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 19, 2022

New York City construction site inspections, enforcement found ‘inadequate’

A new report by the New York State Comptroller found that New York City construction site inspections and regulation enforcement need improvement.

| Sep 16, 2022

Fairfax County, Va., considers impactful code change to reduce flood risk

Fairfax County, Va., in the Washington, D.C., metro region is considering a major code change to reduce the risk from floods.

Multifamily Housing | Sep 15, 2022

Heat Pumps in Multifamily Projects

RMI's Lacey Tan gives the basics of heat pumps and how they can reduce energy costs and carbon emissions in apartment projects.

| Sep 15, 2022

Monthly construction input prices dip in August

Construction input prices decreased 1.4% in August compared to the previous month, according to an Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index data released today.

| Sep 15, 2022

First LEED Platinum, net zero and net zero water synagogue opens

Kol Emeth Center, the world’s first LEED Platinum, net zero and net zero water synagogue, opened recently in Palo Alto, Calif.

| Sep 14, 2022

Fires on Amazon warehouse roofs seemingly caused by faulty PV installations

Amazon has made installing solar panels on rooftops a key part of its ESG strategy, but a series of events last year show how challenging greening up major facilities can be.

| Sep 14, 2022

Indian tribe’s new educational campus supports culturally appropriate education

The Kenaitze Indian Tribe recently opened the Kahtnuht’ana Duhdeldiht Campus (Kenai River People’s Learning Place), a new education center in Kenai, Alaska.

| Sep 13, 2022

California building codes now allow high-rise mass-timber buildings

California recently enacted new building codes that allow for high-rise mass-timber buildings to be constructed in the state.

| Sep 13, 2022

Orange County opens civic center complex—one of California’s largest P3 projects

Orange County’s recently opened County Administration North (CAN) building caps an urban center development that constitutes one of California’s largest ever P3 projects.

Laboratories | Sep 12, 2022

Lab space scarcity propels construction demand in life sciences sector

In its 2021 Life Sciences Real Estate Outlook, JLL predicted that access to talent would be a primary concern for an industry sector that had been growing by leaps and bounds. A year later, talent still guides real estate decisions. But market conditions of a different sort were cooling the biotech field: namely, investors that have soured on startups which underperformed after going public. What this means for new construction and renovation going forward is unpredictable, as the drivers behind life sciences’ surge are still palpable.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




Resiliency

U.S. is reducing floodplain development in most areas

The perception that the U.S. has not been able to curb development in flood-prone areas is mostly inaccurate, according to new research from climate adaptation experts. A national survey of floodplain development between 2001 and 2019 found that fewer structures were built in floodplains than might be expected if cities were building at random.

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