Charles E. Roberts House, Additions
Date: 1896
Address: 321 North Euclid Avenue, Oak Park, IL
City: Oak Park, IL
Accessibility: Private
Category: Residential
The Chicago architectural firm of Burnham and Root designed the Charles E. Roberts house in 1879, and Wright remodeled the residence in 1896. The commission foreshadows Wright’s 1905 renovation of Burnham and Root’s iconic Rookery building in downtown Chicago.
On the interior, Wright added a first floor bedroom, an ornamental fireplace screen in the living room, and new interior trim. He also redesigned the building’s central stair, altered the veranda, and simplified the roofline. Charles Roberts, a businessman and trustee at Unity Temple, commissioned several projects from Wright, including designs for a low-cost housing project, grandfather clock, summerhouse, and building for the Chicago Screw Company. Of these projects, only Wright’s modifications to Roberts’ house were carried through to completion.