early frank lloyd wright-designed roloson rowhouse terra cotta baluster acquired by bldg. 51 museum archive

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This entry was posted on November 3 2019 by Eric

among the bldg. 51 museum archive's latest addition is an original frank lloyd wright-designed buff-colored terra cotta exterior robert roloson rowhouse (1894) baluster salvaged when the front terraces where dismantled/demolished in the early 1970's. most of the surviving balusters exhibit some degree of damage, espeically around the necks and bases. a single centrally located iron rod was used to reinforce them. the balusters were executed by the northwestern terra cotta company.

robert roloson commissioned frank Lloyd wright to remodel a group of four preexisting row houses located on calumet avenue on the southside of chicago in 1894. concerned with ventilation, wright devised a plan that incorporated a succession of courts and wells in order to allow light and air into the buildings’ interior rooms. a series of four high-pitched gables dominate the front facade of the row house. wright proposed eliminating these design elements, but the client rejected the idea. their strict geometry is echoed in the rigid sequence of sullivanesque style buff-colored terra cotta spandrels and thickly mullioned windows below.

the interiors of the houses, which were gutted after a fire and general deterioration in 1981, also featured sullivanesque ornament, as did the bulbous balustrades that once encircled the terraces at the front of the houses. similar balustrades remain intact found at wright’s nathan g. moore residence in oak park. the exterior balusters with centrally located steel rods were executed by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, ills.