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Anyone who has studied Frank Lloyd Wright knows he was his own biggest fan. So the fact that he purportedly told people that the Frederick C. Robie House he built in Hyde Park at 5757 S. Woodlawn Ave., near (and now "on") the University of Chicago campus, was his greatest Prairie-style home, you should make sure you get down there to see it.
Completed in 1910, it is said to be the most innovative and forward-thinking of all of Wright’s Prairie homes. So it should come as no surprise it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963 and was on the first National Register of Historic Places list compiled in 1966.
This year the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, which owns the Robie House, is in the midst of major interior restoration work in order to bring back the home’s original 1910 Wright-envisioned glory, said Karen Sweeney, preservation architect and facility director. It is expected to be complete in early spring 2019.
As the work progresses, the trust is offering a series of Restoration Hard Hat Tours to keep Wright aficionados informed about the restoration process. Expert guides are leading in-depth tours into limited-access areas of the building for a closer look at the project as it evolves over the next several months. Discussions will focus particularly on technical aspects of the restoration process, aimed at architects and true Wright lovers, Sweeney said.
Upcoming tours are scheduled to run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Fridays, May 25 and June 22. They will cost $60 ($50 for trust members) and tickets can be purchased at flwright.org/hardhattours. Light refreshments will be served before each tour and a souvenir Frank Lloyd Wright Trust hard hat will be included with each ticket.
The highlight of the restoration project is the return of Wright’s signature inglenook to...