Unity Temple facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Unity Temple |
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| Location | 875 Lake Street Oak Park, Illinois |
| Area | 0.5 acres (0.20 ha) |
| Built | 1905–1908 |
| Architect | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Architectural style(s) | Modern |
| Governing body | Private |
| Criteria | Cultural: (ii) |
| Designated | 2019 (43rd session) |
| Part of | The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Reference no. | 1496-001 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Designated | April 17, 1970 |
| Reference no. | 70000240 |
| Designated | December 30, 1970 |
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Unity Temple is a special church building in Oak Park, Illinois. It is home to the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The famous American architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed it. It was built between 1905 and 1908.
Many people think Unity Temple is one of Wright's most important buildings. It uses a single material, reinforced concrete, in a new way. Because of this, some architects call it the first truly modern building in the world. This idea was very important for later architects like Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In 2019, Unity Temple was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is one of eight buildings by Wright on this list.
The church group that meets here started in 1871. It is not connected to the Unity Church, which is a different religious group.
Contents
Why Unity Temple Was Built
In 1905, a lightning strike caused a fire. It destroyed the old wooden Oak Park Unity Church. Many architects wanted to design the new church. Frank Lloyd Wright was chosen for the job. He lived in Oak Park and came from a Unitarian family. Unitarianism and Universalism shared many beliefs.
The church needed two main spaces. They needed a place for worship and a community room. Wright had to solve a few problems with his design. The budget was only $45,000, which was not a lot of money. Wright said that "concrete is cheap." He used the same concrete molds many times to save money. The building site was also on a busy street. Wright also had to design the furniture and stained glass for the building. Charles E. Roberts, an engineer, helped make Wright's ideas for the church happen.
How the Temple Was Designed
Wright separated the community space from the worship area. He used a low, central hallway called a loggia. This design kept noise down between the two main areas. People at church services were separate from those at community events. This idea was similar to Wright's own Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. That building also had two parts connected by a lower hallway.
Wright also used ideas from his earlier Larkin Administration Building. He used stained glass windows and geometric shapes. But unlike the Larkin Building, Unity Temple's main shape was a perfect square.
To block street noise, Wright did not put windows at street level. Instead, natural light comes in from stained glass windows in the roof. Light also comes from high windows called clerestories. The stained glass has green, yellow, and brown colors. This makes it feel like nature inside.
The main floor of the temple is a few steps up. There are also two balconies for seating. This design lets many people fit comfortably. No one is more than 40 feet from the pulpit. Wright also made sure the building had excellent acoustics, meaning sounds travel well.
Wright felt that Unity Temple was a big step forward in his designs. He realized that the most important part of a building is its space, not its walls. Experts agree that Wright was a genius at using space in his buildings.
The idea of "Unity" was important in the design. Wright blended space, experience, and materials together. This was key for Unity Temple, which has both a meeting area and a church area. The worship space shows this idea best.
The building was finished in 1908. It was officially opened on September 26, 1909.
Why Unity Temple Is Important
Unity Temple has been a United States National Historic Landmark since 1970. In 1991, a survey in Architectural Record magazine named it one of the 100 most important buildings in the U.S. The American Institute of Architects also chose it as one of 17 Wright buildings to be saved. They saw it as a key part of American culture.
In 2008, the U.S. National Park Service suggested Unity Temple for World Heritage Status. They included it with nine other Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. This was the first step to getting on the World Heritage List. In July 2019, these buildings were added to the World Heritage List. They are now known as "The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright."
Restoring Unity Temple
One problem with the modern concrete design was that it developed issues over time. Unity Temple's concrete structure got a lot of water damage. Parts of the roof fell inside, and water wore away other parts of the outside.
The original church group still uses Unity Temple. But a separate group, the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, works to restore the building. They started planning the restoration in 2000. In 2009, Unity Temple was added to a list of the 11 most endangered historic places. This was due to water leaks.
Gunny Harboe, a restoration architect, led the project. CTLGroup helped with engineering and materials. In April 2015, a $25 million restoration began. The work focused on fixing the structure. This included replacing most of the building's 16 flat roofs. They also improved the building's look and environment. Unity Temple closed to the public in June 2015.
The restoration finished in June 2017. The building reopened for tours on July 1, 2017. It is closed for tours on Sundays when the church holds services. But tours are available on other days. The Unity Temple Restoration Foundation also offers many art and education programs.
In 2018, the temple's restoration won an award from the American Institute of Architects. In 2019, it won the Urban Land Institute - Chicago Vision Award for historic restoration.
See also
- Unitarian Universalist Association
- List of Frank Lloyd Wright works
- Unitarian Meeting House, Shorewood Hills, Wisconsin
In Spanish: Unity Temple para niños
