The three main architects of the Prairie School were George Washington Maher, George Grant Elmslie, and Frank Lloyd Wright. They all began their careers working with architect Joseph Lyman Silsbee in 1880 before breaking out on their own and developing their individual styles.
George Washington Maher developed his own "Motif Rhythm Theory". He emphasized using a geometrical and local organic element in different combinations throughout a house.
George Grant Elmslie designed the most decorative furniture pieces. They included intricate organic and geometric designs on chair backs and table bases.
Frank Lloyd Wright is the best known Prairie Architect. His early work is in this style. His 1893 Winslow house was perhaps the first prairie house. Though typical prairie houses were asymmetrical, this one was a symmetrical rectangle. His furniture is in the simplest style of the three with little or no ornamentation. With this style he redefined The American home, which was predominantly Victorian. Slowly this vernacular style spread throughout America.
The prairie style aimed at designing a house as a whole with a sense of unity. It kept the number of rooms to a minimum. The whole design was flexible. Designers used Japanese style screens in the place of walls. They created areas without interrupting the flow of the room. This made places more human. These houses had open and flowing spaces rather than box type, rigid rooms.
The prairie followers used built-in furniture frequently. The furniture was simple, and in geometric or abstract botanical form. It had little or no ornamentation. They rejected handmade heavy pieces and preferred light machine-made furniture. The furniture was aimed to harmonize with the architecture of the house.
Designers lifted the basement up out of the ground making it visible. More and more natural and local material that was readily available was used for the interior and the exterior of the house. The house was brought down in height to fit the scale of a natural man.
Geometrical and straight lines gave the building more clarity and expression. All the essential systems like lighting; heating and plumbing were incorporated into the building itself. The houses were horizontal rather than vertical.
There are four subtypes of prairie style:
1) Hipped roof, symmetrical with front entry: This is the simplest and the most common vernacular version of prairie. The front entry was visible in this type house.
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