Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House

The Frank Lloyd Wright Robie House at 5757 S Woodlawn Ave in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, stands on the University of Chicago campus and is widely considered the finest example of Prairie School architecture. Completed in 1910 for businessman Frederick C. Robie, it is part of the 2019 UNESCO World Heritage listing of eight Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in the United States, and its low horizontal lines, cantilevered roofs and bands of art glass windows reshaped residential design.

The house is visited on guided tours led by trained docents from the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust. Tours explain Wright's approach to the open floor plan, the integration of furniture, lighting and built-in features, and the use of brick, limestone and leaded glass windows with geometric patterns. Rooms include the living and dining areas on the main level, which flow together around a central fireplace, and the children's playroom and bedrooms upstairs. The interior shows Wright's attention to daylight, with horizontal rows of windows and doors that open to balconies. Guides also describe the house's narrow escape from demolition in the 1950s and its later restoration.

The tour takes about an hour, and tours run only on selected days, so visitors should book at flwright.org before traveling. Adult tours are approximately $25 to $30 and children's approximately $20. Morning tours let more natural light into the rooms, which brings out the art glass, and midday tours are also pleasant. Capacity is limited, so weekends and the summer season sell out earliest. The house is a short walk from the University of Chicago and from Hyde Park's restaurants and the Museum of Science and Industry, and the neighborhood is about 15 minutes by Metra Electric to the 55th-56th-57th Street station followed by a 12-minute walk, or CTA bus 6. Photography inside is typically restricted or limited, so the guide's instructions should be followed.