Prairie Style Structures

The Prairie Style was a style of architecture that was popular in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It has its origins in the city of Chicago, where a group of architects sought to create a uniquely American architectural style that drew its inspirations from the Midwest landscape. Architect Louis Sullivan, who was renowned for his work with skyscraper architecture, played a key role in shaping Prairie School thought. The man perhaps best associated with this style is the renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The style became especially popular for domestic architecture, with plan books spreading design principles across the country. Among the character-defining features of the Prairie style is the use of lines emphasizing a horizontal orientation, low-pitched or flat overhanging roofs, windows assembled in horizontal bands, and general restraint in the usage of architectural adornments. Although the Prairie Style is best associated with domestic architecture, it was also used for larger public buildings. These buildings usually had some form of Sullivan-inspired decorative motifs and accentuated vertical piers.