Formerly: Nathan G. Moore House Built: 1895 Designed by: Frank Lloyd Wright Renovated: 1923 Type: Residential Stories: 3 Location: 333 Forest, Oak Park, United States
Building Rating 80% of readers like the Moore-Dugal Residence.
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E ven people who don't care for Frank Lloyd Wright's designs must marvel at the exquisite notions that translated into the Moore-Dugal house. Though located in a suburb on the Illinois prairie, it would be perfectly at home as a ski chalet in the European Alps. Starting at the top is the long, flat chimney Wright used in other homes in the neighborhood. Its vertical lines carry the eye down to the huge, steeply sloping gables with Tudor accents. These hang over the rest of the residence like a too-large floppy hat, providing both shelter from the elements and an overabundance of decoration. This excessiveness is an improvement on the original design for this building, which featured more traditional-sized gables. These were replaced after a fire in 1922. Wright, himself, returned to Oak Park to direct the rebuilding efforts. The result is a home that is as unique among Wright designs as the architect's designs are among the mundanely uniform architecture that infects suburban America.
