Oak Park Illinois Real Estate

Oak Park, Illinois is a city of gorgeous homes. Preservation of many older buildings has resulted in a glorious mix of grand old Queen Anne, Victorian and Tudor-style homes, which provide both context and contrast to the many legacy homes built by Frank Lloyd Wright and his followers. Wright himself lived in Oak Park from 1893 to 1909, when he scandalously eloped to Europe with a client's wife.

The houses Wright built in Oak Park were called Prairie Houses. He believed that buildings should be in harmony with their environment, and to that end, he designed long, low edifices with shallow roofs, clean lines and often dramatic overhangs and cantilevers. He also believed in using materials that were native to the area, usually in an unfinished state. The result is homes that organize and reflect their surroundings.

Wright's interiors were also iconoclastic. In addition to being called "the father of Modernism," he is credited with the birth of the open floor plan, in which space is divided by function rather than organized into separate rooms. Viewing the many homes he designed in Oak Park provides a visual history of his development from Victorian to Prairie styles.

Whether you prefer one of the Victorian painted ladies or the sleek geometry of the Prairie style, you can find exactly what you're looking for when you explore Oak Park Illinois real estate. If you prefer a newer home, those are widely available too. Plus, in a village that was home to Frank Lloyd Wright, you can be assured that property holds its value!