FLW's American System-Built Homes

​Attainable architecture by America’s most famous architect? 

While not the most "famous" of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs, the architect’s American System-Built Homes was surely one of. the most impactful, influencing his work and career for the decades that followed. His first large-scale experiment with standardization and prefabrication techniques, the American System-Built Homes (also known as the American Ready-Cut System) opened up new possibilities for the modern American house. Here’s what you need to know about Wright’s early foray into prefab architecture.

The American System-Built Homes, Burnham Street District, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NRHP, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Taken on April 24, 2009. Attribute to Kevin S. Hansen. [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

WHO: Frank Lloyd Wright and Arthur L. Richards. A speculative real estate venture from Wright and partner Arthur Richards, a Milwaukee developer, the American System-Built Homes were the architect's first attempt at low-cost, modular housing. A life-long obsession, Wright worked to develop a housing system that would make his innovative vision available to the average American. Wholeheartedly devoted to the concept of affordable housing, Wright would develop more sketches for this project than any other in his career (over 900 drawings to be exact). It is also worth noting that influential Czech-American architect Antonin Raymond (a claass HAUS favorite), who worked as a draftsman in Wright's office during this period, played a major role in the development of the prefab designs.

Historic American Buildings Survey, Frank Lloyd Wright, David A Arena, Jillayne Arena, Todd Ovard, Brian Milnick, Shapna Das, Jim Kamps, Doug Ryhn, and School Of Architecture & Urban Planning University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. American System-Built Homes, 2720-22 West Burnham Street, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI. Photograph. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, wi0260.

​WHAT: Attainable modern housing for the masses. As Henry Ford was democratizing the automobile and Sears, Roebuck and Company began selling catalog homes in bulk, Wright too desired to create well-designed homes accessible to the broader public. Though Wright believed his Prairie designs to be emblematic of a true "American" architecture, the stylized homes housed only a small slice of the larger populace- the wealthy and the well-to-do middle class. However, with small units starting at $2,750, the American System-Built Homes transposed the Prairie aesthetic into a blueprint for an attainable and (more importantly to Wright) democratic housing system. Featuring open layouts, an emphasis on natural light, and an intrinsic connection to the outdoors, Wright's model housing offered innovative design at a modest price. 

Historic American Buildings Survey, Frank Lloyd Wright, David A Arena, Jillayne Arena, Todd Ovard, Brian Milnick, Shapna Das, Jim Kamps, Doug Ryhn, and School Of Architecture & Urban Planning University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. American System-Built Homes, 2720-22 West Burnham Street, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI. Photograph. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, wi0260.

​WHEN: 1911-1917. Wright began developing plans for his low-cost housing solution in 1911, with most of the homes constructed in 1916 and 1917. Although Wright and Richards believed that the daring designs would create a national sensation prompting widespread demand, the United States' entrance into World War I diverted building materials to efforts abroad, stalling the construction of new homes and the American System-Built project.
 
WHERE: The Midwest. Though the number of American System-Built houses remains unsubstantiated (and controversial), approximately twenty homes were built in Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

By Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA (http://www.flickr.com/photos/zol87/3718931011/) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

​WHY: "I would rather solve the small house problem than build anything else I can think of." -Frank Lloyd Wright. Believing the house to be the unit of individual expression, Wright worked to create beautiful, well-constructed, accessible housing that would improve the lives of its occupants. For Wright, this idea of a customizable manufactured home first came to fruition in his partnership with Arthur Richards, but his exploration of low-cost housing would continue throughout the rest of his career. Embracing new technology as an artist's tool, Wright worked to shape the new American dwelling.

Historic American Buildings Survey, Frank Lloyd Wright. American System-Built Homes, 2714 West Burnham Street, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI. Photograph. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, wi0716.

Historic American Buildings Survey, Frank Lloyd Wright. American System-Built Homes, 2714 West Burnham Street, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI. Photograph. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, wi0716.

Historic American Buildings Survey, Frank Lloyd Wright. American System-Built Homes, 2714 West Burnham Street, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI. Photograph. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, wi0716.

HOW: Wright designed a series of standardized home kits composed of pre-cut elements produced at Richards' factory in Milwaukee. The components (wood framing, cladding, floor joists, rafters, moldings, windows, and doors) would be cut in the factory before being shipped and assembled on site (with assistance from a local builder or architect). In much the same mode as a car dealership, licensed dealers would build demonstration units, sell the kits, and arrange for construction. More than a dozen dealers opened for business in 1917, looking to sell Wright's housing to a wide swath of the American public.

​Although the American System-Built Homes were billed as a flop (remember the 1920s and 1930s were a pretty rough time for the architect, both professionally and personally), Wright would continue working on affordable manufactured housing throughout his lifetime. The early designs for the American System-Built Homes had an undeniable influence on his later, more elaborate Usonian experiments as well as his ambitious, philosophical suburb, Broadacre City. Today, the remaining homes born out of the Wright/Richards partnership stand as a testament to Wright's vision for a truly democratic American landscape.

Historic American Buildings Survey, Frank Lloyd Wright. American System-Built Homes, 2732-34 West Burnham Street, Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, WI. Photograph. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, wi0718.

Image at top: Carol M. Highsmith, photographer. One of the acclaimed architect Frank Lloyd Wright's "American System-Built" homes in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Courtesy of the Library of Congress, 2016631138.