Expansion Considered for Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District

Members of Oak Park’s Historic Preservation Commission are soliciting resident feedback as they look to possibly expand the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District.

“There is interest based on the feedback. We want to get all of their questions answered,” commission chairwoman Christina Morris said at Monday’s meeting.

The commission wants to expand the boundaries created when the district was drawn by Oak Park in 1972 — currently a hodgepodge of borders that cut through blocks and excludes some homes of historical significance.

Changing the borders had been on the commission’s agenda for years.

In the mid-200os, commissioners embarked on a massive effort surveying the buildings that fall in the district — and what others could be included.

Officials said the change would allow the village to protect additional homes that they feel would contribute to the character of the community and are worthy of preservation.

The area would grow to include, generally: Maple Street on the west, Oak Park Avenue on the east, Division Street on the north and Lake Street on the south.

Currently 1,491 homes are in the district; another 444 would be included if the boundary changes were eventually approved, said Douglas Kaare, urban planner for the village.  

Nearly 400 of those homes contribute to the character of the neighborhood, he added, structures that were built between the 1860s and 1941.

Kaare said the commission is also looking to expand the boundaries to match an update approved by the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

The agency, part of the U.S. Department of Interior, originally gave the honorary distinction in 1973, and has since designated several other areas and buildings as having national significance.

There was interest – and skepticism.

Gene Armstrong, who owns a building in the Ridgeland Historic District, wondered why some buildings and parks were left out whereas others were not.

“This has not all been flushed out yet. Over time we will know, absolutely,” he said.

Amy Skaggs, whose home would be included if the boundaries were changed, said the rules for home repairs were already too limiting.

Bill Dawson, whose home would also be brought into the district, was dubious.

“There are restrictions already there. There are no McMansions,” said Dawson, “It will restrict what the next buyer of my house could do with it.”

But the proposal won the backing of Cathy Kushnick, who lives on Erie west of Marion, saying this effort will help promote a sense of community.

“What sets Oak Park apart from the other 10,000 exurban areas is its architecture. Wanting to match our district with the national boundaries makes sense.

The ultimate decision would rest with the board of trustees if the proposal moves forward.

The district contains a remarkable collection of late 19th and early 20th Century residential architecture, according to the village. 

With its concentration of Prairie School structures and other examples of architecture, the district attracts tens of thousands of visitors from around the world each year.

Recently, it was , Great Neighborhoods in 2010 by the American Planning Association.

It is one of several areas in Oak Park on the National Register of Historic Places and several homes in the district also have earned that honorary distinction.