Walter Gale House, Chicago

The Walter Gale House represents a significant milestone in the career of Frank Lloyd Wright. Constructed shortly after his acrimonious departure from the architectural firm Adler and Sullivan in 1893, this house marks the beginning of Wright's independent architectural practice. Commissioned by Walter H. Gale, a member of a prominent local family, the house stands as a bold declaration of Wright's design philosophy and his readiness to innovate. Notably, the Walter Gale House was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973, underscoring its importance in the annals of American architecture.

Architecturally, the house is distinguished by its striking façade, which features a large circular turret, a defining element of the structure. This rounded turret on the right of the house is artistically balanced by a narrow, angular dormer that extends two stories, from the second floor to the attic on the left side. This interplay of rounded and angular forms is a hallmark of Wright’s early experimentation with geometric shapes and volumes, foreshadowing the mature style that would later become his signature.

Inside, the second floor primary bedroom showcases a continuous band of curved windows outfitted with diamond-paned leaded glass, enveloping the room in a panoramic embrace of natural light. This design element closely mirrors the aesthetic Wright employed in the semi-circular dining room bay of the 1893 William Winslow House, indicating a cohesive development in his architectural vocabulary. These uninterrupted groupings of windows not only enhance the structural dynamism of the house but also reflect Wright's growing interest in integrating the interior with the exterior environment.