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Happy 150th Birthday, O Great Architect: Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright Designed Kraus House in Kirkwood
by Pat Lindsey
When Frank Lloyd Wright began his apprenticeship with the Chicago architectural firm of Adler and Sullivan in 1887, he was determined to become “the greatest architect of all time.” While some say he achieved his goal, others credit him for at least being the most influential. Today (June 8) marks his 150th birthday and he is being celebrated for developing his style of “organic architecture” and his contributions of 400 structures that include the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, Unity Temple in Oak Park, IL, and the Kraus House in Kirkwood.
My fascination with the genius of Frank Lloyd Wright began four years ago when my book club read “Loving Frank” by Nancy Horan. The historical fiction detailed Wright’s professional and personal life, which was filled with triumphs and tragedies. It stirred such an interest in us that we decided to take a field trip to Oak Park, IL to visit the home and studio that Wright designed for his wife and six children–his first architectural masterpiece. We also walked along other Oak Park streets that were lined with homes that are examples of the “Prairie School” of architecture. His clean lines and use of light and natural materials make those homes appear modern even a century later.
After our trip to Oak Park, we learned that there is a Frank Lloyd Wright home in Kirkwood. And it wasn’t until just a few weeks ago that I had the opportunity to tour the home that Wright designed for Russell and Ruth Kraus in 1950, now known as the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park. It was one of Wright’s final and most complicated designs based on two parallelograms atop one another, resulting in many acute angles, but only three right angles in the entire house. Russell Kraus was an artist and art professor at Washington University and Wright’s task was to design an affordable house for an average family. Wright called this design Usonian (United States of America).
Having Frank Lloyd Wright design a house for him and his wife was Russell Kraus’s dream. When the preliminary plans were completed, Wright estimated that the house would cost $35,000 to construct. That, too, was probably a dream, because it took nearly a decade to complete the house. After several plan revisions, the Krauses had difficulty finding a builder who would take on such a complicated design. Then, because Russell wanted to stay true to Wright’s specifications, finding the building materials became an arduous task, primarily for Ruth.
The two-bedroom Kraus house, nestled into a hillside on 10.5 acres (formerly 40 acres), was built with triangular bricks made in Alton, IL, tidewater red cypress, a dense wood that was decay-resistant, and concrete. It features an open-concept living room with the hearth as the focus. Japanese influence is evident throughout, but especially in the origami chairs in the living room. A concrete deck off the living room overlooks the beautiful hillside. There is recessed and under lighting with one switch to light the house and another switch for the bedroom. Russell’s studio is large enough for his drawing board, desk, and filing cabinets and the master bedroom had to fulfill many requirements, including a brick-enclosed lanai for secluded stargazing and nude sunbathing. Nothing is square, not even the master bed, which is a parallelogram.
The Krauses were the only residents of their Frank Lloyd Wright home. After Ruth’s death in 1992, Russell contemplated selling the house, but he wanted to insure that it would go to someone who would appreciate its historic significance. Judith Bettendorf and a group of her friends, including Joanne Kohn, evenutally established a 501(C)3 nonprofit organization to raise money to buy the house as a museum.
They called on Robert J. Hall, director of the St. Louis County Parks Dept. to partner with them and in 2001, they purchased the Kraus house and its contents for $1.7 million.
Kraus House Tours Available
Today, small groups may tour the home at 120 N. Ballas Rd. any day except Monday and Tuesday. Reservations are required and the cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children age 12 and under. For more information, go to tours@ebsworthpark.org or call 314-822-8359.
The Kraus house and the Guggenheim Museum were Frank Lloyd Wright’s final projects in his illustrious career that spanned nearly seven decades. Five of his homes are in Missouri and others can be found across the country, with the most notable ones being in Arizona, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. Just as his creations have withstood the test of time, so have Frank Lloyd Wright’s contributions to American architecture. On this the 150th birthday of one of the greatest American architects, we salute Frank Lloyd Wright.
