak Park is a touch pricey, but the train from Chicago is a mere $4, and it’s a small fee to visit Wright’s home studio, complete with head-set.
The downtown area is the perfect place to unwind after inspecting eaves and exterior ornamentations. During summer, the main street morphs into a pedestrian party zone on Thursday nights, and those in the know say Hemingway’s Bistro is the venue for a fancy French meal.
THE DETAILS
TOURS
The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust has group and individual tours, including bike tours. Its Home and Studio tour runs 10am to 4pm daily and costs between $US24 and $US38. The Chicago Architecture Centre also runs Wright tours. See flwright.org; architecture.org
FLY
United Airlines flies daily to Chicago via either San Francisco or Los Angeles. united.com
MORE
Oak Park and Beyond. oakparkandbeyond.org
The writer was a guest of Enjoy Illinois. enjoyillinois.com
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