Robie House

The Robie House (also the Frederick C. Robie House) is a historic house museum on the campus of the University of Chicago in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright in the Prairie style, it was completed in 1910 for manufacturing executive Frederick Carlton Robie and his family. George Mann Niedecken oversaw the interior design, while associate architects Hermann von Holst and Marion Mahony also assisted with the design. Robie House is described as one of Wright's best Prairie style buildings<ref name="Ure-Smith j173" /> and was one of the last structures he designed at his studio in Oak Park, Illinois.

The house is a three-story, four-bedroom residence with an attached three-car garage. The house's open floor plan consists of two large, offset rectangles or "vessels". The facade and perimeter walls are made largely of Roman brick, with concrete trim, cut-stone decorations, and art glass windows. The massing includes several terraces, which are placed on different levels, in addition to roofs that are cantilevered outward. The house spans around Template:Convert, split between communal spaces in the southern vessel and service rooms in the northern vessel. The first floor has a billiard room, playroom, and several utility rooms. The living room, dining room, kitchen, guest bedroom, and servants' quarters are on the second story, while three additional bedrooms occupy the third floor.

Fred Robie purchased the land in May 1908, and construction began the next year. The Robie, Taylor, and Wilber families lived there in succession until 1926, when the nearby Chicago Theological Seminary bought it. The seminary used the house as a dormitory, meeting space, and classrooms, and it attempted to demolish the house and redevelop the property in both 1941 and 1957. Following an outcry over the second demolition attempt, the developer William Zeckendorf acquired the house in 1958. He donated it in early 1963 to the University of Chicago, which renovated the house. The Adlai E. Stevenson Institute of International Affairs, and later the university's alumni association, subsequently occupied the Robie House. The National Trust for Historic Preservation leased the building in 1997, jointly operating it as a museum with the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust. The mechanical systems and exterior was renovated in the early 2000s, followed by parts of the interior in the late 2000s and the 2010s.

The Robie House was highly influential, having helped popularize design details such as picture windows, protruding roofs, and attached garages in residential architecture. The house has received extensive architectural commentary over the years, and it has been the subject of many media works, including books and museum exhibits. The Robie House is designated as a Chicago Landmark and a National Historic Landmark, and it forms part of The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, a designated World Heritage Site.

Site

The Robie House is located at 5757 South Woodlawn Avenue,<ref name="Sanderson n786">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Davis p. 209">Template:Harvnb</ref> on the northeast corner of Woodlawn Avenue and 58th Street in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago in Illinois, United States.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 6">Template:Harvnb</ref> The lot measures Template:Convert wide and Template:Convert long, the larger dimension extending west–east parallel to 58th Street.<ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Lucas p. 9">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Clark d847">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Efn The house itself measures Template:Convert across.<ref name="NPS p. 2">Template:Harvnb</ref> Due to an existing covenant on the site, the Robie House and the neighboring residences are set back Template:Convert from Woodlawn Avenue.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 17" /><ref name="McCarter p. 93">Template:Harvnb</ref>

At the time of the Robie House's construction, the block immediately to the south was vacant, and the nearest building to the south was Template:Convert away, across the Midway Plaisance park. Due to the flat topography of Chicago's South Side, the site was also not particularly prominent.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The houses to the north, along Woodlawn Avenue, were set back from the street and were Template:Convert above the sidewalk.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 17">Template:Harvnb</ref> These houses were largely made of brick.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Although the Robie House's architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, characterized the house as a "city dwelling", it was more akin to a suburban house in a streetcar suburb full of single-family homes.<ref name="Levine p. 53">Template:Harvnb</ref> To the west are the Rockefeller Chapel and the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> To the south is the University of Chicago Booth School of Business building designed by Rafael Viñoly.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

History

The house was commissioned for Frederick Carlton Robie (1879–1962), a manufacturing executive who, in the 1900s, worked at his father's Excelsior Supply Company.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Hoffmann p. 5">Template:Harvnb</ref> Robie married Lora Hieronymus in 1902, and they moved to Hyde Park, Chicago, in 1904, relocating again within the same neighborhood in 1907.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 5" /> Concurrently, Robie wanted a residence that would incorporate the latest architectural innovations, rather than the old-fashioned details of conventional buildings.<ref name="Gill p. 193">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="AR p. 126" /> He had sketched tentative plans for a house of his own, showing them to several builders, who told him, "You want one of those damn Wright houses."<ref name="McCarter p. 93" /><ref name="Connors p. 7" /><ref name="AR p. 127">Template:Harvnb</ref> At the end of 1906, Robie and Wright discussed the house for the first time.<ref name="Connors p. 7">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="AR p. 127" />

Development

Site acquisition and design

Robie decided to build his house at 5757 South Woodlawn Avenue, at the corner with 58th Street. This site was close to Lora's alma mater, the University of Chicago, where she was still socially active.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 6" /><ref name="Lucas p. 9" /> In April 1908, he agreed to obtain the site from the mining-machinery executive Herbert E. Goodman, on the condition that the site be used exclusively for residential purposes.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 6" /> Robie bought the site on May 19.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 6" /><ref name="Smith p. 6">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn As a condition of his purchase, he was required to spend at least $20,000 on a house there.Template:Efn-ur<ref name="AR p. 127" />

Robie hired Wright to design the house, saying that "he was in my world" when it came to the design.<ref name="McCarter p. 93" /> Robie recalled in 1958 that he had wanted a house illuminated by natural light, with uninterrupted living space, simple fixtures, and minimal bric-à-brac.<ref name="Connors p. 8; Hoffmann p. 8" /><ref name="AR p. 126">Template:Harvnb</ref> He also wanted several bedrooms, a nursery, and an enclosed yard for his children, and he wanted to be able to see outward without having passersby look in.<ref name="Connors p. 8; Hoffmann p. 8">Template:Harvnb; Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Lucas p. 8">Template:Harvnb</ref> Robie eschewed older architectural styles such as the Cape Cod style, and he also did not want a monumental building or dark closets.<ref name="AR p. 126" /> In addition, he wanted a fireproof house, particularly one made of steel and concrete.<ref name="Lucas p. 8" /> The historian Joseph Connors wrote that Robie's recollections may have been tainted because he had lived in the house and read Wright's autobiography,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> while the historian Donald Hoffmann wrote that Robie came to adopt many aspects of Wright's design philosophy as his own.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> According to Hoffmann, the house was to be "radical and masculine", as Wright had designed the structure mainly around Robie's needs, not those of his wife.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Robie's original budget had been $60,000,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 34" /><ref name="AR p. 210">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn-ur up to ten times the cost of a typical house at the time.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 14">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" />

Wright designed the Robie House in his studio in Oak Park, Illinois;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> he was preoccupied with several other projects, so the design of Robie's residence was not a particularly urgent matter.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 19">Template:Harvnb</ref> Wright first devised the plans for the Robie House mentally; unlike his contemporaries, Wright would focus on the building's symmetry and proportions rather than on its exact dimensions. One night, he sat down with a blank sheet of paper and sketched three diagrams for the house.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Wright paid so much attention to the house's architectural details, he drew up blueprints just for the carpets.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The original plans for the house may have been discarded or destroyed, but blueprints and renderings of the house remain extant.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Robie signed the working drawings for his house in late March 1909,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 21">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Smith p. 6" /> and construction began soon after.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 27" /><ref name="Smith p. 6" />

Construction

H. B. Barnard Co. of Chicago was hired as the contractor.<ref name="AR p. 127" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 27">Template:Harvnb</ref> Robie recalled that the house did not need to use deep foundations and that the structural core—the chimney—was built rapidly.<ref name="AR p. 127" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 28" /> According to Robie, H. B. Barnard personally inspected the house's brickwork every time laborers laid two or three courses of bricks.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 28">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="AR p. 206">Template:Harvnb</ref> Robie's son Frederick Jr. recalled playing with piles of sand (a material used in the mortar on the facade) and walking on the catwalks that contractors had set up.<ref name="AR p. 210" /> During construction, some of the brickwork had to be disassembled after stonemasons accidentally built five brick piers, rather than two piers and three bollards, underneath the house's southern balcony.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 29">Template:Harvnb</ref>

Interior work continued through late 1909,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 31">Template:Harvnb</ref> and Wright left for Europe around that time.<ref name="Hoffmann 1984" /><ref name="Connors pp. 59–60">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Smith p. 7" /> He hired the interior designer George Mann Niedecken to furnish the Robie House.<ref name="Hoffmann 1984">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Rodkin o039">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Efn Niedecken oversaw the interior decoration and the color scheme.<ref name="Smith p. 7" /> Also involved in the project were the architect Hermann V. von Holst, as well as one of Wright's draftswomen, Marion Mahony Griffin.<ref name="Rodkin o039" /> By early 1910, the house was nearly complete.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 27" /> The furniture arrived in February, followed by curtains in March and carpets in April.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 34" />

Use as residence

The house was used as a residence for less than 20 years. During this time, it was used by three families: the Robies, Taylors, and Wilbers.<ref name="PSR p. 10">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Sullivan 1984">Template:Cite news</ref> The Robie family—Frederick, Lora, and their two children, Frederick Jr. and Lorraine—moved into the home in May 1910, although interior decorations were not completed for several more months.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 34">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Smith p. 7" /> Robie said in 1958 that the house had cost about $59,000; the land cost $14,000, the design and construction cost $35,000, and furnishings cost $10,000.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 14" /><ref name="AR p. 206" /><ref name="Connors p. 39">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn-ur This was far more than Wright's studio in Oak Park, which cost $4,700 in 1889; the Winslow House, which cost $20,000 in 1892; or the Willits House, which cost $20,000 in 1903.<ref name="Connors p. 39" />Template:Efn-ur

File:Robie House exterior HABS ILL,16-CHIG,33-1.jpg

Exterior view from 1911, showing the southern elevation

Despite the house's high cost, the Robies owned the site for only two and a half years,<ref name="PSR p. 10" /><ref name="Sullivan 1984" /> and they lived in the house for just over a year.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 89" /> Frederick Robie's father died soon after the family had moved in.<ref name="Lucas p. 10">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Hoffmann p. 89" /> Robie offered to pay his father's debts, which reportedly totaled roughly $1 million.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 89" /><ref name="Pitz 2010">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Gill p. 195">Template:Harvnb</ref>Template:Efn-ur Lora Robie, who claimed that her husband had been unfaithful,<ref name="Gill p. 195" /> moved out of the house in April 1911 and subsequently filed for divorce, which was finalized the next year.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 89">Template:Harvnb</ref> Frederick Robie moved to New York City, while Lora and their children moved to Springfield.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 89" /> Frederick Jr. later recalled that the family had taken just one bed when they moved out.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When the elder Frederick declared bankruptcy in 1913, he reported having $25,672 in assets, nearly all of which consisted of a $25,000 mortgage loan that the Union Trust Company had placed on the house.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> Despite Robie's personal issues, Wright would later call the residence "a good house for a good man".<ref name="Gill p. 195" />

The Robies sold the house in December 1911<ref name="Hoffmann p. 89" /><ref name="Smith p. 9">Template:Harvnb</ref> to David Lee Taylor, president of the advertising agency Taylor-Critchfield Company.<ref name="PSR p. 10" /> The final sale price was approximately 20% less than the construction cost.<ref name="Rodkin o039" /> David's son Phillips, who was 10 years old when his father bought the house, recalled that he frequently ran half-mile laps between the living and dining rooms, although his siblings did not join him.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 90">Template:Harvnb</ref> David Taylor died in the house on October 22, 1912, less than a year after he bought the house.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> Taylor's widow, Ellen Taylor, sold the house and most of its contents to Marshall Dodge Wilber, treasurer of the Wilber Mercantile Agency, that November.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 90" /><ref name="The Inter Ocean 1912">Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> Marshall reportedly paid $45,000 for the house;<ref name="The Inter Ocean 1912" /> he, his wife Isadora, and their two daughters lived nearby on Dorchester Avenue at the time.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 90" /> According to Phillips, the only objects his mother took with them were a lamp, a chair, and a humidor.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 90" />

The Wilbers were the last family to occupy the house, moving in on December 3, 1912,<ref name="Lucas p. 10" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 91" /> and living there for fourteen years.<ref name="Rodkin o039" /><ref name="Smith p. 9" /> The billiard room became a music room, and the living room became a parlor. The Wilbers employed a cook and a "second girl", who lived on site, and a handyman, who came to the house every day.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 91">Template:Harvnb</ref> The Wilbers' residence sometimes hosted events, such as meetings of the Chicago Dramatic Society and the Quadranglers of the University of Chicago.<ref>For the Chicago Dramatic Society meeting, see, for example: Template:Cite news and Template:Cite news For the Quadranglers meeting, see Template:Cite news</ref> Marshall also constructed a machine shop near the garage, while Isadora hired three men to restore the facade Template:Circa.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 91" /> The roof and three windows were replaced in 1916, and the Wilbers decorated the house with several photographs of their 25-year-old daughter Marcia after she died that year.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The original coal-fired boiler was ineffective at warming the house during winter, so the Wilbers added an oil-fired furnace in 1919, replacing it in 1921. The Wilbers' surviving daughter, Jeannette, recalled that Wright often visited their house on short notice.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 92">Template:Harvnb</ref> By 1926, Jeannette had moved out.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 92" /> Marshall was in his sixties and wished to sell the house, as he was not in good health.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 92" /><ref name="Lucas p. 10" />

Chicago Theological Seminary ownership

1920s to early 1950s

File:Robie House Interior HABS ILL,16-CHIG,33-7.jpg

Interior of the dining room

In June 1926, the Wilbers sold their Woodlawn Avenue residence to the Chicago Theological Seminary,<ref name="Lucas p. 10" /><ref name="Hoffmann pp. 92–94">Template:Harvnb</ref> whose campus was just to the south.<ref name="Smith p. 9" /> The seminary paid $90,000 for the house and the furnishings, which remained largely intact, except for a bedspread that Isadora took as a souvenir.<ref name="Hoffmann pp. 92–94" /> Originally, the residence was to be used as an administrative building until the seminary completed a new building.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The seminary used the house as a dormitory, meeting space, and classrooms,<ref name="Sullivan 1984" /> though it wanted to redevelop the site in the long term.<ref name="Smith p. 9" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 94">Template:Harvnb</ref> Seminary officials placed some of the furniture in storage.<ref name="Smith p. 9" /> In addition, it sometimes gave tours of the Robie House.<ref name="PSR p. 10" /><ref name="Smith p. 9" /> The architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the director of the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT), was among those who toured the house.<ref name="Smith p. 11">Template:Harvnb</ref>

By 1941, the seminary was considering demolishing the house,<ref name="Smith p. 11" /><ref name="Hansen 1941">Template:Cite news</ref> which was then being used as a women's dormitory.<ref name="Hansen 1941" /> A graduate student at IIT inadvertently learned of the demolition plans and informed his instructors, including Mies.<ref name="Smith p. 11" /> In response, writers such as Alexander Woollcott, Carl Sandburg, and Lewis Mumford, as well as architects such as Buckminster Fuller and Eliel Saarinen, protested the demolition.<ref name="Smith p. 11" /> One of Wright's apprentices, William F. Deknatel, led a committee to advocate for the house's preservation.<ref name="Smith p. 11" /><ref name="PSR pp. 10–11" /> Ultimately, the plans were postponed due to World War II.<ref name="PSR pp. 10–11">Template:Harvnb</ref> In 1952, the seminary applied for a zoning variance to convert the first story into a dormitory.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By that decade, the Robie House was being used for conferences,<ref name="Chicago Daily Tribune 1957">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Lister 1957">Template:Cite news</ref> and much of its original decorations had been destroyed.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 94" /> At the time, the building was called the Conference House.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Redevelopment plans

The University of Chicago's president Lawrence A. Kimpton was planning to redevelop the surrounding neighborhood.<ref name="Smith p. 12" /> As part of this project, Holabird & Root were hired to design a dormitory on the Robie House's site.<ref name="Chicago Daily Tribune 1957" /><ref name="Smith p. 13">Template:Harvnb</ref> In response to a request from a local teacher, city alderman Leon Despres, who represented the neighborhood, introduced a resolution in the Chicago City Council to create a landmark commission.<ref name="Smith p. 13" /> In March 1957, the seminary announced that it would replace the Robie House with a dormitory,<ref name="Chicago Daily Tribune 1957" /><ref name="Smith p. 12">Template:Harvnb</ref> which would have also involved demolishing the Goodman House and the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity house immediately to the north.<ref name="Fuller 1957">Template:Cite news</ref> The seminary planned to begin demolishing the house that September,<ref name="Smith p. 15">Template:Harvnb</ref> saying it would have cost up to $100,000 to modernize the building.<ref name="Chicago Daily Tribune 1957a">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The Grand Rapids Press 1957">Template:Cite news</ref> The seminary's president Arthur Cushman McGiffert said that two institutions had declined an offer to take over the house and relocate it.<ref name="The Grand Rapids Press 1957" />

Architects, students, and artists shortly expressed opposition to the proposed demolition, as did Despres and Chicago's mayor Richard J. Daley.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The University of Fine Arts of Hamburg,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the American Institute of Architects,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and fellows at Wright's Taliesin studio also opposed the demolition.<ref name="Smith p. 13" /> Wright himself returned to the Robie House on March 18 to protest its demolition,<ref name="Chicago Daily Tribune 1957a" /><ref name="Smith p. 14">Template:Harvnb</ref> saying, "It all goes to show the danger of entrusting anything spiritual to the clergy."<ref name="Hoffmann p. 94" /><ref name="Gill p. 494">Template:Harvnb</ref> Wright claimed that the building was in relatively good condition, "considering the abuse it has suffered",<ref name="Chicago Daily Tribune 1957a" /><ref name="Smith p. 14" /> and that the kitchen was the only decrepit part of the house.<ref name="Fitzpatrick 1965">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Pippert 1965">Template:Cite news</ref> He also claimed that he could repair the house for $15,000.<ref name="Lister 1957" /> McGiffert offered to move the house to Jackson Park or the Midway,<ref name="nyt-1957-04-15">Template:Cite news</ref> but Wright dismissed the idea as inappropriate.<ref name="Wisconsin State Journal 1957">Template:Cite news</ref> Among other things, it would have cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to disassemble and rebuild the house elsewhere.<ref name="The Columbia Record 1958">Template:Cite news</ref> Wright offered to design a dormitory for the seminary if the Robie House remained in place, but the seminary declined his offer.<ref name="Smith p. 14" /><ref name="nyt-1957-04-15" /> The Chicago government designated the house as a landmark in April 1957<ref name="Wisconsin State Journal 1957" /><ref name="The New York Times 1957" /> and formed a committee of three men to preserve the house that July.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Meanwhile, the University of Chicago chapter of Phi Delta Theta, Wright's old fraternity,Template:Efn offered to swap ownership of the Robie House and its own fraternity house at 5737 South Woodlawn Avenue, three houses north.<ref name="Fuller 1957" /><ref name="Smith p. 15" /><ref name="The Grand Rapids Press 1957" /> The house's demolition was postponed while the fraternity negotiated with the seminary. By October, the seminary had tentatively agreed to give the house to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation if the foundation raised $200,000.<ref name="Smith p. 15" />Template:Efn-ur Phi Delta Theta and Zeta Beta Tau ultimately offered to donate their houses to the seminary.<ref name="Smith p. 15" /> Julian Levi, who led the South East Chicago Commission, asked his friend William Zeckendorf, whose real-estate development firm Webb and Knapp was developing structures in Hyde Park, if he wanted to temporarily occupy the house.<ref name="The Columbia Record 1958" /> In December 1957, Zeckendorf offered to buy the Robie House for $125,000.<ref name="Smith p. 15" /><ref name="Chicago Daily Tribune 1957b">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="nyt-1957-12-21">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn-ur To facilitate the house's sale, in February 1958, the seminary applied for permission to rezone the lots immediately to the north.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A City Council subcommittee recommended that August that the rezoning be approved.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> Aline B. Saarinen, architecture writer for The New York Times, wrote that the houser's preservation "was an uphill fight the whole way".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Zeckendorf and University of Chicago ownership

Acquisition and resale

File:Robie House Exterior 19.jpg

Exterior detail seen from 58th Street

Zeckendorf formally acquired the house in August 1958,<ref name="Smith p. 16">Template:Harvnb</ref> paying $102,000, in exchange for allowing the seminary to approve any subsequent sales.<ref name="Chicago Tribune 1965a">Template:Cite news</ref> He planned to occupy it for four years.<ref name="Chicago Daily Tribune 1957b" /><ref name="nyt-1957-12-21" /> Prior to taking over the house, he wanted to donate it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation,<ref name="The Columbia Record 1958" /><ref name="nyt-1957-12-21" /> and he suggested that the building could be converted to a library or museum.<ref name="Chicago Daily Tribune 1957b" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Immediately after buying the house, Zeckendorf announced that he would instead donate it to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.<ref name="Smith p. 16" /> Although the agreement between Zeckendorf and the seminary specified that the National Trust would take over the house, the National Trust agreed to give the house to the Wright Foundation.<ref name="Smith p. 16" /> There were unofficial suggestions to turn the house into Chicago's official mayoral residence<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> or into an artists' studio.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Zeckendorf's firm vacated the house in February 1962 after their Hyde Park developments were completed, and he wanted to donate the house to a "responsible organization" that could preserve it.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The University of Chicago agreed to take over the house in June 1962, in exchange for giving the seminary a nearby plot of land.<ref name="Philbrick 1962">Template:Cite news</ref> Two months later, preservationists formed a committee to raise $250,000 for the building's restoration.<ref name="Chicago Daily Tribune 1962" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> William Hartmann of the architectural firm SOM said that structural repairs would cost $198,000, while the rest of the funds would be spend on furnishings.<ref name="Chicago Daily Tribune 1962">Template:Cite news</ref> There were suggestions for the house to be converted into a residence for visiting scholars, for the university's president, or classrooms for a department of the university.<ref name="Huff 1962">Template:Cite news</ref> Another proposal called for the National Park Service to take over the house and operate it as a monument.<ref name="Sembower 1964">Template:Cite news</ref> Regardless of which option was selected, the university planned to allow visitors to tour the house.<ref name="Philbrick 1962" /><ref name="nyt-1963-02-02">Template:Cite news</ref> The university formally took title to the Robie House on February 4, 1963,<ref name="Nelson 1963">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Philbrick 1963">Template:Cite news</ref> and agreed to occupy the building and maintain it.<ref name="PSR p. 12">Template:Harvnb</ref>

University officials immediately began raising money for the restoration;<ref name="nyt-1963-02-02" /><ref name="PSR p. 12" /><ref name="Philbrick 1963a">Template:Cite news</ref> by then, the basement walls were leaking, the paint was peeling, and the wiring and mechanical systems were out of date.<ref name="Nelson 1963" /> More than 100 architects and academics from around the world were appointed to the restoration committee.<ref name="PSR p. 14">Template:Harvnb</ref> The university wanted to use the lower stories as a conference center, while the third floor bedrooms would be used by visiting scholars.<ref name="Democrat and Chronicle 1965">Template:Cite news</ref> Students from various universities began touring the house in April 1963,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the committee had collected about $31,000 by August.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Among the donors to the house's restoration were the Edgar J. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation<ref name="Philbrick 1963" /> and Edward Bok's American Foundation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Robie House's fundraising committee spent $975 in late 1963 to repair damage caused by winter weather,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and it had raised about $40,000 by early 1964.<ref name="Buck 1964">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The Belleville News-Democrat 1964">Template:Cite news</ref> The fundraising committee continued to give tours of the house to raise money.<ref name="Starr 1964">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Hoffmann 1963">Template:Cite news</ref> Ira J. Bach, who led the committee, said the house needed additional funds, even as it received donations from around the world.<ref name="Buck 1964" />

Usage

File:Robie House.jpg

Eastward view from Woodlawn Avenue toward the front door; the living room terrace is in the foreground

In February 1965, the Wright Foundation determined that the house could be restored for $109,000, rather than the originally planned $250,000.<ref name="Pippert 1965" /> Taliesin Associated Architects, a firm composed of Wright's former acolytes, was hired to design the renovation.<ref name="NPS p. 5">Template:Harvnb</ref> Renovations began in mid-1965, after the University of Chicago had raised approximately $55,000.<ref name="Chicago Tribune 1965a" /><ref name="PA-1965-10">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The house also began opening to the public on Saturdays,<ref name="Chicago Tribune 1965">Template:Cite news</ref> charging a $1 admission fee, proceeds from which would be used for the renovation.<ref name="Chicago Tribune 1966">Template:Cite news</ref> The first phase included weatherproofing, plumbing, heating, and roof upgrades.<ref name="NPS p. 5" /><ref name="PA-1965-10" /><ref name="Nolte 1965">Template:Cite news</ref> The house's original contractor, H. B. Barnard Co., was hired to rebuild the roof,<ref name="Chicago Tribune 1965" /> though the new roof was more vulnerable to water damage than the original.<ref name="Pitz 2010" /> The plaster surfaces were also repainted, and the window frames were replaced.<ref name="PSR p. 14" /> A second phase involved renovating the interiors, while the rest of the restoration was canceled due to a lack of funds.<ref name="Nolte 1965" /> The house was still vacant by 1966, and the University of Chicago needed another $200,000.<ref name="Chicago Tribune 1966" /> The same year, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a preservation program for historic buildings in Chicago, which would provide for the restoration of the Robie House.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In July 1966, Adlai Stevenson III announced that the newly-formed Adlai E. Stevenson Institute of International Affairs, a think tank devoted to left-wing causes, would be headquartered at the Robie House.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="PSR p. 15">Template:Harvnb</ref> The institute intended to convert part of the house into offices, and it would also host meetings and seminars there.<ref name="PSR p. 15" /> The house had no structural issues, so the institute hired SOM to refurbish the house and add some furnishings. At ground level, the entrance hall became a reception room; the billiard room became a library, and the playroom became a seminar hall.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The living room was converted to a lounge, the dining room retained its original function, and the second-floor guest rooms became a public relations office. The third-floor bedrooms also became offices.<ref name="PSR pp. 16–17">Template:Harvnb</ref> The Stevenson Institute moved into the building in February 1967,<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> and the institute hosted its first party at the house in 1968.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Though the house was poorly suited as a workplace for the institute's 25 employees, the University of Chicago allowed the institute to stay there without paying rent.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Some of the Robie House's decorations were damaged in a burglary in 1970.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Newsweek 1971">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The Stevenson Institute formally merged with the University of Chicago in 1975, and the university continued to use the house's meeting rooms.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The institute also allowed the public to make appointments to tour the house.<ref name="Mermigas 1977">Template:Cite news</ref> Subsequently, the university's office of development used the house, followed by the university's alumni association.<ref name="Lucas p. 11">Template:Harvnb</ref> By the 1980s, the Robie House served as the alumni association's headquarters.<ref name="Sullivan 1984" /><ref name="Campbell 1987">Template:Cite news</ref> At the time, a reporter described the house as being in poor shape, with cracked walls, peeling paint, and damaged decorations due to patchwork repairs. Meanwhile, the university spent only $15,000 annually on maintenance, and it did not even try to obtain funding from external sources.<ref name="Campbell 1987" /> The house was filled with desks and cabinets.<ref name="Sullivan 1984" /> The university continued to host guided tours of the Robie House for a fee,<ref name="Sullivan 1984" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> though photography was not allowed at the time.<ref name="Goldfarb 1993">Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, the interior tours covered only two<ref name="Goldfarb 1993" /><ref name="nyt-1995-04-16">Template:Cite news</ref> or three rooms.<ref name="Coates 1995">Template:Cite news</ref>

Frank Lloyd Wright Trust use

As early as 1992, the University of Chicago was negotiating to have the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation (later the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust) take over the house's operation.<ref name="Lucas p. 11" /><ref name="Ryan 1995" /> In February 1995, the University of Chicago announced that the building would be converted to a historic house museum.<ref name="nyt-1995-04-16" /><ref name="Ryan 1995">Template:Cite news</ref> The university would spend $2.5 million on renovations and turn over operations to the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.<ref name="Ryan 1995" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The National Trust for Historic Preservation agreed to lease the house in October 1996,<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> and the university moved out during early 1997.<ref name="Lucas p. 11" /><ref name="Mack 1997">Template:Cite news</ref>

1990s and 2000s

File:Chicago, robie house di frank lloyd wright, 1908-1910, ingresso 02 scale.jpg

A staircase in the house

After taking over the house, the Wright Trust began hosting more frequent tours,<ref name="The Taylorville Daily Breeze Courier 1997">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and it opened a bookstore in the garage in August 1997.<ref name="The Taylorville Daily Breeze Courier 1997" /> The Wright Trust planned to begin a 10-year-long renovation project in 2001,<ref name="Cramer 1997">Template:Cite magazine</ref> which was to cost $7 million.<ref name="Connors, Tom 2000">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="Mendoza 2001">Template:Cite news</ref> The bricks had cracked due to repeated freezing and thawing,<ref name="Kamin 1999">Template:Cite news</ref> and there were stains, termite infestations, and deteriorated porches.<ref name="Pitz 2010" /><ref name="Anderson 2002">Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, the roof was leaking, and the heating system was ineffective.<ref name="Noland 2003">Template:Cite news</ref> This prompted the trust to create a master plan for the renovation.<ref name="Lucas p. 13">Template:Harvnb</ref> In 1999, workers removed asbestos from the site in preparation for the wider ranging renovation.<ref name="nyt-1999-08-12">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Connors, Tom 2000" /> The house received a $1 million grant for its restoration through the Pritzker Foundation and the federal Save America's Treasures program.<ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" /><ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> The Illinois government also provided $2 million through the Illinois First program, which covered the remainder of the first phase of the renovation.<ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" />

A renovation of the Robie House commenced in 2002,<ref name="Lucas p. 13" /> though the house continued to host tours in the meantime.<ref name="The Taylorville Daily Breeze Courier 1997" /><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The conservation–restoration firm Gunny Harboe Architects oversaw the renovation.<ref name="LaTrace y014">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Keegan v273">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> As part of the first phase, workers documented the art glass, mechanical systems, and climate in the house; added wheelchair-accessible restrooms; and created architectural drawings.<ref name="Lucas p. 13" /> Workers also fixed water damage, replaced the roof, and remedied the termite infestations.<ref name="Lucas pp. 13–14">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Anderson 2002" /> In addition, new mechanical systems and utilities were installed, and the facade and terraces were stabilized.<ref name="Lucas pp. 13–14" /> The original brickwork manufacturer, Belden Brick, manufactured replacement bricks for the house.<ref name="Pitz 2010" /> This work was completed in 2003.<ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" /><ref name="Spiselman q794">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The third story remained closed to the public after the renovation,<ref name="Mendoza 2001" /> since it did not comply with Chicago fire-safety regulations.<ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" /><ref name="Reid h771">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The second phase, which involved renovating the interior, was delayed due to a lack of funds.<ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" /><ref name="Hyde Park Citizen 2003">Template:Cite news</ref> Visitation, and by extension revenue, had declined after the September 11 attacks;<ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" /> at the time, the trust needed another $4 million for the interior.<ref name="Anderson 2002" /><ref name="Hyde Park Citizen 2003" /> The trust sold engraved bricks to finance the renovations of the Robie House and Wright's Oak Park studio.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Work on the pantry and dining room began in 2006 or 2007,<ref name="Spiselman q794" /> with an estimated cost of $3 million.<ref name="LaTrace y014" /><ref name="WTTW News g178">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During its renovation, the house continued to host tours and events.<ref name="Lasky 2016">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2009, the trust began allowing visitors to tour the third floor and servants' rooms, and it began allowing visitors to interact with artifacts from the house.<ref name="Lincoln Journal Star 2009">Template:Cite news</ref> By then, the house hosted 30,000 visitors annually.<ref name="Pitz 2010" /> The trust wanted to reproduce or build replicas of the original decorations and fixtures.<ref name="Spiselman q794" />

2010s to present

The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust continued to raise funding for the house's renovation.<ref name="Kamin c915">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2014, the house received a grant through the Getty Foundation's Keeping It Modern initiative;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the $50,000 grant was used to develop a preservation plan.<ref name="Kamin 2014">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> By then, the trust had already raised $2 million of a projected $6 million renovation budget.<ref name="Kamin 2014" /> The same year, the house became part of Museum Campus South, a group of museums in Hyde Park.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> An interior restoration began in late 2017,<ref name="Clark d847" /> covering the first and second stories.<ref name="Keegan v273" /> The interior restoration focused on the interior elements, such as woodwork, glass, and furniture.<ref name="Kamin d510" /> Workers restored original design elements such as millwork and sconces,<ref name="LaTrace y014" /> and the project involved repainting the house to its original colors and repairing the original front door.<ref name="Keegan v273" /><ref name="WTTW News g178" /><ref name="Chan q289">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust borrowed some of the house's original furniture from the Smart Museum of Art.<ref name="WTTW News g178" />

The restoration was completed in March 2019,<ref name="WTTW News g178" /><ref name="Chan q289" /> having cost $3.5 million.<ref name="Clark d847" /> In total, the renovation project had cost over $11 million.<ref name="Rodkin s376">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Kamin d510">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Tours of the house were suspended in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Illinois.<ref name="Schering f862" /> The house reopened that June,<ref name="Schering f862">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Malone 2020">Template:Cite magazine</ref> though tour groups were initially restricted to eight people.<ref name="Malone 2020" />

Architecture

File:Frank Lloyd Wright - Robie House 4.JPG

The prow-shaped bay at the eastern end of the southern vessel

The Robie House (also known as the Frederick C. Robie House<ref>See, for instance: Template:Cite news; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>) is designed in the Prairie style.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Davies y780">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Wright wanted the architecture, art, and furnishings to have a consistent design;<ref name="Lasky 2016" /> and he aspired for the house to be a Gesamtkunstwerk, an ideal work of art.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 14" /><ref name="Smith p. 7" /> Though many components of the Robie House were symmetrical or nearly so,<ref name="Connors p. 19" /> the house as a whole is asymmetrical.<ref name="Langston 2010">Template:Cite news</ref> The author Joseph Connors writes that Wright's use of symmetrical details had been inspired by the teachings of Friedrich Fröbel and the École des Beaux-Arts.<ref name="Connors p. 19">Template:Harvnb</ref> The design shares elements with Wright's F. F. Tomek House in Riverside, Illinois,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 17" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and his Larkin Administration Building in Buffalo, New York.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Connors cites the Yahara Boat Club in Madison, Wisconsin, and the River Forest Tennis Club in River Forest, Illinois, as additional forerunners to the Robie House.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

In designing the Robie House, Wright largely avoided the cruciform and pinwheel plans that he had used in previous houses.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 21" /> The house still uses a variation of a pinwheel plan, albeit one in which the west–east axis is more heavily emphasized than the north–south axis.<ref name="Levine p. 542">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The house's floor plan consists of two large rectangles, or "vessels", offset from one another.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 19" /><ref name="McCarter p. 942">Template:Harvnb</ref> Each vessel is about one-half the site's length.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 19" /> The southern, primary vessel extends west and contains communal spaces,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 19" /><ref name="Gibson j3482">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which terminate in prow-shaped bays to the west and east.<ref name="Levine p. 542" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The northern, secondary vessel extends east and contains service rooms, such as the kitchen and entrance hall.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 21" /><ref name="Gibson j3482" />

Exterior

Unlike similar houses, which had roofs supported by load-bearing walls, the Robie House's roofs are cantilevered outward from the house's core. The exterior walls are treated as curtain walls or non-structural screens.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> In addition, Wright wanted people to view the house primarily from its southwest corner, where 58th Street and Woodlawn Avenue intersect.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> In contrast to his contemporaries, who prioritized exterior design over interior design, Wright believed that the facade's design should be subordinate to the house's interior function.<ref name="Hoffmann 1963" />

Because the site was flat and significantly longer on one side, Wright designed the house as a long, low building,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 17" /><ref name="Levine p. 53" /> similarly to other Prairie style buildings.<ref name="Davies y780" /> As such, even though the house is three stories tall, the massing gives the impression of a single-story house with a small attic.<ref name="Levine p. 53" /> The strong horizontal emphasis of the design was atypical of contemporary homes, which generally emphasized their vertical details.<ref name="Davis p. 209" /><ref name="Murphy 2018">Template:Cite news</ref> According to Wright, the low-to-the-ground design was intended to give the house a "more intimate relation with outdoor environment and far-reaching vistas".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As it was not possible for Wright to add a garden, the house is instead decorated with urns and planters.<ref name="Sanderson n786" /><ref name="Connors p. 28">Template:Harvnb</ref> The primary rooms on the second story are raised;<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 17" /> this provided privacy, as it allowed views outward while preventing passersby from looking in.<ref name="Gill p. 193" /><ref name="Lasky 2016" /><ref name="McCarter p. 942" /> The house is set back from Woodlawn Avenue, but the main roof and one perimeter wall extend past the western elevation of the facade, reducing the visual effect of the setback.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Connors p. 28" />

Facade

File:Frank Lloyd Wright - Chicago, IL - Frederick Robie House (P).jpg

The brick bollards and piers under the Robie House's southern balcony, seen from 58th Street

The house sits on a water table made of concrete,<ref name="Sanderson n786" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 42">Template:Harvnb</ref> while the facade is made largely of brick.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> The house also uses concrete for balconies; cut stone for window sills and copings; and a wood frame for the third story.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 31" /> According to Frederick Robie Jr., Wright ordered custom-made bricks for the house, which measure Template:Convert across.<ref name="AR p. 210" /> The low, narrow bricks in the facade are laid horizontally.<ref name="Sanderson n786" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 42" /><ref name="Gibson j3482" /> The bricks are colored violet, red, and orange with scattered dark spots.<ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 42" /> Wright emphasized the horizontal axis further by deepening the horizontal joints between each row of bricks,<ref name="Huff 1962" /><ref name="Nelson 1963" /> while filling in the vertical joints.<ref name="Connors p. 25">Template:Harvnb</ref> The horizontal joints were infilled with mortar in the mid-20th century.<ref name="Huff 1962" /><ref name="Nelson 1963" /> The water table and cut-stone sills and copings were also oriented horizontally, further emphasizing the fact that the house was low to the ground.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 42" /> The northern facade is a plain brick wall.<ref name="Connors p. 27">Template:Harvnb</ref> An L-shaped chimney rises from the center of the house; it is topped by a brick closet leading to a rooftop balcony.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Wright incorporated horizontal bands of windows into the facade.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> These windows are made of art glass to blur the distinction between indoor and outdoor spaces<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> and to illuminate the rooms.<ref name="Mermigas 1977" /> In contrast to double-hung windows, which consist of sliding window panes stacked above each other, Wright used casement windows, which are side-by-side and can swing outward.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 53">Template:Harvnb</ref> There are 175 art glass panels throughout the house,<ref name="Pitz 2010" /><ref name="Reid h771" /><ref name="Hammond 2002">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Efn arranged in 29 patterns.<ref name="Murphy 2018" /> These panels have intricate, vertically oriented geometric motifs.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 53" />

File:Frank Lloyd Wright - Robie House 7.JPG

View of the house from the northern property line

The main entrance leads to the first floor<ref name="Connors p. 28" /><ref name="Yates 1963" /> and is recessed significantly from the western facade on Woodlawn Avenue.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 44">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Levine p. 55">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Lucas p. 7">Template:Harvnb</ref> The entrance courtyard has a floor made of red tiles.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 44" /><ref name="Lucas p. 7" /> A staircase leads up to a porch hanging off the western side of the second floor.<ref name="Connors p. 28" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 44" /> There are three additional entrances to the house from the eastern driveway, which lead to the first-floor playroom, the first-floor laundry and furnace room, and the second-floor kitchen.<ref name="Connors p. 30">Template:Harvnb</ref> An ornamental gate was originally installed outside the driveway.<ref name="Connors p. 30" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 57" /> A brick perimeter wall runs along the northern and eastern boundaries of the site.<ref name="Connors p. 27" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 35">Template:Harvnb</ref> The wall originally was about one story high;<ref name="Connors p. 19" /> the top of the wall was shortened in the 1960s<ref name="Connors p. 18">Template:Harvnb</ref> to provide bricks for the construction of a storage room near the garage.<ref name="NPS p. 2" />

The house's attached garage can fit three cars.<ref name="Nelson 1963" /><ref name="Yates 1963">Template:Cite news</ref> The attached garage was a novelty when the house was built;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Sembower 1964" /> at the time, cars were considered especially vulnerable to catching fire, so houses generally had detached garages.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> To visually separate the garage and the rest of the house, Wright added a gap to the roof, and he added posts and lintels beneath the rooftop gap.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The garage functions as a bookstore for the museum.<ref name="The Taylorville Daily Breeze Courier 1997" /><ref name="Hammond 2002" />

Terraces and roofs

The massing includes several terraces on different levels.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The largest such terrace is a balcony on the south side of the second floor,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 17" /><ref name="Connors p. 25" /><ref name="Levine p. 55" /> which has a brick parapet.<ref name="Gill p. 193" /> It measures Template:Convert long<ref name="Smith p. 7" /> and is accessed by a row of 12 French doors.<ref name="Starr 1964" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Connors p. 26">Template:Harvnb</ref> The southern balcony is supported by several metal beams, which are concealed beneath a stone coping and are flanked by brick columns.<ref name="Connors p. 25" /> During construction, Wright added a pit at each end of the balcony, and the French doors next to these pits were converted to windows.<ref name="Connors p. 26" /> Under the balcony are two full-height brick piers, alternating with three half-height brick bollards.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 29" /> There is another balcony to the northwest, a porch to the west, and several smaller porches hanging off the building.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 17" /> The western porch measures Template:Convert wide and is cantilevered off the western facade.<ref name="Smith p. 7" />

The house is topped by several hip roofs, which have shallow pitches<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> and are made of red Ludowici tile.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The roofs have projecting eaves, emphasizing the horizontal orientation of the facade,<ref name="Sanderson n786" /><ref name="McCarter p. 93" /> and there are upturned bronze gutters.<ref name="Connors p. 54">Template:Harvnb</ref> Above the second floor, a shallow eave allows light to be reflected off the second-story terrace into the living and dining rooms. There is a deeper eave above the third-story bedrooms.<ref name="Lucas p. 7" />

Interior

File:Chicago, robie house di frank lloyd wright, 1908-1910, salone al primo piano, 01.jpg

The western end of the living room

The house has around Template:Convert,<ref name="Smith p. 7" /> with four bedrooms, six bathrooms, eleven closets, and a servants' quarters.<ref name="Connors p. 39" /> In contrast to contemporary residences, the Robie House has several open plan spaces,<ref name="Davis p. 209" /> and it lacks side rooms such as a reading room and a women's lounge,<ref name="Langston 2010" /> Wright used low ceilings throughout the house,<ref name="Sullivan 1984" /><ref name="Pippert 1965" /> juxtaposing them with high ceilings for esthetic effect.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The superstructure is made of horizontal steel beams and brick piers.<ref name="Sanderson n786" /><ref name="Connors p. 10">Template:Harvnb</ref> Steel is used extensively, including under the terraces and in the living-room ceiling,<ref name="Connors p. 18" /> the latter of which uses bolted-steel beams Template:Convert thick.<ref name="AR p. 210" /><ref name="Smith p. 7">Template:Harvnb</ref> The house had a central lighting system,<ref name="Levine p. 56">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="Gill p. 194">Template:Harvnb</ref> which was operated from three control panels.<ref name="Sembower 1964" /> There were also a central vacuum system,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 90" /><ref name="Langston 2010" /> burglar and fire alarms,<ref name="Gill p. 194" /> a valve to water all the planters,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 90" /> and a heating and air-cooling system.<ref name="Levine p. 56" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Radiators for the heating and cooling system are concealed in cabinets,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and there are also four fireplaces.<ref name="Murphy 2018" />

Originally, the rooms were decorated in a cream, brown, ocher, and salmon color scheme.<ref name="Smith p. 7" /> Rougher-textured paint was used in bedrooms, while smoother paint was used in the communal areas.<ref name="Clark d847" /> The house was originally illuminated by 30 sconces designed by Wright, of which only two remained in the 1960s.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> Wright designed two types of sconces: oak and brass fixtures for the bedrooms and other private spaces, and frosted-glass fixtures for communal spaces.<ref name="Pitz 2010" /> The house includes eight Japanese–inspired oak screens, which served as partitions; each screen consists of square bars measuring Template:Convert thick.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 49">Template:Harvnb</ref> To provide privacy, some of the windows have roller shades.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 53" /> Lora Robie's closet includes built-in hooks, since clothes hangers had not been invented when the Robie House was built.<ref name=wp-2019-09-05>Template:Cite news</ref>

First story

In contrast to the light-filled upper stories, the first story is a dark space with low ceilings.<ref name="Connors p. 36">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref name="McCarter p. 98">Template:Harvnb</ref> From the main entrance on Woodlawn Avenue, visitors had to follow a circuitous path to access the rest of the house.<ref name="Connors p. 28" /> The entrance foyer is on the first (ground) floor of the northern vessel<ref name="Hoffmann p. 47">Template:Harvnb</ref> and has a plaque on its east wall.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 49" /> The billiard room and playroom are to the south of the foyer; a coat closet and a stair to the second-floor kitchen are to the east; and a bathroom is to the north.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 47" /> The coat-closet doorway and the foyer's southern doorway both have movable oak screens. There is also a window alcove on the north wall, next to a radiator with three windows.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

The billiard room was originally at the west end of the southern vessel, while the playroom occupied the east end.<ref name="Huff 1962" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 22">Template:Harvnb</ref> The windowless western wall of the billiard room, which exists mostly to support the living room above it, could be used as storage space or as a wine cellar.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 53" /> The billiard room's northern wall has clerestory windows with lozenge motifs.<ref name="Hoffmann pp. 53–55">Template:Harvnb</ref> On the southern wall is a small garden and a concrete terrace.<ref name="Levine p. 53" /><ref name="Hoffmann pp. 53–55" /> The billiard room is separated from the playroom by a stairway leading to the second floor.<ref name="Yates 1963" /><ref name="Connors p. 36" /> Within the playroom, there is a cantilevered bench within an inglenook,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 57" /> as well as a prow-shaped niche to the east.<ref name="Pippert 1965" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 57">Template:Harvnb</ref> The billiard room and playroom both have individual fireplaces.<ref name="Murphy 2018" /> Subsequent owners used wood-and-plasterboard partitions to divide the playroom and billiard room into six rooms.<ref name="Huff 1962" />

The Robie House has a partial cellar with a boiler plant.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="Democrat and Chronicle 1965" /><ref name="Connors p. 10" /> The house does not have a full cellar because the site was originally swampland<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> and because Wright did not want to excavate the "damp sticky clay of the prairie".<ref name="Hoffmann p. 47" /> The boiler plant, consisting of a coal room and furnace room, is only four steps below ground.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 47" /> It is located at the west end of the house's northern vessel, along with the coat room, laundry, and workshop. At the east end of the northern vessel's first story is the garage.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 22" /> There were maintenance pits in the garage,<ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" /><ref name="Lasky 2016" /> but these were filled in when the garage was converted into offices in the mid-20th century.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 47" /> The garage and the other service rooms could be accessed only from the outside.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 47" />

Second story

File:Robie House - 33511869124.jpg

The second-floor stair hall

In designing the second floor, Wright sought to eliminate "boxes beside or inside other boxes" by blurring the boundaries between the rooms.<ref name="Huff 1962" /> The rooms were still distinguished from each other by the use of different cabinetry and carpet designs.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 61">Template:Harvnb</ref> The stairway from the center of the first floor leads to an intermediate hall on the second floor, between the northern and southern vessels.<ref name="Levine p. 55" /><ref name="McCarter p. 98" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 61" /> The stair hall is separated from the southern vessel by a Template:Convert screen made of wooden slats.<ref name="McCarter p. 101">Template:Harvnb</ref> Movable portières, or curtains, hang above the doorways in the stair hall.<ref name="Connors p. 36" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 61" /> In addition, the stair hall has a bookcase on its northern wall, and a doorway leads northwest to the guest bedroom's balcony.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 61" />

The living and dining rooms in the southern vessel have similar design features and are separated only by a fireplace.<ref name="Connors p. 54" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 22" /> Their ceilings vary in height, dividing both rooms into three bays from north to south.<ref name="Connors p. 39" /><ref name="McCarter p. 99" /> The outer bays have Template:Convert ceilings, while the central bay has Template:Convert ceilings.<ref name="McCarter p. 99" /> Wooden boards, which are designed to resemble ceiling beams, span the ceiling's width.<ref name="Levine p. 56" /><ref name="McCarter p. 99" /> The spaces are illuminated both by recessed lights above the outer bays (which are hidden behind grilles), as well as spherical lamps.<ref name="Connors p. 39" /><ref name="McCarter p. 99" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 70">Template:Harvnb</ref> There is also a chimney flue and ventilation openings near the ceiling, in addition to two steel beams that support the roof.<ref name="McCarter p. 99" /> The house's south balcony extends from the living and dining rooms,<ref name="Connors p. 54" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> and both rooms have decorative wooden screens as well.<ref name="Connors p. 36" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 61" />

File:Chicago, robie house di frank lloyd wright, 1908-1910, salone al primo piano, 03.jpg

The fireplace at the eastern end of the living room; the dining room is beyond it

The living room occupies the western part of the southern vessel.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 22" /> The prow on the living room's west wall serves as a niche<ref name="Fitzpatrick 1965" /><ref name="McCarter p. 99">Template:Harvnb</ref> and has windows and doors with multicolored glass.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The north wall of the living room has five casement windows, while the western section of the south wall has a narrow sidelight and casement window. The carpet is decorated with a rose rectangle and a dozen green squares.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 70" /> The fireplace between the living and dining rooms has narrow brick piers<ref name="Connors pp. 36–37">Template:Harvnb</ref> and a fieldstone mantel.<ref name="Sembower 1964" /> The fireplace serves a mostly ceremonial function, since the house is heated by concealed radiators.<ref name="McCarter p. 99" /><ref name="Connors pp. 36–37" /> The dining room is east of the living room;<ref name="Hoffmann p. 22" /> its east wall has a breakfast nook within a bay window.<ref name="Connors p. 36" /> The north wall of the dining room has a wooden sideboard, complementing the French doors on the opposite wall.<ref name="McCarter p. 101" /><ref name="Hoffmann pp. 75–76">Template:Harvnb</ref>

The northern vessel includes servants' quarters, a kitchen, and a guest room.<ref name="Hoffmann pp. 81–82" /><ref name="Levine p. 542" /> The guest bedroom, at the western end,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 22" /> has a carpet with rotated squares and vessel motifs.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 81">Template:Harvnb</ref> The guest room's bathroom has frosted-glass windows,<ref name="Hoffmann pp. 81–82">Template:Harvnb</ref> and a balcony next to the guest bedroom overhangs the entrance court.<ref name="Connors p. 36" /><ref name="McCarter p. 98" /> A stairway separates the guest room from the kitchen, which is located at the center of the northern vessel.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 22" /> The kitchen has a plain design with casement windows and some wood and glass decorations.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 82">Template:Harvnb</ref> At the east end of the northern vessel, there are three servants' rooms,<ref name="Hoffmann 1963" /><ref name="Connors p. 39" /> above the garage.<ref name="Yates 1963" /> These consist of two bedrooms for maids, in addition to a servants' dining room.<ref name="Connors p. 39" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 22" /> The servant bedrooms have flower boxes, intricate casement windows, and sloped ceilings.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 82" />

Third story

File:Chicago, robie house di frank lloyd wright, 1908-1910, camera al secondo piano, 01.jpg

One of the bedrooms on the third floor

A stairwell leads from the second story to the third story, which Wright described as a "belvedere".<ref name="Levine p. 542" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 82" /> The third floor is T-shaped in plan, with the stem of the T being above the northern vessel;<ref name="Connors p. 19" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> the floor plan vaguely resembles a Greek cross with asymmetrical arms.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 86">Template:Harvnb</ref> The third story abuts the chimney to its west and visually connects the vessels below it.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 86" /> It has three bedrooms,<ref name="Hoffmann p. 19" /> each of which overlooks a balcony with planters and urns.<ref name="Connors p. 39" /> The master bedroom occupies the southern end of the T.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 86" /> The master bedroom has a walk-in closet, a master bathroom, a dressing room with built-in drawers, and a fireplace.<ref name="Connors p. 39" /><ref name="Hoffmann p. 87">Template:Harvnb</ref> Another bedroom at the northwest corner overlooks Woodlawn Avenue and has a closet and glass decorations. The smallest bedroom in the house is at the northeast corner, whose windows mostly face eastward. In all three bedrooms, there are small casement windows for flower boxes.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 87" />

Furniture

Wright designed many pieces of the house's original furniture.<ref name="Gibson j3482" /> George Niedecken built much of the furniture,<ref name="Connors p. 39" /><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> which was made of oak.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /> In the foyer, there were objects such as oak furniture and patterned carpets.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 47" /> The foyer's oak furniture, which included a cantilevered table, a geometrically patterned table scarf, and chairs, was intended to complement the design.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The living room's original furniture included a sofa with extended armrests.<ref name="nyt-1999-08-12" /> The living room also included a bench with side tables; a smoker's cabinet; a small study with a desk and lamp; and movable chairs.<ref name="Connors p. 37">Template:Harvnb</ref><ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> The dining chairs had high seatbacks to give the dining table a more intimate feel,<ref name="Hoffmann pp. 75–76" /><ref name="Connors p. 37" /> thereby creating a "room within a room".<ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" /> The rectangular dining table was expandable and had table scarves.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> There were lampposts at each of the dining table's corners,<ref name="McCarter p. 101" /><ref name="Connors p. 37" /> which were intended to draw diners' focus toward the center of the table, discouraging side conversations.<ref name="Goldfarb 1993" /> The house also had an imported Austrian carpet.<ref name="NPS p. 2" /><ref name="Steinberg 1991">Template:Cite news</ref> For the guestroom, Wright designed a dresser, a double bed, and side chairs.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 81" /> Wright did not design the third-story furniture, which included wardrobes and built-in drawers.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 87" />

File:Robie House - 34223293251.jpg

Sofa in the house

When the house was converted into the Stevenson Institute's headquarters in the 1960s, some contemporary furniture designed by SOM was added to the house, including upholstered chairs. The house's original sofa was reproduced at that time.<ref name="PSR pp. 16–17" /> By then, the house was decorated in a plum, dark red, brown, and saffron gold color palette. Some pieces of furniture were upholstered in silk, wool, or mohair, while other furnishings (primarily seating) were covered with natural leather.<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref>

Some of Wright's original furniture is in the collection of the University of Chicago's Smart Museum of Art.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 94" /><ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" /> The Smart Museum also owns disassembled pieces of furniture from the Robie House, pieces from other Wright houses, and pieces not designed by Wright.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 94" /> In 2019, the Smart Museum lent the dining chairs and table to the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.<ref name="WTTW News g178" /> The original sofa, also in the Smart Museum's collection, has been on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York since 1982.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> When the house was being considered for demolition, some of the art glass windows were moved to a police station at the University of Chicago.<ref name="Donovan Daily Herald 2003" /> Replicas of the Robie House's dining room chairs,<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> the lamps,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the sconces,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the cantilevered living-room couch have also been sold.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A lamp from the house was auctioned off for $704,000 in 1988, making it the most expensive Wright–designed furnishing ever sold at the time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; Template:Cite news</ref>

Management

File:Robie House Dining Room 22.jpg

Tours of the house include the dining room.<ref name="Reid h771" />

The University of Chicago owns the house, leasing it to the National Trust for Historic Preservation,<ref name="Mack 1997" /><ref name="Mendoza 2001" /> which jointly operates the museum with the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.<ref name="Cramer 1997" /> The Wright Trust hosts guided tours of the house, which are hosted five days a week<ref name="Reid h771" /> and last 45 to 60 minutes each.<ref name="Nast e439">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> There are also audio tours of the house.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The third floor is excluded from most of the house's tours but is part of the "Private Spaces" tour.<ref name="Reid h771" /><ref name="Lincoln Journal Star 2009" /> The Robie House is part of the annual "Wright Plus" walking tour,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which includes visits to several buildings designed by Wright.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Since 2018, the Robie House has been part of the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail, a collection of 13 buildings designed by Wright in Illinois.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The trust typically hosts training courses for volunteer tour guides twice annually.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Over the years, the trust has trained several grade-school students as tour guides.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, the trust rents out the house for events.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Impact

Reception

When the Robie House was built, local residents disliked how the building stood out from its surroundings.<ref name="Anderson 2002" /><ref name="Noland 2003" /> The house was viewed more positively in the architecture community,<ref name="Smith p. 8" /> though its historic significance was not widely recognized until the 1930s.<ref name="Sprinkle p. 89">Template:Harvnb</ref> After its demolition was proposed in 1957, The Christian Science Monitor described the house as "one of the most important works of one of the world's most influential architects", calling the proposed demolition a "needless tragedy".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Another commentator called the Robie House "for many Americans the finest work of art turned out by any of our architects in our history as a nation."<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The Swiss architect Werner M. Moser said that Europeans regarded the Robie House "as a monument of historic value".<ref name="Philbrick 1963a" /> The Chicago Tribune said in 1965 that a visit to the house's living room was comparable to seeing a Giotto painting or hearing a Ludwig van Beethoven symphony for the first time.<ref name="Fitzpatrick 1965" />

A critic for the Chicago Tribune said in 1984 that "the strength and vitality that turned so many heads in 1909 still shine brightly."<ref name="Sullivan 1984" /> The same year, Donald Hoffman said that the house "embraced so many opposite tendencies"; for instance, the house's attic contrasted with its low-lying form, and its closed-off exteriors stood in contrast to the openness of the interiors.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 35" /> Robert Campbell of The Boston Globe called the Robie House "probably the greatest the master [Wright] ever did", along with Fallingwater in Greater Pittsburgh.<ref name="Campbell 1987" /> The Condé Nast Traveler wrote that "the essential integrity of the design, inside and out, is intact and engrossing".<ref name="Nast e439" /> The writer Neil Levine said that the Robie House felt "buoyant and spacious" despite its low-lying massing,<ref name="Levine p. 53" /> and a writer for The Ottawa Citizen said the house was representative of the "energy and optimism" that characterized the early 20th century.<ref name="Langston 2010" /> Alan Colquhoun, writing in 2002, said that the house's "aesthetic control is total and somewhat oppressive" and that even the movable furniture had been designed to complement the rest of the house's decorations.<ref name="Colquhun n844">Template:Cite book</ref>

The house has been the subject of various comparisons. A writer for The Wall Street Journal described the Robie House as "a sheet cake that wants to be a ziggurat".<ref name="Lasky 2016" /> Other sources called the building a "quintessential Prairie School house"<ref name="Steinberg 1991" /> and one of his best Prairie style structures.<ref name="Ure-Smith j173">Template:Cite news; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="Kamin c915" /> Writers have also likened the building's low massing to a ship,<ref name="Kamin 1999" /><ref name="Newsweek 1971" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and it was described as an example of "Dampfer architecture", in reference to the German word for "steamship".<ref name="Hoffmann p. 14" /><ref name="Gill p. 194" /> Another source described the house as the "culmination" of Wright's early work.<ref name="Mendoza 2001" />

Architectural influence

File:RobieHouseWindows ChicagoIL.jpg

Interior window detail

The Robie House was one of the first residences in the U.S. to be made of cement blocks and poured concrete.<ref name="The Belleville News-Democrat 1964" /> A writer for The Sydney Morning Herald said that some of the house's design features had since become commonplace, including cantilevered slabs, concrete floors, and corner windows.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The house's continuous windows and protruding roof were also popularized nationwide.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Newspapers have cited the house as having introduced other architectural details, such as spare bathrooms, self-watering planters, attached garages, picture windows, and split-level spaces.<ref name="Sembower 1964" /><ref name="Goldfarb 1993" /> Some of the house's architectural features had been used in Wright's previous designs, such as Warren McArthur's house<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Wright's Oak Park studio.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Robie House was one of the most prominent buildings that Wright designed in his Oak Park studio,<ref name="Newsweek 1971" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> as well as one of the last structures he designed there.<ref name="Connors pp. 59–60" /> Wright himself considered the house to be a "cornerstone of modern architecture".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The Commission on Chicago Landmarks said: "The bold interplay of horizontal planes about the chimney mass, and the structurally expressive piers and windows, established a new form of domestic design."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A 1957 article in House & Home magazine said that "The house introduced so many concepts in planning and construction that its full influence cannot be measured accurately for many years to come",<ref>Template:Cite magazine quoted in Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="The York Dispatch 1957">Template:Cite news</ref> calling it the most consequential house to be built in the U.S. in a century.<ref name="The York Dispatch 1957" /> Similarly, The Christian Science Monitor said in 1962 that the Robie House was Wright's first residence to "have an effective influence on modern residential architecture",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Walter Gropius called the house "a milestone in independent architecture".<ref name="Yates 1963" />

In contrast to the Robie House, Wright's later designs (with exceptions such as Fallingwater) were not designed with a diagonal vantage point in mind. Nonetheless, some architects such as Ludwig Mies van der Rohe did design buildings that were intended to be viewed from an angle.<ref name="Connors pp. 60–61">Template:Harvnb</ref> The Robie House's other architectural features inspired architects in Europe, starting with the Dutch architect J. J. P. Oud, who in 1918 was the first to publish an article about the house.<ref name="Connors pp. 60–61" /><ref name="Smith p. 8">Template:Harvnb</ref> These features influenced the design of European structures such as Mies's Barcelona Pavilion and the Rietveld Schröder House.<ref name="Smith p. 8" /> In turn, American architects began using these design features in the 1930s.<ref name="Smith p. 9" /> Specific structures influenced by the Robie House include a residence in Franklin Park, Pennsylvania;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the Domino's Pizza headquarters in Ann Arbor, Michigan;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a residence on Navajo Avenue in Edgebrook, Chicago.<ref name="Rodkin s376" /> Decorations from the house, such as the sconces, have also been replicated.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The Robie House was listed as "one of the seven most notable residences ever built in America" in a 1956 Architectural Record article.<ref name="Murphy 2018" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> A 1976 poll of American-architecture experts ranked the Robie House among the top structures in the U.S.,<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> while a 1982 poll of Architecture: the AIA journal readers ranked the Robie House as the country's third-best building.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> In 1991, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) named the house among the Top All-Time Work of American Architects.<ref name="Gibson j3482" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In celebration of the 2018 Illinois Bicentennial, the Robie House was selected as one of the Illinois 200 Great Places by AIA's Illinois chapter.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Landmark designations

Chicago's Commission on Architectural Landmarks designated the Robie House as a landmark in 1957, in an attempt to stave off the building's demolition.<ref name="PSR p. 12" /><ref name="Wisconsin State Journal 1957" /><ref name="The New York Times 1957">Template:Cite news</ref> The house was also the first 20th-century building that the National Trust for Historic Preservation tried to preserve.<ref name="Smith p. 14" /> The AIA's Chicago chapter gave the building's owners a plaque in 1960, recognizing the building as a landmark.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After the Commission on Chicago Landmarks replaced the Commission on Architectural Landmarks in 1968,<ref name="Krizmis 1970">Template:Cite news</ref> the Robie House was again nominated for city-landmark designation in early 1971.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the landmark commission's recommendation,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> a Chicago City Council committee approved the designation that August.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Commission on Chicago Landmarks' designation applied only to the exterior<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and prevented unauthorized alterations.<ref name="Krizmis 1970" />

When the house was being considered for demolition in 1957, the National Park Service initially refused to consider preserving the house, as it was not yet 50 years old.<ref name="Sprinkle p. 89" /> The Robie House was ultimately designated as Chicago's first National Historic Landmark in July 1963,<ref>Template:Harvnb</ref> and a plaque affirming this designation was dedicated in April 1964.<ref name="The Belleville News-Democrat 1964" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The house was also added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966,<ref name="nris" /> the day the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 went into effect.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Robie House is a contributing property to the Hyde Park–Kenwood Historic District, designated in 1979,<ref name="NRHPI-79000824">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and the house was further designated as an Illinois Historic Landmark in 1980.<ref name="nhlsum" />

The United States Department of the Interior nominated the Robie House and nine other Wright–designed buildings to the World Heritage List in 2015;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the buildings had previously been nominated in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> UNESCO added eight properties, including the Robie House, to the World Heritage List in July 2019 under the title "The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Media and exhibits

The Robie House was detailed in Ernst Wasmuth's 1910 Wasmuth Portfolio.<ref name="Hoffmann p. 14" />Template:Efn The Historic American Buildings Survey cataloged the building's architectural details and floor plans in the 1960s,<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> and Donald Hoffmann wrote a book about the house in 1984.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In addition, presentations from a 1984 symposium at the house were published in the book The Nature of Frank Lloyd Wright.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> An animated tour of the house was released on CD-ROM in 1995,<ref name="Coates 1995" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the house was depicted in a stamp issued by the United States Postal Service in 1998.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref> The house has been the subject of several documentary films, including a 1975 BBC documentary,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> a 2004 episode of HGTV's Restore America: A Salute to Preservation series,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and the 2013 PBS documentary and companion book 10 Buildings that Changed America.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Several exhibits have featured the Robie House. For example, models of the house were displayed at the Cincinnati Art Museum in 1933<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and at the Exhibition of American Art in Paris during 1938.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The house was also featured in several exhibits at New York City's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1941, 1961, and 1994,<ref>Template:Unbulleted list citebundle</ref> and a model of the house was displayed at MoMA in 1964.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Furniture from the house was displayed at the University of Chicago's Smart Museum of Art in 1979.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and at the National Gallery of Art,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while chairs from the house was displayed at New York's Cooper Hewitt Museum in 1983<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and at the Boston Design Center in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Chicago Athenaeum organized an exhibit about the Robie House and Wright's other Chicago designs in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The house has been depicted in other creative works as well. For instance, the graphic designer Steven Brower cut a pizza box into the shape of the Robie House.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Edmund V. Gillon Jr. released a model of the house in 1998,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and a rendering of the house was also included in a 2002 pop-up book about Wright's work.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lego started selling a model of the Robie House in 2011.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}; {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In addition, Blue Balliett's mystery novel The Wright 3 was set in the house.<ref>Template:Cite news; Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

• List of Frank Lloyd Wright works
• List of Chicago Landmarks
• List of National Historic Landmarks in Illinois
• List of World Heritage Sites in the United States
• National Register of Historic Places listings in South Side Chicago

References

Notes

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Sources

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• Template:Cite Wright Companion (S.127)
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External links

• Frank Lloyd Wright Trust: Robie House Tours
• Drawings, photos and data pages in the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey