Unity Temple

Oak Park, United States

Open to visitors

The interior is normally open, possibly ticketed.

Strollie cannot guarantee access — always check before you travel.

Phone: +1 708 848 6225

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Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1909, Unity Temple stands at 875 Lake Street in Oak Park, Illinois, as a pioneering work of modern architecture in the Prairie style. Built for the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation—whose original Gothic Revival church burned in 1905—the structure comprises an auditorium to the north and a building called Unity House to the south, connected by an entrance pavilion, all constructed of reinforced concrete. The temple's distinctive aesthetic eschews traditional religious ornamentation in favor of abstract motifs, featuring a Portland cement facade with exposed gravel aggregate and recessed clerestory windows; the auditorium is arranged as a Greek cross with two tiers of seating around a central pulpit, while the roof consists of multiple flat, overhanging concrete slabs rather than a conventional spire. Following its dedication in 1909, the building attracted visitors internationally and has undergone restoration campaigns from the 1960s onward, including a comprehensive refurbishment from 2015 to 2017. Unity Temple is recognized as part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Architect

Frank Lloyd Wright

Movement

modern architecture

Type: church building
Heritage: part of UNESCO World Heritage Site, National Register of Historic Places listed place
Place: Oak Park, United States

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Location

41.88833, -87.79667