The Prairie Style house plan is largely attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright, one of Americas most innovative and renowned architects.
Wright's goal in designing this radical new form of architecture, according to the book, The Prairie School Tradition, was to create organic architecture. Houses, Wright believed, had to be an integration of structural and aesthetic beauty and above all sensitivity to human life.
The term Prairie Style may have come from a contemporary architect of that era, Irving K. Pond who said the new style echoed the spirit of the prairies of the great Middle West
Strong horizontal lines defined the Prairie Style. Other features included one-story projections, belt-courses between the storeys and oversized eaves which appear to spread out and hug the ground. The open interiors, rows of small windows and art glass, coupled with the low-pitched roof create a warm, informal and inviting space that looked right at home on the wide-open spaces of the prairie. These homes blended in with and were intimately connected to the landscape.
Unlike the pretentious Victorian house, the Prairie Style house was noticeably lacking in ornamentation. A variety of geometric shapes and forms stimulated by nature were highlighted through window arrangement, columns, low walls and planters, creating a visually appealing home.
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