If you ask the average American to conjure up the name of the most famous architect they know, there's one name most likely to land on their lips: Frank Lloyd Wright.
Hailing from the Midwest, Wright is known for reinventing middle-class homes with a more organic look and function in the early 20th century, creating architectural wonders spanning the country that embody their environment in fantastical ways.
While his career began in the 1890s, his name rose to fame around the turn of the century when he developed "Prairie Style" architecture: artistic homes for upper-middle class families characterized by their simplicity and incorporation of their natural grounds, from using the slope of the ground to the direction at which the sun sets. Prairie style architecture is otherwise known for horizontal lines, low-pitched roofs, large windows and open floor plans.
By the 1930s, Wright's signature style evolved into what he called "Usonian architecture:" homes that were even more affordable and efficient for the middle-class man, using simpler materials and getting rid of any features that he deemed unnecessary and adding new cost-cutting measures, like underfloor heating to replace heat ducts, which allows for thinner walls and less material, ultimately saving money.
Within his six-decade career, Wright designed more than 1,000 architectural works, more than 500 of which were realized, including more than 30 in Michigan. While some of those homes have been demolished and others were purchased by private owners, here're several Wright-designed homes that you can catch a close look at in Michigan.
Meyer May House, Grand Rapids, 1908
The Meyer S. May House at 450 Madison Ave. SE in Grand Rapids is one of the more elegant examples of Wright's Prairie School style homes. The Meyer May House offers free tours on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, although reservations must be made in significantly ahead of time because tours tend to book up more than a month in advance. Tour reservations can be made here.
Amberg House, Grand Rapids, 1911
The Amberg House at 505 College Ave SE in Grand Rapids, built for David M. Amberg, is a more casual version of Wright's Prairie School architecture. The house is a private residence so it does not offer tours, although it can be rented for $209 a night on Airbnb.
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Goetsch-Winckler House, Okemos, 1939
The Goetsch-Winckler House at 2410 Hulett Rd. in Okemos, outside of East Lansing, was one of Wright's first usages of his Usonian architecture styles in Michigan. The Goetsch-Winckler House is a private residence, but the young owners that bought the home in 2023 are happy to give free tours of the home on Sundays and other special occasions to groups who reach out and direct message them on Instagram.
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Affleck House, Bloomfield Hills, 1940
The Affleck House at 925 Bloomfield Woods in Bloomfield Hills, built for Gregor S. and Elizabeth B. Affleck, is another sleek example of Wright's Usonian homes. Now owned by Lawrence Technological University's College of Architecture and Design, the university offers public tours of the Affleck House during the summer for $40 a person, although tours for the 2024 season concluded in July.
Smith House, Bloomfield Township, 1946
The Smith House at 5045 Ponvalley Rd. in Bloomfield Township was another home built in Usonian style for Sara Stein Smithand Melvyn Maxwell, two educators with modest salaries. Now owned by the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research, Cranbrook offers public weekend tours of the house May through November for $35 for adults and $20 for full-time students with ID, as well as private tours. Reservations can be made online here.
Palmer House, Ann Arbor, 1950
The William and Mary Palmer House at 227 Orchard Hills Dr. in Ann Arbor is an intriguing example of an Usonian home because of all its funky-shaped features: an equilateral triangle layout, hexagonal beds, polygonal cutouts in the exterior walls and more. The Palmer House is privately owned but listed on Airbnb and VRBO for $650 a night.
Curtis Meyer House, Galesburg, 1950
One of four Frank Lloyd Wright homes built in the "Galesburg Country Homes" neighborhood, the Curtis and Lillian Meyer House at 11108 Hawthorne Dr. in Galesburg, outside of Kalamazoo, is known for its unique and rare solar hemicycle design. The Curtis Meyer House is privately owned but can be rented on Airbnb for $550 a night.
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Turkel House, Detroit, 1955
The Dorothy H. Turkel House at 2760 West 7 Mile Road in Detroit's Palmer Woods neighborhood is one of seven Usonian automatic homes that Wright designed — and it's the only Wright-designed home in Detroit. The Turkel House is a private residence, not open to the general public, however, members of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy are welcome to schedule a visit in advance.
