17. The Greene House, 1912

A modern-looking white house.
The Greene House is the only house in Aurora designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Constructed in the Prairie style of architecture, it was at that time the smallest home that Wright designed. William B. Greene was one of the founders of the Barber-Greene Equipment Company. His college friend, Harry Robinson, was one of Wright's draftsmen, and Greene posed the question with Harry as to Wright's possible interest in a very modest home on his lot. Wright was indeed interested.
Greene stated that home building was then slack, and Wright had fallen into disfavor with the public following the abandonment of his wife and 6 children for another woman. His friend Harry came out to the site to learn their requirements. They then reviewed other Wright plans and sketches which were all too elaborate. They preferred the gable roof over the flat roof, liked the casement windows and fireplace.

In 1926, Robinson designed an addition to the west of the original house. Mr. and Mrs. Greene later built a Usonian retirement home behind their original Wright home in 1958.

Address

1300 Garfield Avenue
Aurora, IL 60505