Frank Lloyd Wright Special Collections

Special collections are sets of research materials - usually manuscripts, archives or rare books - which, because of their subject, type, size, or provenance, are organized as discrete collections. Special collections at the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust include materials that support the organization's mission to document the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and his collaborators from the Oak Park Studio, as well as serve as a repository for Wright family history. Please contact for access information.

Restoration Documentation Collections

Comprises visual images, artifacts, fragments, architectural drawings and correspondence generated during the restoration of the Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park (completed 1987), and the Robie House in Hyde Park, Chicago (begun 1997). The collection is an important and growing historic preservation and architectural resource, which documents the decisions, methodology and processes involved in restoring and preserving these two architectural landmarks.

Wright Family Library

The collection is a partial reconstruction of the library acquired by the Wright family during their Oak Park years. It includes books owned by Frank Lloyd Wright, his wife Catherine Tobin Wright, and their children, as well as books of Catherine's parents, and Wright's mother, Anna.

Harriet Dyer Adams Collection on Frank Lloyd Wright Structures, 1948-1951

Harriet Dyer Adams was an artist, art historian, gallery director, and librarian. This collections includes Adams' hand-written notes and descriptions of Wright-designed structures compiled into an unbound, loose-leaf "scrapbook" titled "Study of Frank Lloyd Wright: Buildings Which I Have Seen or Been Through, Plus Other Material on Him," and assorted other material on Wright. Finding Aid

Maginel Wright Barney Collection

This collection contains memorabilia, printing blocks, photographs, music, fabric art, illustrations, correspondence, manuscripts and diaries of Wright's younger sister Maginel (1877-1966), a successful author and illustrator of children's books and needlework artist. Also included are items related to the life and work of Barney's daughter, Elizabeth Enright; her mother, Anna Wright; and her father, William Carey, as well as to Frank Lloyd Wright, his wives and children.

Edward David Davies collection, 1871-1950, 1988

Davies attended Illinois Institute of Technology (1931); University of Illinois (1931-34); Cranbrook Academy of Art (1934-35) and was a registered architect working chiefly in California including as a designer/draftsman for Richard Neutra. Finding Aid

William Drummond papers, ca. 1890-1960

William Drummond was an architect associated with the Prairie style. In 1899 he gained employment in Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park studio where he worked on such projects as the Darwin Martin, Cheney, McCormick, Coonley and Bradley houses. From 1901-1905 while working in Wright's studio Drummond supplemented his income by working in the offices of Richard Schmidt and Daniel Burnham. Drummond worked full-time in Wright's studio 1905-1909. From 1912 until around 1917 Drummond partnered with Louis Guenzel in an architectural firm that continued to explore the Prairie style, until giving up the idiom in the 1920s. During the 1920s and 1930s Drummond achieved success designing residential properties, commercial buildings, remodeling projects and attaining public commissions, predominately in the Chicago suburb of River Forest. This collection documents the personal, business, and artistic activities of William Drummond. Finding Aid

Robert G. Emmond household inventory, circa 1895

Robert Emmond was an early client of Frank Lloyd Wright and commissioned a "bootleg" house in La Grange, IL in 1892. This file consists of a single notebook in which Emmond recorded his household property for insurance purposes. Finding Aid

Galesburg Country Home Association records, 1946-1966

The Galesburg Country Homes development was an idea by a group of friends, many of whom were employed as chemists or biochemists by Upjohn Co. in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Two groups of houses, four designs each, resulted from a visit with Wright at Taliesin. The Acres was the name for 72 acres purchased for less than $65 per acre lying 10 miles east of Kalamazoo. The subdivision plan for the Galesburg homes was drawn up in 1947. This collection comprises Association meeting minutes, general information, and correspondence between the Galesburg clients and Frank Lloyd Wright and Eugene Masselink at Taliesin. Some materials are photocopies of originals. Finding Aid

William B. Greene papers, 1910-1942

William B. Greene was an industrialist in Aurora, Illinois. He commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design his house, built in 1912 as one of only four Wright houses in the lower Fox Valley. In 1926 Greene hired Harry Robinson, a former Wright draftsman, to build an addition which nearly doubled the size of the house, to accommodate Greene's growing family. This collection comprises bids, proposals, contracts, invoices, manufacturer information and correspondence generated during the houses' construction, landscaping, and remodeling. Finding Aid

Lewis Lozier house certificate of survey, 1938

This file contains a certificate of survey for the property at 7218 Quick Ave., River Forest, Illinois designed by Tallmadge and Watson in 1906. Finding Aid

Alfred MacArthur correspondence with Frank Lloyd Wright, 1926-1940

The MacArthur family lived in Wright's former Oak Park home for a period after the Home and Studio was converted to apartments. This collection includes correspondence between Alfred MacArthur and Frank Lloyd Wright. Finding Aid

Richard E. Twiss correspondence, 1973-1992

Richard Earl Twiss was an architect, Wright expert, Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust founding board member and donor to the collections. This collection documents Twiss's scholarly interest in the architecture and designs of Frank Lloyd Wright and Chicago architecture, his contributions to historic preservation, and the history of the Robie House. It is primarily comprised of correspondence with Donald Hoffmann whose study of the design and history of the Robie house and the families who lived there resulted in the book Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House: The Illustrated Story of an Architectural Masterpiece. Finding Aid

Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust Graphic Arts Collection, 1974-Present

The Graphic Arts Collection documents the publications and promotions designed and generated by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. Materials collected include brochures, business cards, tickets, directories, lectures series promotions, bookshop catalogues, exhibits promotions, posters, and invitations. Finding Aid

John Lloyd Wright Papers and John Lloyd Wright Toy Collection

John Lloyd Wright (1892-1972) was the second son of Frank Lloyd and Catherine Tobin Wright. John became an architect, author and toy designer, creating Lincoln Logs, Wright Blocks and Timber Toys. Archival materials include drawings, correspondence, brochures, manuscripts, photographs, toys, patents, and specifications.