flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Unity Temple, Robie House among eight Frank Lloyd Wright projects to receive World Heritage status

Architects

Unity Temple, Robie House among eight Frank Lloyd Wright projects to receive World Heritage status

The UNESCO designation includes signature works designed by Wright during the first half of the 20th century.


By BD+C | July 8, 2019
Unity Temple (Chicago), Photo by James Caulfield, courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Trust

Unity Temple, Chicago. Photo: James Caulfield, courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Trust

During the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee, currently taking place in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan (June 30 - July 10, 2019), the World Heritage Committee named eight projects by Frank Lloyd Wright to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The designation, officially named “The 20th century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright,” includes signature works designed by the architect during the first half of the 20th century. They are:
• Aline Barnsdall Hollyhock House (Los Angeles)
• Fallingwater (Mill Run, Pa.)
• Frederick C. Robie House (Chicago)
• Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House (Madison, Wis.)
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York)
• Taliesin (Spring Green, Wis.)
• Taliesin West (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
• Unity Temple (Oak Park, Ill.)

On making the selection, the World Heritage Committee stated: “These buildings reflect the ‘organic architecture’ developed by Wright, which includes an open plan, a blurring of the boundaries between exterior and interior, and the unprecedented use of materials such as steel and concrete. Each of these buildings offers innovative solutions to the needs for housing, worship, work or leisure. Wright's work from this period had a strong impact on the development of modern architecture in Europe.”

In Chicago, the UNESCO designation coincides with the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust’s announcement of a new Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor and Education Center. The trust owns and maintains Wright’s Home and Studio in Oak Park, Ill., and operates public tours and programs at five Chicago area historic sites, including Unity Temple (1905-08) and Robie House (1908-10).   

“This UNESCO designation firmly establishes Wright’s place on the international stage of modern architecture,” said Celeste Adams, President & CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.

Wright joins pioneers of modern architecture already inscribed on the prestigious list, including Gerrit Rietveld, Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa. There are more than 1,000 World Heritage sites around the world, and the group of Wright sites is now among 24 sites in the U.S.

 

Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago. Photo: Tim Long, courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Trust

Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago. Photo: James Caulfield, courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Trust

Tags

Related Stories

| Sep 22, 2014

Swanke-designed Eurasia Tower opens in Moscow

The 72-story tower—the first mixed-use, steel tower in Russia—is located within the new, 30 million-sf, 148-acre Moscow International Business Center.

| Sep 22, 2014

USGBC names 2014 Best of Buildings Award winners

The Best of Building Awards celebrate the year’s best products, projects, organizations and individuals making an impact in green building.

| Sep 20, 2014

Healthcare conversion projects: 5 hard-earned lessons from our experts

Repurposing existing retail and office space is becoming an increasingly popular strategy for hospital systems to expand their reach from the mother ship. Our experts show how to avoid the common mistakes that can sabotage outpatient adaptive-reuse projects. 

| Sep 19, 2014

Smithsonian Institution opens LEED Platinum lab facility

The Charles McC. Mathias Laboratory will emit 37% less CO2 than a comparable lab that does not meet LEED-certification standards.

| Sep 19, 2014

8 hot healthcare projects win interior design awards

Winners of IIDA's 2014 Healthcare Interior Design Competition include Perkins+Will, AECOM, Buffalo Design, and SmithGroupJJR, for projects from Cincinnati to Toronto.

| Sep 18, 2014

Final designs unveiled for DC's first elevated park

OMA, Höweler + Yoon, NEXT Architects, and Cooper, Robertson & Partners have just released their preliminary design proposals for what will be known as the 11th Street Bridge Park. 

| Sep 17, 2014

Arquitectonica's hairpin-shaped tower breaks ground in Miami

Rising above Biscayne Bay, the 305-meter tower will include three viewing decks, a restaurant, nightclub, and exhibition space.

| Sep 17, 2014

Atlanta Braves break ground on mixed-use ballpark development

SunTrust Park will be constructed by American Builders 2017, a joint venture between Brasfield & Gorrie, Mortenson Construction, Barton Malow Company, and New South Construction.

| Sep 17, 2014

The doctor is in: New consortium to fund research of design's influence on public health

The AIA Design & Health Research Consortium has organized its design and health initiative around six evidence-based approaches.

| Sep 17, 2014

New developments in data center design

From the dozen or so facilities housing Google’s 900,000 servers to the sprawling server farms of Facebook to Amazon’s seven sites scattered around the world, today’s data centers must accommodate massive power demand, high heat loads, strict maintenance protocols, and super-tight security. This AIA Discovery course is worth 1.0 AIA CES HSW learning units.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021