Unity Temple
|
Unity Temple
|
|
 |
|
 
|
|
| Location | 875 Lake St., Oak Park, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°53′18″N 87°47′48″W / 41.88833°N 87.79667°WCoordinates: 41°53′18″N 87°47′48″W / 41.88833°N 87.79667°W |
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1905–1908 |
| Architect | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Architectural style | Modern |
| NRHP Reference # | 70000240 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | April 17, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | December 30, 1970 |
Unity Temple is a Unitarian Universalist church in Oak Park, Illinois, and the home of the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation. It was designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and built between 1905 and 1908. Unity Temple is considered to be one of Wright's most important structures dating from the first decade of the twentieth century. Because of its consolidation of aesthetic intent and structure through use of a single material, reinforced concrete, Unity Temple is considered by many architects to be the first modern building in the world. This idea became of central importance to the modern architects who followed Wright, such as Mies Van Der Rohe, and even the post-modernists, such as Frank Gehry.
Unity Temple is located at 875 Lake Street, Oak Park Illinois. (The Unitarian Universalist congregation that owns and worships in Unity Temple was formed in 1871, and has no connection with Unity Church, a religious organization founded in 1889.)
In 1905, after the original Unity Church burned down, the Universalist congregation of Oak Park, Illinois turned to architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design them a new structure. The result was Unity Temple. Wright was not only living in Oak Park, but also came from a family of Unitarians - which faith then had many beliefs in common with Universalism. The needed a space of worship, as well as a community room. There were several immediate problems that the architect had to work with in order to satisfy the client. The budget for the Universalist congregation was rather small for its needs ($40,000 US dollars), and the proposed building site was long, but not very wide. Additionally, the building site stood on a busy street. And finally, the architect was expected to design not only the structure, but also furniture and stained glass for the building. Charles E. Roberts, an engineer, inventor and an important early client of Frank Lloyd Wright, served on the church's building committee and was a key figure in seeing that Wright's vision for the church became a reality. For Roberts, Wright also remodeled Roberts' home and the Charles E. Roberts Stable.
...
Wikipedia