wright plus home walk

ShaundeGriffintown

After visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, one of the guides was kind enough to offer us a little "extra" tour around the neighborhood to see a few of the FLW "bootleg" homes. These are homes in the same neighborhood that FLW designed as "secret commissions" while still working for a Chicago area architectural firm. When you see these homes it's not difficult to guess who designed them; something that FLW's boss eventually did, which led to FLW's firing!

KAS951

Very informative tour with access to private homes, if you are into Architecture and like Frank Lloyd Wrights work it is a must see.

jacobm691

I think this attraction may be reviewed as a few different tours, the one I am reviewing is the self-guided audio tour purchased at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. It is a fantastic tour with lots of Frank Lloyd Wright houses. It starts at the Home and Studio, and goes down Forest Avenue, which is lined with some Frank Lloyd Wright houses. The homes are awesome examples of his early architecture. Too bad they are all private residences and you cannot go inside. But the homes are still so neat to see and go great with an audio tour. I stopped at the end of the street to get something to eat in nearby downtown, and continued, so it took me more like 2 and 1/2 hours, it should only take an hour. I highly recommend doing this after the Home and Studio.

kmusikdi

We really enjoyed walking along Forest Avenue and seeing so many gorgeous Frank Lloyd Wright homes. Even my teenage daughters enjoyed seeing such beautiful homes and didn't complain! This was definitely a highlight of our trip to the Chicago area for me!

rons320

I was pressed for time so I opted to see FLW houses just around his home/studio on Forest Ave and Chicago Ave. Having read one of the reviews here and thus maintaining a slight hope to see all of them in 1 hour I marked my map with 25 locations. Of course it took 1 hour to see just a few at a normal pace. One would need 2-3 hours to see all properties

Brend482

I really enjoyed this opportunity to see multiple Frank Lloyd Wright-designed houses at once.You get an audio guide and a map from the home/studio for about $15 (you get discounts if you get multiple tours). The audio guide is really good, pointing out significant features of the houses and contrasting them to the non-Wright houses in the neighborhood. By the end of the tour, which takes about 45 minutes, I had a really good understanding of the key elements of Wright's Prairie-style, and was even starting to recognize these features without the assistance of the guide!

Vanessacmc

We booked tickets for the Wright walk along with the studio tour and the temple. It was a great way to spend a morning. The walk took an hour. But could take longer as we walked fairly quickly. You do get a handy leaflet telling you the numbers and locations of the houses, along with a headset which tells you a bit about each of the houses. Definitely worth doing for lovers of FLW and also worth combining your visit with some of the other attractions in the area.

ZAC_ZACL

I reviewed this element of the visit in my main review of the FLW house visit. The first half of the walk is worthwile, depending how long you stand and view, ( and the weather) it can take about 30-40 minutes. I do not think the inclusion of the Temple as is, is particularly useful. The rest of the walk fills time.

E150A

Oak Park has many fine example of early Frank Lloyd Wright homes and other buildings. Also there are other examples of Prairie School architects such as George Maher and John van Bergen.Oak Park is about 10 miles west of Chicago Loop and the trip by Green Line took about 45 minutes (including transfer). A walking tour of all the significant buildings will take most of a day on foot but you can see the highlights in about 2 hours. One thing to note is that the famous homes are obviously in residential areas so you will not be near any shops or other facilities for most of the walk. Should have good walking shoes and also warm clothing in case the weather turns.There is a visitor's center very close to Oak Park station on Lake Street, between Marion Street and Forest Avenue. It has a small souvenir shop and it sells a detailed map of the town with all the notable sights.

Deborahjune

Take your time and don't miss anything. It is a great way to see the neighbourhood and to experience the greatness of this man.

318BillB

The concentration of Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes in central Oak Park is one of the largest in the world. The people who live in them treat them as museums, keeping them in great shape. Once in awhile, they open them for tours during "Wright Plus". We live in Oak Park, but every few years like to go back to see the Home and Studio where Frank lived with his familty while he was establishing himself in architecture, and some of the homes he designed, along with some other famous homes designed by others in the area. Well worth the time if you love to see exceptional homes.

Monsoondreamer

The walk is fascinating. I loved the home tour too. The walk is definitely dependent on good weather!

tjwaltz

This hour plus walk is well worth the time. The guides are architects or people who have studied Frank and his architecture for years and are extremely knowledgeable. They will answer questions and all allow you to take picture. A great intellectual journey.

kburbank7

Add the walking tour to your ticket for an education on Prairie Style architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright. The walk will take about an hour and is well worth the time investment. Seeing the houses and listening to the audio provided at the FLW House gives insight not only on this style but also on Frank Lloyd Wright's early career. This was also a very important period of his life. During this time, he earned the reputation of producing unique and beautiful structures whose designs have stood the test of time as well as being historic landmarks.I only wish my friends and I had been told that Unity Temple closes at 3 pm. Had we known, we would have certainly gone there first.

iwearblack

We bought the map and thoroughly enjoyed a fall day looking at FLW homes up close and personal. After reading about it in art school it is worth it to see them in person. Besides it's free!