Dana–Thomas House facts for kids
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Susan Lawrence Dana House
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Dana-Thomas House
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 Location in Illinois
Location in the United States
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| Location | Springfield, Illinois |
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| Built | 1902 |
| Architect | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| NRHP reference No. | 74000774 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | July 30, 1974 |
| Designated NHL | January 7, 1976 |
The Dana–Thomas House is a special home in Springfield, Illinois. It was designed by a famous architect named Frank Lloyd Wright. He built it for a wealthy woman named Susan Lawrence Dana between 1902 and 1904.
This house is a great example of the "Prairie School" style. This style tries to make buildings fit in with the flat landscape of places like Illinois. It also shows how much both Susan Dana and Frank Lloyd Wright loved Japanese art.
Contents
Who Was Susan Lawrence Dana?
Susan Lawrence Dana (1862–1946) was a very independent woman. She inherited a lot of money, including from silver mines. When her husband passed away in 1900, she had full control of her money and home.
Susan wanted to show her unique personality. She also wanted to be an important helper in her community in Springfield. So, she decided to completely change her family's old "Italianate" style house. This house was in a fancy part of town called "Aristocracy Hill."
Frank Lloyd Wright's Design Ideas
Susan Dana was looking for an architect who understood her big ideas. In 1902, she met Frank Lloyd Wright. He was becoming famous for his new "Prairie School" style. This style focused on "organic architecture." This means the inside of a building should connect with its surroundings.
Designing Susan Dana's home was the biggest job Wright had ever gotten. He saw that Mrs. Dana had a spirit much like his own. So, he went beyond just remodeling. He designed a whole new house! It became a perfect example of his Prairie Style.
Special Features of the House
The new house showed off the exciting personalities of both Susan Dana and Frank Lloyd Wright. They both loved Japanese art and prints. The house was made for showing off art and for having fun parties.
When guests entered, they walked through an arched doorway. This led them into a series of spaces that seemed to open up more and more. It felt like moving from a small entrance to a big reception hall.
This idea of "expanding space" was used all over the house. Windows were placed to always make you look outside. Wright designed about 450 special art glass windows, skylights, and light fixtures for the house. Most of these are still there today.
Many of the art glass designs, and a large painting in the dining room, feature a "sumac" plant design. This was a favorite plant of theirs.
A large section on the west side of the house leads visitors through an indoor Torii gate. This gate is like the traditional gates you see at Japanese shrines. It leads to two of the biggest rooms in the house.
The upper room was used for music and entertainment. The room downstairs was a library. It has special stands for Susan Dana to display her collection of Japanese prints. The house also has over 100 pieces of furniture designed by Wright, made from white oak.
Susan Dana lived in the home from 1904 until about 1928. She used to be a great hostess and a leader in Springfield's social life. But over time, she became more private. She became interested in spiritualism and the occult.
Later in her life, she faced money problems. Around 1928, she closed the main house and moved to a small cottage on the property. In the 1940s, as she got older, her home and everything inside it were sold.
The House Today
Charles C. Thomas, a successful medical publisher, bought the house in 1944. He took great care of it until he passed away in 1969. His wife, Nanette, continued to care for it until 1975.
The Thomas family made sure the house's original furniture and design stayed safe. In 1981, their family sold the house and its contents to the state of Illinois for $1.0 million. This was much less than they could have gotten if they had sold everything separately.
The house became a state historic site under the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency (IHPA). From 1987 to 1990, the IHPA worked to restore the house. They made it look just like it did in 1910.
Many people believe it has one of the most complete Frank Lloyd Wright interiors in the United States. The house was shown in a TV show called Guide to Historic Homes of America in 1996. In 2018, it was named one of the "Illinois 200 Great Places."
Sometimes, the house has to close for repairs. It was closed for a few months in 2008 and again in 2011. These closures were to fix up the inside and outside, and to update its systems.
See also
In Spanish: Casa Dana-Thomas para niños
- List of Frank Lloyd Wright works
