Unity Temple

The Unitarian- Universalist Church
Restored

Unity Temple

Unity Temple

Credit

Tom Rossiter

Site overview

Over the entrances to Unity Temple are a series of bronze letters that state: “For the Worship of God and the Service of Man”, thus proclaiming Frank Lloyd Wright’s design concept for one of his most important buildings. His idea for Unity Temple was to create a space for both the sacred (Unity Temple) and the secular (Unity House) that was manifested as two separate masses connected by a low entrance foyer. Wright masterfully manipulated these masses following his ideas of organic architecture to create an environment in which each element contributes to the overall design and where space itself is purposely altered for affect. The solid and almost foreboding exterior contrasted starkly with the richly complex overlapping light filled spaces of the interior. Although originally conceived as a masonry building, Wright chose to construct Unity Temple completely out of reinforced concrete to save on construction costs. Reinforced concrete was a new material but one he had been experimenting with in a design entitled “the Village Bank” (1901) and used as the underlying structure in his factory building for E-Z Polish Company in Chicago (1905). As exploited at Unity Temple, the completely raw exposed aggregate concrete provided a solidity that made the building look as if it was carved out of a solid block of stone rather than built from the ground up in a conventional way.

 

Awards

Design

Award of Excellence

Civic

A Special Award of Restoration Excellence is given for the restoration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois. Originally completed in 1908, Unity Temple is one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s greatest works. It is a National Historic Landmark and is included as one of the ten Key Works of Modern Architecture by Frank Lloyd Wright nominated to the World Heritage list. His concept for the building was to create a space for both the sacred and secular which resulted in two separate masses, Unity Temple and Unity House, connected by a lower foyer. As with many religious structures, the building suffered from decades of deferred maintenance. Its plight was recognized by being included on Landmarks Illinois’ 2000 Most Endangered list and as one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s 2009 America’s Most Endangered Places. Unity Temple Restoration Foundation commissioned a Preservation Master Plan to outline the work that needed to be done in 2006. In 2013, the Alphawood Foundation pledged a $10M lead gift towards the restoration and the project was begun. Harboe Architects, PC spent nearly a year conducting in-depth research and physical trial mock ups to determine the best ways to authentically restore and fully modernize this international treasure. Completed in 2017, construction took over two years and involved all aspects of the building. The restoration of Unity Temple not only returns this internationally significant work of architecture to its original appearance but gives new life to a building that will allow it to continue to successfully serve its original purpose as a house of worship for its congregation as well as a tourist destination for Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts from all over the world. The jury bestows this special award of restoration excellence for the high level of expertise and care that went into the restoration but also in recognition of the importance of the building to modernism that is without parallel.

“This is a comprehensive restoration of one of the canonical and pioneering works of American modern architecture. It allows future generations to not only use, but learn from, and see this building as it was originally designed by Wright.”

- Eric Keune
Client

UTP, LLC

Restoration Team

Harboe Architects, PC (Restoration Architects)

Project Management Advisors, Inc. (Project Management)

Berglund Construction Company (General Contractor)

CTL Group (Structural Engineer)

Architectural Consulting Engineers (MEP Engineer)

CYLA Design Associates Inc. (Landscape Architect)

Julie L. Sloan, LLC (Art Glass Conservator)

Building Conservation Associates, Inc. (Materials Conservator)

Charter Sills & Associates (Lighting Consultant)

Talaske (A/V & Acoustical Consultant)

 

Key Subcontractors

Judson Studios (Art Glass Restoration)

Evergreene Architectural Arts (Plaster and Paint)

Heritage Restoration and Design (Wood Restoration)

Zera Construction with R.H. Ward & Assoc. (Concrete Restoration and Shotcrete)

Archistoric (Historic Lighting)

Al-Bar Wilmette Hardware (Hardware Restoration)

Primary classification

Religious

Designations

U.S. National Register of Historic Places, 1967 | U.S. National Historic Landmark, 1970

Author(s)

Janine Wilkosz | | 3/6/2008

Location

875 Lake Street
Oak Park, IL, 60301

Country

US
More visitation information

Designer(s)

Related News

Commission

1905

Completion

1908