Why Wright?

The Wright Ride is named for one of Oak Park's most famous citizens, Frank Lloyd Wright, who spent the first 20 years of his 70-year career here, building numerous homes that still stand in the community, including his own. He lived and worked in the area between 1889 and 1909. His earliest work can be found in this area, including the Winslow House in neighboring River Forest. Oak Park boasts many examples of the very first Prairie Style houses, as well as Wright's world-renowned Unity Temple, which was built between 1905-1908.


There were several well-known architects and artists who worked in Wright's Oak Park Studio. Richard Bock, William Eugene Drummond, Marion Mahony Griffin, and Walter Burley Griffin each contributed to Wright's work during this time. Innumerable buildings in Oak Park were built by other Prairie School architects such as Tallmadge and Watson, George W. Maher, Robert C. Spencer, John Van Bergen, and E.E. Roberts. Additionally, there are various architectural styles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries located throughout the town.