Editing Unity Temple (section)

==== 1960s ====
By the 1960s, the concrete had begun to spall and leak; the congregation ruled out the idea of using stucco to patch the facade, and there were discussions about potentially demolishing the temple.<ref name="McCue 1961" /> Instead, Wright's son-in-law [[William Wesley Peters]], a principal in [[Taliesin Associated Architects]], oversaw a restoration of the building,<ref name="McCue 1961" /><ref name="Oak Leaves 1961a">{{cite web |date=November 16, 1961 |title=Universalists Hold Annual Holiday Bazaar |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&d=01011960-12311962&e=universalist%20church&m=between&ord=e1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19611116_english_33&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |work=Oak Leaves |page=33 |via=River Forest Public Library }}</ref> which was completed in 1961 for $22,000.<ref name="McCue 1961" /><ref name="Nicholas 1962">{{cite news |last=Nicholas |first=Dorothea |date=October 4, 1962 |title=Frank Lloyd Wright Church Is Architectural Shrine: Heritage Unit to Pay Tribute to Sanctuary |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-frank-lloyd-wright-churc/164635823/ |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=7.1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-frank-lloyd-wright-churc/164635855/ 7.4] |id={{ProQuest|182864285}} }}</ref>{{Efn-ur|Equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1961|index=US-GDP|value=22000|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}} Workers patched the cracks by sandblasting the concrete, placing a cement aggregate into the cracks, and applying another mixture to wear away the facade's topmost layer.<ref name="Nicholas 1962" /> A sealant was then applied onto the facade,<ref name="McCue 1961">{{Cite news |last=McCue |first=George |date=November 26, 1961 |title=New Life for Two Historic Buildings |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/st-louis-post-dispatch-new-life-for-two/164373268/ |access-date=January 31, 2025 |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |pages=36 }}</ref><ref name="Nicholas 1962" /> and the building was repainted in its original color scheme.<ref name="Oak Leaves 1961a" /><ref name="Nicholas 1962" /> The temple was rededicated in 1962. By then, the congregation had a religious school and a youth club, in addition to its typical Sunday services.<ref name="Oak Leaves 1962a">{{cite web |date=June 21, 1962 |title=The Unitarian Universalist Church |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&d=01011960-12311962&e=universalist%20church&m=between&ord=e1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19620621_english_27&df=11&dt=20 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |work=Oak Leaves |page=27 |via=River Forest Public Library }}</ref> The building still attracted international visitors,<ref name="Oak Leaves 1962a" /><ref>{{cite news |date=November 23, 1961 |title=Unity Church is World Famous |work=Chicago Daily Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=W_B16 |id={{ProQuest|183043735}} }}</ref> while the congregation had become known as the '''Unitarian Universalist Church'''.<ref name="Oak Leaves 1964a" /><ref name="Chicago Tribune 1963">{{cite news |date=September 29, 1963 |title=Tour to See Legacy Left by Wright |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |page=S1 |id={{ProQuest|176402046}} }}</ref>

John Michiels renovated the temple's lower level in 1966 for $20,000,{{Efn-ur|Equivalent to ${{inflation|start_year=1968|index=US-GDP|value=20000|r=-3|fmt=c}} in {{inflation-year|US-GDP}}{{inflation-fn|US-GDP|group=lower-alpha}}}} though these modifications did not follow Wright's original design.<ref name="Cypret 1975a" /> The work involved refurbishing a bathroom and three classrooms.<ref name="Cypret 1975a" /><ref name="Conner 1971" /> Church officials formed a committee in 1967 to raise funds for a further renovation of Unity Temple.<ref name="Devine 1976">{{Cite news |last=Devine |first=Kay |date=June 30, 1976 |title=Unity Temple plans fund-raiser tour to aid restoration efforts |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/news-journal-unity-temple-plans-fund-rai/164474114/ |access-date=February 1, 2025 |work=News Journal |pages=111 }}</ref> That May, the congregation decided to open the temple for public tours five days a week<ref name="Oak Leaves 1967b">{{cite web |date=April 27, 1967 |title=Unitarian Church Will Open Tours |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&d=01011967-12311969&e=universalist%20church&m=between&ord=e1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19670427_english_7&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |work=Oak Leaves |page=7 |via=River Forest Public Library |postscript=none}}; {{Cite news |date=April 28, 1967 |title=Unitarian Church Open to Public |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/berwyn-life-unitarian-church-open-to-pub/164641508/ |access-date=February 3, 2025 |work=Berwyn Life |pages=8 }}</ref> to raise money for the renovations.<ref name="Devine 1976" /><ref name="Oak Leaves 1967b" /> It cost $1,000 to launch the tour program, which did not make a net profit until its second year. The skylights were subsequently replaced in 1968; since the tours had not raised sufficient funds, the women's auxiliary at Unity Temple helped fund part of the project.<ref name="Cypret 1975a" /> The next year, the Edgar J. Kaufmann Foundation pledged $75,000 in [[matching funds]] toward the temple's renovation<ref name="Cypret 1975a" /><ref name="Conner 1971" /><ref name="Oak Leaves 1969b">{{cite web |date=July 9, 1969 |title=Foundation backs $150,000 restoration of Unity Temple |url=https://riverforest.advantage-preservation.com/viewer/?i=f&d=01011967-12311969&e=unity%20temple&m=between&ord=e1&fn=forest_leaves_usa_illinois_oak_park_19690709_english_5&df=1&dt=10 |access-date=February 3, 2025 |work=Oak Leaves |page=135 |via=River Forest Public Library }}</ref> after [[Edgar Kaufmann Jr.]], a former Wright acolyte, heard about the initiative.<ref name="Cypret 1975a" /><ref name="Marlin 1971">{{Cite news |last=Marlin |first=William |date=March 21, 1971 |title=Saving Wright's American Dream |via=newspapers.com |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-saving-wrights-american/164722465/ |access-date=February 5, 2025 |work=Chicago Tribune |issn=1085-6706 |pages=136 }}</ref> Bill Fyfe and Michiels jointly designed a restoration plan.<ref name="Marlin 1971" /> According to Michiels, the wiring, doors, stairs, windows, and sidewalks needed repairs the most urgently.<ref name="Oak Leaves 1969b" />