Kathryn + Lloyd Lewis House

Libertyville, Illinois

The Kathryn and Lloyd Lewis House in Libertyville, Illinois was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1939 for the editor of the Chicago Daily News. The two-story house is a relatively rare Usonian Wright design constructed before World War II. Materials consist of Chicago Common Brick and Tidewater Cyprus used on walls, ceilings and floors, giving the exterior and interior a warm glow.

While close to Chicago, the siting of the house with a forested approach and perched above the Des Plaines River make the location feel secluded. Designed as a “Farm Unit” or small gentleman’s farm, the site was planned with auxiliary structures, walls and garden plots. A Wright-designed chicken coop and bands of garden plots stretching from the house to the river were constructed. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.