GLENCOE – The closest many people get to a Frank Lloyd Wright house is the sidewalk in front of it, but that will change on September 20 when the Glencoe Historical Society offers public tours of four Wright-designed houses.
“This is a big deal. It is the first time these homes have been open since 1993,” said Adam Steinback, treasurer of the Historical Society.
The Wright in Glencoe Housewalk is one of the culminating events in a year-long centennial celebration of Ravine Bluffs, a development designed by the famed architect that includes seven homes delineated by three street markers and a bridge. Throughout the year the Historical Society has hosted a series of events to celebrate Ravine Bluffs, including lectures at the library and a public art project. Other events are planned for next month — visit this link to learn more.
The curated house tour will provide participants with the rare opportunity to see the interiors of two homes in the Ravine Bluffs development as well as two houses on Sheridan Road. While some of the Wright-designed homes in Ravine Bluffs will not be available to tour inside, docents will be available to provide participants information about those houses as well.
Steinback noted that all of the houses on the tour are very well maintained and participants can expect to see examples of signature Prairie style architecture such as low pitch roofs, wood banding and ornamental stained glass. The Glasner House on Sheridan Road was the first house in Glencoe designed by Wright. The home was designed for banker William Glasner in 1905 as a summer cottage, and while the home received a major renovation a few years ago, the improvements are sympathetic to the home’s history.
The tour also includes a stop at the Glencoe Historical Museum, where the special exhibit Wright in Glencoe will be on display that includes new research and never-before-seen photographs and drawings. The exhibit focuses exclusively on Wright’s work in Glencoe and how Ravine Bluffs was developed. It will also explore the lives of the people who hired Wright and the people who lived in the homes he designed.
“It will make people re-think what they thought they knew about the story,” Steinback remarked.
For more information about the Wright in Glencoe Housewalk and to purchase tickets go to www.wrightinglencoe.org