“An architect’s most useful tools are an eraser at the drafting board, and a wrecking bar at the site.”
— FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
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Like many homeowners, Frank Lloyd Wright renovated his house to accommodate his family’s changing needs. But Wright’s family needs changed quite a lot. As his brood grew to six children, he added a dining room and playroom to his Oak Park home. Then, to get some space away from the kids, he added the studio in 1898. After running away with a client’s wife, Wright remodeled the studio, moved his estranged family there and converted the house to rental units. Only a great architect can afford that many changing family needs — without having to design himself a poorhouse. * Years it took to restore the complex to its 1909 state: 13. * Number of structures designed by Wright at his Oak Park studio: 125. * Percentage of homeowners planning a remodeling who are excited about it: 48. Percentage of homeowners who dread it: 11. * Percentage of remodelers who would not hire their contractors again: 50.
Sources: Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust; “Frank Lloyd Wright: His Life and His Architecture” by Robert C. Twombly; remodelormove.com; renovationexperts.com; and Qualified Remodeler magazine.
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nwatkins@tribune.com
