Prairie House Plans

About these plans

What is a Prairie style house plan? Frank Lloyd Wright’s most enduring achievement was conceived in response to the fussiness of Victorian architecture, which had no place in the sprawling American mid-west of the late 19th century. The very essence of the Prairie style is its communion with the landscape, where human technology seeks to become indivisible from nature. Wright’s innovations were achieved through an emphasis on horizontal lines, reflected in a flat or shallow hipped roof, clusters of windows, and even walls of glass. Split level open-plan interiors with a central chimney proposed a revolutionary blow to the formality of Victorian rooms. Stucco and brick exteriors yielded to Arts and Crafts-inspired woodwork within, often fashioned into built-ins. Simplicity was the golden rule. There’s a sweep to the Prairie style home that appeals no matter where it’s situated, and its presence is felt in every major North American city to this day. • Low pitched hipped or flat roof • Overhanging eaves • Tall massed windows • Open floor plan • Natural materials, stucco exterior, wood within • Strong horizontal lines