Unity Temple - Oak Park, Illinois
Posted by: 
Hikenutty
N 41° 53.302 W 087° 47.815
16T E 433885 N 4637688
Unity Temple was one of Wright's favorite commissions, and was innovative both in its revolutionary style of design and use of materials.
Waymark Code: WM1X9M
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 07/25/2007
Views: 59
The following excerpt can be found in tour 11 of the "WPA Guide to Illinois":
UNITY TEMPLE, Universalist Church at Lake and Grove Sts., is a notable interpretation of the cubic form. Designed by Wright and built in 1905, it has been termed the first concrete monolith in the world. Molded concrete gives the appearance of strength of stone blocks and columns. Such harmony is there of color, design, and form that the lack of a steeple is seldom noticed; Wright considers the spire a false symbol - the "lifting of a finger to a terrible God."
"Why not, then, build a temple, not to GOD in that way—more sentimental than sense—but build a temple to man, appropriate to his uses as a meeting place, in which to study man himself for his God's sake? A modern meeting-house and good-time place.
Build a beautiful ROOM proportioned to this purpose. Make it beautiful in this simple sense. A natural building for natural Man."
— Frank Lloyd Wright. from Edgar Kaufmann and Ben Raeb, Ed. Frank Lloyd Wright: Writings and Buildings. p75-77, 81-82.
Unity Temple was among Wright's favorite commissions and continues to be a favorite with the community of Oak Park, where the building is located.
Over 100 years after the Temple was completed, this beautiful building still carries a timeless look. Its intersecting rectangular planes were revolutionary at the time it was built, but its look wasn't the only revolutionary component of the building. It was the first building constructed of steel-reinforced concrete and showed that concrete could be used for more than just utilitarian structures.
A non-profit organization runs tours of the church. Their Website has additional information about the building and the days and times of the tours.