Frank Lloyd Wright Trust Tours

The Trust was established in 1974 as the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation, a not-for-profit organization, to acquire and preserve Wright's Home and Studio in Oak Park as the place where Wright formulated the architectural principles he retained throughout his career. In 1975, the Home and Studio became a co-stewardship property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Home and Studio Foundation embarked on its mission to restore and operate the building as a historic house museum. In 1976, the Home and Studio was declared a National Historic Landmark. The ensuing $3+ million restoration was completed in 1987, at which time it received the American Institute of Architects' prestigious National Honor Award. In February 1997, the Home and Studio Foundation, by invitation of University of Chicago entered into an agreement to assume sole responsibility for the management, operation and restoration of Wright's Robie House, located on the University of Chicago campus. In 2000, the Home and Studio Foundation changed its name to the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust to better reflect the dual stewardship of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio and Wright’s Robie House. In December 2010, the Trust realized a long-standing dream of a downtown location by opening central offices at The Rookery, a Chicago landmark building. The Rookery contains one of Wright's most dramatic interior compositions in its luminous central light court. In May 2012, the Trust acquired sole ownership of the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The transfer of ownership marked a new chapter in the history of the Trust. In 2012, the Trust began operation of tours at the Emil Bach House, a Chicago landmark on Chicago’s north side shoreline neighborhood of Rogers Park, and in September 2013, the Trust assumed responsibility for the operation of tours and programs at Unity Temple, three blocks from Wright’s Home and Studio in Oak Park. In December 2013, the organization's name became Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, while the mission remains unchanged.