Cyril V.
Yelp
Coming to the Robie house for the tour as a hard-core Wright aficionado, I thought I knew everything there was about it from all the books I've read and the pictures that I've studied. Boy, was I wrong... the tour showed me much more.
The 1-hr tour started off with the front exterior of the house, where the tour guide told about the house's history: its site and surrounding neighborhood prior to construction; the original client's background, their aspiration for their dream home, and their interactions with Wright during the design process; as well as the subsequent owners of the house. He then continued to discuss the architectural design aspects of the house: its eccentricities, Wright's intentions for the viewers' interactions and perspectives with the house, how it optimized its location in the neighborhood. Some of the design info was obvious (the wide roof overhangs); however, I learned there were details that were quite subtle (pipeless gutter drains that allowed water to cascade during storms).
The tour proceeded into the house through the front door - which is at the BACK of the house, the guide explained the design intention for this! - and entered into the foyer. On the first floor, we visited the billiard room and children's playroom. We then proceeded up the stairway onto the second floor, where we visited the living room, dining room, breakfast nook, kitchen, and a small bedroom. While we were in each room, the guide told about the history of how the room was used, highlighted peculiar details of the house's design (aesthetics, structural, lighting), and pointed out how the occupants interacted with the house's architecture and furnishings.
We then exited the house along a stairway to the courtyard - where a few more architectural and historical details about the exterior were pointed out, the tour group asked the guide final questions, and were left at the entrance of the gift shop to spend money to fund the continuing restoration of the house. After the tour, many of us simply wandered onto the elevated patio outside the living room to marvel the architectural brilliance of Wright's early masterpiece.
Unfortunately, the house is missing many of its original furniture; thus, we couldn't fully appreciate Wright's original interior. The restoration of the house is on-going and one day I may visit again to see it as it was intended. In addition, the tour did not venture onto the third level (where most of the bedrooms were) since the city's fire code prevented it; although, they said one day this restriction may be rescinded. Nevertheless, I still learned a lot about about this peculiar house and was quite dazzled to see this place firsthand. All the book photos I've seen of this house could not re-create the experience of interacting with this architectural masterpiece.