Unity Temple - Chicago, Illinois - ID 1496 - World Heritage Sites on Waymarking.com

The Unity Temple is a popular building due to its legendary status as a Frank Lloyd Wright building, Great Building of the world, National Registered Historic Place and its status as one of 8 Frank Lloyd Wright buildings designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In 1905 the original church was burned down and Wright was commissioned to design their new building. The new building is made of reinforced concrete and is of bipartite design with a low entrance in the middle of the temple and community spaces. There are no low windows to help cut down on road noise. Light comes in from roof and stained glass on the upper walls. Contrary to his normal designs of the time, the heart of this building is the space, not the walls.

"The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright demonstrates an important interchange in the discourse that changed architecture on a global scale during the first half of the 20th century. The eight components illustrate different aspects of Wright’s new approach to architecture consciously developed for an American context; the resulting buildings, however, were in fact suited to modern life in many countries, and in their fusion of spirit and form they evoked emotional responses that were universal in their appeal. Reacting against prevailing styles in the United States, this approach took advantage of new materials and technologies, but was also inspired by principles of the natural world and was nurtured by other cultures and eras. These innovative ideas and the resulting unified architectural works were noted in European architectural and critical circles early in the century and influenced several of the trends and architects of the European Modern Movement in architecture. Wright’s influence is also noticeable in the work of some architects in Latin America, Australia and Japan." - UNESCO Website

Type: Building Reference number: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1496:

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