American System-Built Homes

The American System-Built Homes were modest houses designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. They were developed between 1912 and 1916, to fulfill his interest in affordable housing. Wright was devoted to the idea of providing beautiful yet affordable homes to the public. His firm produced over 960 drawings for the project, the largest number of drawings for any project in the Wright archives. The designs were standardized, and customers could choose from seven models. Because of this standardization, the lumber could be precut at the factory, thereby cutting down on both waste, and the amount of skilled labor needed for their construction. The buildings are often referred to as prefab homes, but they were not, since no parts of the homes were constructed off-site. The lumber was cut at the factory, and packaged along with all other components, and delivered to the work site for construction. Some are located in a federal historic district in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and others have been designated Chicago Landmarks in Chicago, Illinois.

Read more about American System-Built Homes:  Manufacture and Sales, Burnham Street Historic District, Milwaukee, American System-Built Houses, Chicago, Other American System-Built Homes, 2000s Revival, Recently Identified But Not Verified

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