205 Essex Rd
Kenilworth, IL 60043, USA

Hiram Baldwin House ( Baldwin-Wackerle Residence) - National Register of Historic Places

Statement of Significance:

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and constructed for Hiram Baldwin in 1905 this residence belongs to the formative period of Wright's development of the prairie house. The Baldwin-Wackerle Residence exhibits the design concepts that Wright developed in fort y houses spanning the period from 1901 (the Willits House) to 1906 (the Robie House). These two designs are clearly recognized as pure prototypes of the prairie house. The Baldwin-Wackerle house tends toward the latte r i n exterior appearance although its plan reveals the centrifugal layout of the former. The design also bears a strong resemblance in form and plan to the design Wright prepared for Ladies Home Journal. "A Home in a Prairie Town," The ideas in this prototype were actually executed in the F. B, Henderson house, 1901, Elmhurst, Illinois; in the Frank Thomas residence, 1901, Oak Park, Illinois, and the George Madison Millard residence, 1906, Highland Park, Illinois, al l of which are constructed with stucco walls and stripping of rough-sawn wood. The Baldwin-Wackerle Residence is the fourth member of this quartet.

The design for the house also reveals the Japanese influence on Wright, (1905 was the year of his celebrated trip), in the use of wood screens to define exterior courtyards.
The Baldwin-Wackerle Residence is also significant within the local context of Kenilworth. I t is the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in this North Shore community which also contains excellent work by noted Chicago School architects’ well as eclectic designers of first quality. Securing this project was no doubt considered a triumph by Wright, a solid commission for an Innovative design in a village noted for its. aesthetic as well as financial conservatism.

Plans of the Baldwin-Wackerle residence on file at the Frank Lloyd Wright Memorial Foundation were reviewed. They included working drawings, sketches, and details. Without photographs at the time of completion, it is difficult to ascertains how closely the plans followed these papers, because of discontinuities between various drawings. A summary of findings follows:

The important floor plan of the Baldwin House with its half circle living room remains unchanged on the firs t and second floors with the exception of a small two floor addition at the northeast comer and least visible from the street. Each of the rooms serves in the original function. The interior has been redecorated but not sufficiently altered to prevent complete restoration. Doors, hardware and leaded windows remain, as does the fireplace, although not every element is intact and some are covered.

The exterior facade remains essentially unchanged in material, texture and window treatment. The landscaping has been redesigned. The driveway originally extended along the north boundary of the property. When redone, several small walls and a screen were rearranged or removed and two exterior doors were relocated. Flower beds, a garden wall and garage have been altered, improved and extended at various times.

Because the Register encourages, recognition and preservation of architecture significant in its local context, the Wackerele are seeking Nomination as part of the restoration process. Substantial roof work was completed according to original plans and the owner intends to continue phased restoration should the property be listed. Because i t i s the work of a Master Architect, exhibits a uniquely experimental floorplan in architectural treatment of the main living hall, and the exterior retains its essential integrity, the Baldwin-Wackerele residence by Prank Lloyd Wright appears to meet the criteria of the National Register Program and is duel submitted for nomination.

Submitted May 4, 1983 Bruce E. Lynch — Architectural Conservator