It was in his home in Oak Park that Frank Lloyd

Wright made his first contributions to the Modern

movement. In 1889 he designed the first part of

the house, in 1895 he added to it for his wife,

Catherine, and their family, and in 1898 for his

architectural practice. The entire building was a

learning laboratory of modern architecture. While

not a Prairie School house, it led to the development

of the Prairie School. Wright's constant

changes to this complex paralleled the evolution

of his early architectural work and career. There,

with his young assistants, he rethought the plan,

spaces, materials, proportions, and lines of American

residential architecture, creating a revolution

on the Prairie. His home and studio provided the

architectural environment in which to experiment

with his ideas in three dimensions. The house

featured contemporary art work, oriental tribal

rugs, and Japanese decorative arts chosen by

Wright and his wife. The studio was decorated

with classical plaster sculpture, Teco ceramics

and selections from Wright's large collection of

Japanese prints. Wright completed the interiors,

toned in nature's hues, with furniture and builtin

furnishings of his own design, harmonious to

the whole.

The colour photographs of Jon Miller of Hedrich-

Blessing show a glimpse into Wright's first

haven, where he challenged prevailing notions

about the country's architecture, and which he

then left, to continue as one of America's most

significant architects. Included in the book is a

portfolio of historic black and white photographs

of the building, a number of them taken by

Wright himself.