Architecture
The house is a distinct example of the Prairie style of architecture first pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright. The design, by Prairie School architect John S. Van Bergen, is nearly identical to one of his early commissions in Wilmette, Illinois, the C. Percy Skillin House. The major difference between the Anderson and Skillin Houses is found on the exterior facades. The Anderson House is clad in a yellow-orange brick and has stone sills and trim, in contrast with the Skillin House which has stucco cladding and cypress sills and trim.
Though the home has had alterations, it looks much the same as it did in a 1924 photograph. Alterations include window replacement; the existing four over four divided windows are out of character in Prairie style designs. On the front of the house the veranda has been enclosed and angled downspouts have been added which detract from the horizontal nature of the building.
The original home, as designed by Van Bergen has long been mistaken for a Frank Lloyd Wright design. The design reflects many elements of Prairie style that Wright was employed during the first decade of the 20th century. The brick clad exterior was one of the exterior coverings Wright used at the time and it is found prominently in the Anderson House. The house sits low to the ground, like many ideal Prairie style structures, and its front door is not immediately visible nor apparent, also common to Prairie homes. Other Prairie style features are found throughout the design: three walls of continuous casement windows, rooms and portions of rooms jut out in a horizontal manner and the living room has an entire wall occupied by a fireplace. The dominating fireplace is another Wright trademark. The house has distinct horizontal line and a low pitched red clay tile roof accented by Prairie style overhanging eaves. The yellow brick contrasts nicely with the stone and white painted trim.
Van Bergen's design for the Anderson House does deviate from the typical Wright-designed Prairie style house. Wright's early Prairie designs were characterized by the use of cubes and blocks; a good example is the James Charnley House in Chicago, a structure Wright designed while working for Adler and Sullivan. These elements are found in the Anderson House's rear elevation but the front of the house lacks these features of mature Prairie style.
Read more about this topic: Andrew O. Anderson House
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