What famous architect designed the Unity Temple in Oak Park?
Frank Lloyd Wright designed Unity Temple in Oak Park. In the middle of the night of June 6th 1905, during a violent storm, lightning struck the spire of the wood frame Unitarian Church in Oak Park. By dawn, it had burned to the ground. The following morning, Frank Lloyd Wright put himself forward to design a new church. The concept Wright presented to the congregation met stated needs and was, at least prior to construction, within their budget. It also broke nearly every existing rule and convention for American and European religious architecture while laying the groundwork for modern buildings. Along with a revolutionary cubist design – with no steeple and no front entrance – Wright’s Unity Temple would use concrete in a daring way. Sources: http://unitytemple.
Frank Lloyd Wright designed Unity Temple in Oak Park. In the middle of the night of June 6th 1905, during a violent storm, lightning struck the spire of the wood frame Unitarian Church in Oak Park. By dawn, it had burned to the ground. The following morning, Frank Lloyd Wright put himself forward to design a new church. The concept Wright presented to the congregation met stated needs and was, at least prior to construction, within their budget. It also broke nearly every existing rule and convention for American and European religious architecture while laying the groundwork for modern buildings. Along with a revolutionary cubist design – with no steeple and no front entrance – Wright’s Unity Temple would use concrete in a daring way.
Oak Park’s Unity Temple is one of America’s 11 most endangered historic places, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The group put the centuryold Unitarian temple, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, on its annual list of historicplaces it considers endangered by neglect or development. It is threatened by years of water infiltration. Also listed are the Utah hangar that housed the Enola Gay B-29 that dropped an atomic bomb and the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
The architecture of Unity Temple represents a dramatic departure from customary design for a house of worship, even by modern standards. Frank Lloyd Wright designed this structure almost 100 years ago specifically to “not merely create a religious structure, but one that fitly embodies the principles of liberal religion for which this church stands…
Warning on Frank Lloyd Wright church Unity Temple in Oak Park on list of endangered historic places By Kristen Zambo | Special to the Tribune April 28, 2009 Unity Temple in Oak Park, an international architectural icon designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, has been named one of 11 most endangered historic places in the country by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The organization releases its annual endangered list to spotlight the need for restoring and preserving historic structures.
