Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House, Madison

The Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House is a milestone of American residential architecture. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1937, this modest single-story home is widely recognized as Wright’s first Usonian house-a groundbreaking design intended to offer middle-class families high-quality, affordable modern living.

Commissioned by newspaperman Herbert Jacobs and his wife Katherine, the house emerged from a bold challenge: build a functional, well-designed home. Wright accepted the task, and with innovative materials and construction techniques-such as prefabricated plywood sandwich walls, radiant in-floor heating, and elimination of basement or attic-created a compact, efficient L-shaped layout covering about 1,550 square feet. The result embodied Wright’s vision of “Usonia,” architecture rooted in American ideals.

Architecturally, the house turns its street-facing facade inward, creating a private garden at its heart. The rear living spaces open nearly entirely to glass doors and floor-to-ceiling windows, blurring the line between indoors and outdoors and fostering a sense of openness and connection to nature. The flat roof with deep overhangs, horizontal redwood siding, and brick walls evoke the Prairie Style while remaining distinctly modern.

Although Herbert and Katherine only lived here until the early 1940s, the house’s legacy endures. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003, and in 2019 became part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site celebrating Frank Lloyd Wright’s contributions to 20th-century architecture. Visits are possible by appointment through the Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program.