Thomas H. Gale House
Encyclopedia
The Thomas H. Gale House, or simply Thomas Gale House, is a house located in the Chicago
suburb of Oak Park, Illinois
, United States. The house was designed by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright
in 1892 and is an example of his early work. The house was designed by Wright independently while he was still employed by Adler
and Sullivan, something architect Louis Sullivan
forbade. The house is significant because of what it shows about the architect's early development period. The Parker House is listed as contributing property
to a U.S. federally Registered Historic District. The house was designated an Oak Park Landmark in 2002.
's "Bootleg Houses." This trio of houses includes the Robert P. Parker House
and the Walter Gale House were designed by Wright independently while he was still employed by Adler and Sullivan. Architect Louis Sullivan loaned Wright money during the construction of his own home and studio
and Wright was working it off at the firm; independent work was forbidden by Sullivan. The Thomas Gale house is especially similar to the Robert P. Parker House. In all, Wright designed at least eight "bootleg houses" moonlighting while still under contract with Sullivan. When Sullivan found out about the side projects, in late 1892 or early 1893, Wright was dismissed. The Thomas Gale House is one of at least four which still stand; sources vary as to the exact numbers.
The three bootleg houses were part of a series of homes which had small differences but nearly identical plans. They include the aforementioned Walter Gale House and Parker House, the Francis Woolley House, also located in Oak Park, and the Robert G. Emmond House in La Grange, Illinois
. Thomas H. Gale, a prominent Oak Park citizen purchased six adjacent lots on Chicago Avenue from his father, Edwin, in 1891 when he married Laura Robeson. He selected Wright to design his home and construction began in July 1892 at a cost of US$
3,000. During the summer of 1892 the Gales lived with Thomas Gale's parents until their home was complete at the end of the year. The next year Thomas' brother Walter purchased the lot adjacent to the Thomas Gale House and commissioned Wright to design his home as well, the commission was Wright's first after leaving Adler and Sullivan.
s. The Thomas Gale House reflects the style of Wright's first teacher Joseph Silsbee. Sullivan's influence can also be seen in the taut masses of the house, his philosophy of "geometric simplification" is evident in the Parker House's design. While generally cast in the Queen Anne style, the Parker House has more ample rounded forms than the common Queen Anne homes being built at the time.
The small size is deceiving as the Thomas Gale House is spacious. The turret
bay
s have walls that are more than half consisted of windows. The fireplace
is set in the center of the house which allows it to heat and service two rooms, the parlor and the dining room
. The side elevations of the Gale House are symmetrical but adjacent buildings are built too close for the design to be seen clearly.
The house is designed in a rectangular plan and is supported by a stone foundation. The exterior is clad in wooden clapboard
. The building has a high-pitched, hip roof
which features polygonal dormers, a brick chimney and overhanging eaves (a feature that would later become common to Wright's Prairie style). On the northeast and southeast corners of the building are polygonal tower
s with conical
roofs. The tower windows, arranged in horizontal bands (another common Prairie element), are a mix of casement windows and fixed windows. The current front porch
replaced a non-original porch with iron railings. The non-original porch is seen in illustrations in the architectural guide map published by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. The front elevation also has a dormer with a pair of casement windows.
to the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District
. The historic district
was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
on December 4, 1973. The Thomas Gale House was declared a local Oak Park Landmark on November 18, 2002.
At first glance, the Thomas Gale House, along with the other bootleg houses, appear to devolve from the early promise of Wright's James Charnley House by including such historical styles as Colonial Revival, Queen Anne and Dutch Colonial
. However, the houses illustrate Wright's burgeoning individuality as he adapted the styles to fit his own vision. The Thomas Gale and Parker Houses in particular represent a more streamlined version of the traditional Queen Anne style design. The houses incorporate rectilinear
features which would later become hallmarks of Wright's fully mature Prairie design.
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
suburb of Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
, United States. The house was designed by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
in 1892 and is an example of his early work. The house was designed by Wright independently while he was still employed by Adler
Dankmar Adler
Dankmar Adler was a celebrated German-born American architect.-Early years:...
and Sullivan, something architect Louis Sullivan
Louis Sullivan
Louis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
forbade. The house is significant because of what it shows about the architect's early development period. The Parker House is listed as contributing property
Contributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to a U.S. federally Registered Historic District. The house was designated an Oak Park Landmark in 2002.
History
The Thomas H. Gale House is one of three houses along Chicago Avenue in Oak Park, two of which belong to a group known as American architect Frank Lloyd WrightFrank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
's "Bootleg Houses." This trio of houses includes the Robert P. Parker House
Robert P. Parker House
The Robert P. Parker House is a house located in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park, Illinois, United States. The house was designed by famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1892 and is an example of his early work. Real-estate agent Thomas H. Gale had it built and sold it to Robert P. Parker...
and the Walter Gale House were designed by Wright independently while he was still employed by Adler and Sullivan. Architect Louis Sullivan loaned Wright money during the construction of his own home and studio
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
The Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio at 951 Chicago Avenue in Oak Park, Illinois, has been restored by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust to its appearance in 1909, the last year Frank Lloyd Wright lived there with his family. Frank Lloyd Wright purchased the property and built the home in...
and Wright was working it off at the firm; independent work was forbidden by Sullivan. The Thomas Gale house is especially similar to the Robert P. Parker House. In all, Wright designed at least eight "bootleg houses" moonlighting while still under contract with Sullivan. When Sullivan found out about the side projects, in late 1892 or early 1893, Wright was dismissed. The Thomas Gale House is one of at least four which still stand; sources vary as to the exact numbers.
The three bootleg houses were part of a series of homes which had small differences but nearly identical plans. They include the aforementioned Walter Gale House and Parker House, the Francis Woolley House, also located in Oak Park, and the Robert G. Emmond House in La Grange, Illinois
La Grange, Illinois
La Grange, a suburb of Chicago, is a village in Cook County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The population was 15,608 at the 2000 census.-History:...
. Thomas H. Gale, a prominent Oak Park citizen purchased six adjacent lots on Chicago Avenue from his father, Edwin, in 1891 when he married Laura Robeson. He selected Wright to design his home and construction began in July 1892 at a cost of US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
3,000. During the summer of 1892 the Gales lived with Thomas Gale's parents until their home was complete at the end of the year. The next year Thomas' brother Walter purchased the lot adjacent to the Thomas Gale House and commissioned Wright to design his home as well, the commission was Wright's first after leaving Adler and Sullivan.
Architecture
The design for the Thomas Gale House and the Parker House, and to some extent the Walter Gale House, were derived from the more expensive Emmond House in La Grange. The homes all feature irregular roof composition with high pitches and polygonal dormerDormer
A dormer is a structural element of a building that protrudes from the plane of a sloping roof surface. Dormers are used, either in original construction or as later additions, to create usable space in the roof of a building by adding headroom and usually also by enabling addition of windows.Often...
s. The Thomas Gale House reflects the style of Wright's first teacher Joseph Silsbee. Sullivan's influence can also be seen in the taut masses of the house, his philosophy of "geometric simplification" is evident in the Parker House's design. While generally cast in the Queen Anne style, the Parker House has more ample rounded forms than the common Queen Anne homes being built at the time.
The small size is deceiving as the Thomas Gale House is spacious. The turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
bay
Bay window
A bay window is a window space projecting outward from the main walls of a building and forming a bay in a room, either square or polygonal in plan. The angles most commonly used on the inside corners of the bay are 90, 135 and 150 degrees. Bay windows are often associated with Victorian architecture...
s have walls that are more than half consisted of windows. The fireplace
Fireplace
A fireplace is an architectural structure to contain a fire for heating and, especially historically, for cooking. A fire is contained in a firebox or firepit; a chimney or other flue allows gas and particulate exhaust to escape...
is set in the center of the house which allows it to heat and service two rooms, the parlor and the dining room
Dining room
A dining room is a room for consuming food. In modern times it is usually adjacent to the kitchen for convenience in serving, although in medieval times it was often on an entirely different floor level...
. The side elevations of the Gale House are symmetrical but adjacent buildings are built too close for the design to be seen clearly.
The house is designed in a rectangular plan and is supported by a stone foundation. The exterior is clad in wooden clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
. The building has a high-pitched, hip roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
which features polygonal dormers, a brick chimney and overhanging eaves (a feature that would later become common to Wright's Prairie style). On the northeast and southeast corners of the building are polygonal tower
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
s with conical
Cone (geometry)
A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
roofs. The tower windows, arranged in horizontal bands (another common Prairie element), are a mix of casement windows and fixed windows. The current front porch
Porch
A porch is external to the walls of the main building proper, but may be enclosed by screen, latticework, broad windows, or other light frame walls extending from the main structure.There are various styles of porches, all of which depend on the architectural tradition of its location...
replaced a non-original porch with iron railings. The non-original porch is seen in illustrations in the architectural guide map published by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. The front elevation also has a dormer with a pair of casement windows.
Significance
Though small in size and adorned with inexpensive detailing the Thomas Gale House, along with the Parker House, are of significance because of what they reveal about Frank Lloyd Wright's development as an architect. The house is listed as a contributing propertyContributing property
In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing resource or contributing property is any building, structure, or object which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic district, listed locally or federally, significant...
to the Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District
Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District
The Frank Lloyd Wright/Prairie School of Architecture Historic District is a residential neighborhood in the Cook County, Illinois village of Oak Park, United States. The Frank Lloyd Wright Historic District is both a federally designated historic district listed on the U.S. National Register of...
. The historic district
Historic district
A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries, historic districts receive legal protection from development....
was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 4, 1973. The Thomas Gale House was declared a local Oak Park Landmark on November 18, 2002.
At first glance, the Thomas Gale House, along with the other bootleg houses, appear to devolve from the early promise of Wright's James Charnley House by including such historical styles as Colonial Revival, Queen Anne and Dutch Colonial
Dutch Colonial
Dutch Colonial is a style of domestic architecture, primarily characterized by gambrel roofs having curved eaves along the length of the house...
. However, the houses illustrate Wright's burgeoning individuality as he adapted the styles to fit his own vision. The Thomas Gale and Parker Houses in particular represent a more streamlined version of the traditional Queen Anne style design. The houses incorporate rectilinear
Rectilinear
Rectilinear may refer to:* Rectilinear grid, a tessellation of the Euclidean plane* Rectilinear lens, a photographic lens* Rectilinear locomotion, a form of animal locomotion* Rectilinear polygon, a polygon whose edges meet at right angles...
features which would later become hallmarks of Wright's fully mature Prairie design.