frank lloyd wright's unity temple

170julianw

Unity Temple is an incredible space. Serene and uplifting -- if you do the self-guided tour sit in the sanctuary for a while and gaze up and around -- it will make your day! A tip -- if you plan to also see the Home and Studio and/or the Robie House and/or the rookery look into a membership -- it gets you in for free and will cost less than 2 or 3 tours.

rachelk311

I visited the Unity Temple and went on the tour. Although the tour is basic, it gives you better insight to the building than if you went as an individual. I would highly recommend doing both the unity temple and Wright's home and studio down the road consecutively.

jacobm691

I enjoyed my tour of Unity Temple. It was my first stop in Oak Park. I ama huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright's work, so I loved this. I missed the guided tour by 5 minutes, so I just took the audio tour instead. He definitely shows off his genius in this building. He apparently broke every law of religious architecture, and like most of his work, was double the budget costs. The Unitarians still worship here. They do allow photography unlike many Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, thank you Unity Temple for that. If in Chicago, this is a must visit.

vacplanner

We very much enjoyed our tour of the Unity Temple. The volunteer was informative and clever. You can tell she has a real appreciation for the architecture of FLW.

wahip

While others may be able to offer a more detailed architectural critique and discuss the wealth of history and local heritage this building offers; my experience involves attending meetings and Unitarian services here. While space may be at a premium for some events and building maintenance is an overwhelming struggle, I am always amazed at how FLW imparted a sense of grandeur and reverence into such a practical and usable package to create an experience that is both Unitarian and utilitarian. A "must see" for any visitor to our fair village.

Pinky Parker

If you are visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, you might as well make a stop at Unity Temple. Unlike other FLW sites, photography is allowed and after the tour, you can wander around on your own. This building seems to remind me of the Temple of Horus in Egypt - could it have influenced FLW?

bigharriet

Not a lot to see here. Outside of building more interesting than inside. Our guide was pleasant, but reading notes for many specifics. Answered questions when it was fairly clear he was not sure of the answer. I'm thinking this maybe a fund raiser for the Unity Temple. They are beginning a major restoration, which is a good thing. They plan to take things back to Wrights original design and colors.

273jimf

Wright's design for this house of worship expresses a nuanced understanding and appreciation of the Unitarian faith and it's New England Congregational Church roots. The design is simple yet it is natural. The lighting is profoundly touching. Sit in a pew and reflect on life.

CLEtraveller

Great to see his philosophies put into a public building like this. Was able to take a bunch of pictures on the inside.

Vanessacmc

This was our first stop on our mini FLW tour and when we arrived I was very surprised at the big grey concrete temple. There is no way you could describe is as beautiful, in fact it looks rather out of place in the upmarket neighbourhood.We went I for our 9.30 tour and started to learn more about the building and how FLW wanted you to see it and appreciate it. Once you understand more you definitely appreciate it. The final stop on the hour long tour was the temple itself. WOW, what an amazing room. If you like symmetry and colours and lines then you will love this room. It's beautiful, such a contrast to the outside.I can definitely recommend the tour, rather than just walking around yourself. You will learn so much more and the guides make it extremely interesting.

JMS18

The Temple is very interesting, although not as captivating as the FLW home and studio. The Temple is still in use, which is cool. The sanctuary was my favorite part. I liked that we were allowed to linger in the sanctuary as long as we wanted. It was a good tour.

bluegrassmom3

We toured the Temple after first touring FLW's home. It was a shorter tour but well worth the time. I hope the congregation is able to renovate this beautiful building as planned.

AllanGo

Unity Temple is an emotional experience: sitting there creates a sense of peace. Extraordinary success in architectural design. The associated walking tour of Wright homes in Oak Park is the outstanding opportunity to see many of his designs. If you are interested in Wright, this is the tour to take.

tripfoodie18

We did this after the home and studio and you can see that his style was set. We id not take the tour but used the headset and it was enough. It takes less than half an hour and is really only 1 room and the chapel, so we found it a bit expensive, it was interesting though.

SantaFeDiva

Because it closes at 3, we only saw the outside. The exterior is worth the trip, however. Concrete was only used for industrial buildings, at the time the Temple was constructed (around 1900), Frank Lloyd Wright made a decision to make this building out of it. The almost windowless concrete exterior gives large flat planes that highlight the ornamentation under the overhanging eaves. Photographing a sign on the west side was problematic as the sun was shining straight on it. I'll have to photoshop my pictures of the place. The Unity Temple is in stunning contrast to the Post Office across the street, which was Deco Federal style done by the WPA.