Prairie School home in Oak Park

[owenCollins]

1903 Home by E.E. Roberts is available in Oak Park. With all original woodwork and windows.

https://www.bhhschicago.com/ListingDeta ... /10957692

Would love to see what you all think of my childhood home.

[SDR]

Who here wouldn't be interested in this:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/419+R ... 87.7854602

https://www.google.com/maps/place/419+R ... 87.7854602

But we need to know more ! Name of the client, verification of the date of construction, neighbors in Oak Park etc etc . . .

S

[SDR]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eben_Ezra_Roberts

While we have mentioned Mr Roberts here, he does not appear in, for instance, H Allen Brooks's work of the 1970s. Either he was unknown to the historian at that time, or he was considered to be of secondary importance to the movement. Roberts, like other Prairie School practitioners who followed Wright, did produce work in other styles, either before their Wrightian output or afterward---or both. But then, so did Mr Wright . . .

The present property is notable for its geometric terra-cotta adornment at the second-floor level, which extends to the garage structure suggesting (but not confirming) that both buildings were constructed at the same time. The motif reminds one of Sullivan. There is a mitered corner window at the back of the house; might this have come later ?

S

[Roderick Grant]

Paul Sprague's book "Guide to Frank Lloyd Wright and Prairie School Architecture in Oak Park" (1978)lists 13 EE Roberts' buildings: Numbers: 4 10 19 21 29/30 33 35 54 63 77 -79. Number 79 @ 539 North Oak Park Avenue is especially nice. There is also a duplex that appears in another book on Prairie Architecture in the neighborhood near Lake Street that stands apparently unaltered. It's near a church. I cannot put my hands on the book at the moment.

Roberts was a smart man: He saw the popularity of Prairie Architecture, and went along with it, even though it was not part of his earlier history.

[Roderick Grant]

Found it on Google. It's at 309 N. Grove Ave.

[SDR]

"It" ? Not the subject house, whose Google images and address are linked above.

Is 309 N Grove another E E Roberts house ?

S

[Roderick Grant]

It is the duplex I referenced in the previous post.

[SDR]

While there is evidence that Google now places the street address on each building---on some maps---clicking on the map thumbnail no longer enlarges the map; instead it moves the street view to a new location. Odd . . .

S

[owenCollins]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eben_Ezra_Roberts

The present property is notable for its geometric terra-cotta adornment at the second-floor level, which extends to the garage structure suggesting (but not confirming) that both buildings were constructed at the same time. The motif reminds one of Sullivan. There is a mitered corner window at the back of the house; might this have come later ?

S

The garage was built in 1985, as was the kitchen and mitered window.
The motif around the house and the coachhouse is a copy of FLW's terra-cotta from Francis apartments I think. My dad (current owner and an Architect) had a hobby of going to buildings that were being torn down and salvaging elements.

[owenCollins]

FLW TerraCotta by Owen Collins

Here is the salvaged panel and one of the copies in the basement.

[SDR]

Ah---so that is one of his interventions. Wasn't he fortunate---or persistent---enough to find a tile whose size gave him three nice courses around the second-story window band !

Tell him I admire his tented ceiling in the bonus room, please. And did he make his own plywood chairs ? Nifty---and a nice furniture collection too.

S