24/7 Wall St. Insights
- Originating in the Midwest in the early 20th century, the Prairie School is one of the most uniquely American contributions to world architecture.
- There are about 500 buildings and sites categorized as Prairie School in the National Register of Historic Places, with many more unclassified.
- While most Prairie School capitals are in the Midwest, cities like Little Rock, Arkansas, Sacramento, California, and Buffalo, New York also have rich Prairie legacies.
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Originating in the prairies of the Midwest in the early 20th century, the Prairie School is one of the most distinctively American chapters in world architectural history. Putting special emphasis on the region and landscapes they were working in, Prairie School architects found new ways of relating buildings to the land, using natural materials and inventing new conceptions of interior space. Frank Lloyd Wright, one of the movement’s key contributors and theorists, outlined his proposal for the new American style when he wrote, “We of the Middle West are living on the prairie. The prairie has a beauty of its own and we should recognize and accentuate this natural beauty, its quiet level. Hence, gently sloping roofs, low proportions, quiet sky lines, suppressed heavy-set chimneys and sheltering overhangs, low terraces and out-reaching walls sequestering private gardens.” Incorporating elements of the Shingle Style, the commercial architecture of Chicago, and the Arts and Crafts movement, the Prairie School reached its height in America around 1915 and was ultimately exported overseas to influence the European International Style of the 1920s.
Today, there are about 500 listings categorized as Prairie School in the National Register of Historic Places. And while many more Prairie School buildings exist throughout the country without formal historic status, a look at NRHP listings by address reveals the best cities for seeing Prairie School architecture in America.
While older, East Coast cities tend to have the highest concentrations of historic buildings, the Prairie School gives smaller Midwest cities a unique architectural identity of their own. Of the 25 cities with the most historic Prairie School listings, 18 are in the Midwest. Some cities outside the Midwest with rich Prairie School legacy include Little Rock, Arkansas, Sacramento, California, and Buffalo, New York.
To determine the best cities for Prairie School architecture, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed data on historic properties from the National Register of Historic Places of the U.S. National Park Service. Cities, towns, and villages were ranked based on the number of listings in the NRHP that are designated as Prairie School architecture style as of October 2024. Supplemental data on median home age is from the 2022 American Community Survey of the U.S. Census Bureau.
25. Des Moines, IA
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 3 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 190 properties
- Median home age: 64 years
- City incorporated: 1851
- Notable Prairie School listings: Mahnke House, Trent-Beaver House, The New Lawn
24. Lincoln, NE
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 3 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 103 properties
- Median home age: 44 years
- City incorporated: 1869
- Notable Prairie School listings: Theodore A. Kiesselbach House, Edgar A. Burnett House, Amel H. Koop House
23. Tucson, AZ
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 3 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 189 properties
- Median home age: 45 years
- City incorporated: 1877
- Notable Prairie School listings: El Presidio Historic District, Bray-Valenzuela House
22. Albuquerque, NM
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 3 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 155 properties
- Median home age: 43 years
- City incorporated: 1891
- Notable Prairie School listings: Berthold Spitz House, John Milne House
21. Detroit, MI
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 3 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 291 properties
- Median home age: 77 years
- City incorporated: 1802
- Notable Prairie School listings: West Village District, St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Parish Complex
20. Jacksonville, FL
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 3 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 107 properties
- Median home age: 38 years
- City incorporated: 1832
- Notable Prairie School listings: Henry John Klutho House, Morocco Temple, Riverside Historic District
19. Hope, AR
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 4 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 18 properties
- Median home age: 48 years
- City incorporated: 1875
- Notable Prairie School listings: McRae House, Foster House, North Elm Street Historic District, North Washington Street Historic District
18. Maywood, IL
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 4 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 17 properties
- Median home age: 85 years
- City incorporated: 1881
- Notable Prairie School listings: Richard Cluever House, Mads C. Larson House, Mrs. Henry F. Akin House, Masonic Temple Building
17. Wilmette, IL
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 4 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 13 properties
- Median home age: 68 years
- City incorporated: 1872
- Notable Prairie School listings: Frank J. Baker House, Linden Avenue Terminal, Oak Circle Historic District, Alfred Bersbach House
16. Buffalo, NY
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 4 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 193 properties
- Median home age: 85 years
- City incorporated: 1813
- Notable Prairie School listings: D.D. Martin House Complex, Darwin D. Martin House, Parkside East Historic District, American Radiator Company Factory Complex
15. Sacramento, CA
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 4 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 79 properties
- Median home age: 48 years
- City incorporated: 1850
- Notable Prairie School listings: Merrium Apartments, Fire Station No. 6, Cranston-Geary House, American Cash Apartments, American Cash Store
14. Midland, MI
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 5 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 24 properties
- Median home age: 53 years
- City incorporated: 1869
- Notable Prairie School listings: Earl Stein House, Charles MacCallum House, George Greene House, Oscar C. Diehl House, Joseph A. Cavanagh House
13. Aurora, IL
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 5 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 30 properties
- Median home age: 38 years
- City incorporated: 1853
- Notable Prairie School listings: Old Second National Bank, Keystone Building, Aurora Elks Lodge No. 705, Graham Building, Healy Chapel
12. Evanston, IL
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 62 properties
- Median home age: 73 years
- City incorporated: 1857
- Notable Prairie School listings: Ridgewood, Greenwood, Stoneleigh Manor, The Forest and Annex, Westminster
11. Kansas City, KS
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 44 properties
- Median home age: 62 years
- City incorporated: 1886
- Notable Prairie School listings: Westheight Manor District, Judge Louis Gates House, Fire Station No. 9, Hanover Heights Neighborhood Historic District, Cordell D. Meeks Sr. House
10. Minneapolis, MN
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 6 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 152 properties
- Median home age: 74 years
- City incorporated: 1866
- Notable Prairie School listings: William Gray Purcell House, Stewart Memorial Presbyterian Church, Malcolm Willey House, Dr. Oscar Owre House, Charles and Grace Parker House
9. Oak Park, IL
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 7 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 16 properties
- Median home age: 85 years
- City incorporated: 1901
- Notable Prairie School listings: Mrs. Thomas H. Gale House, Pleasant Home, Frank Thomas House, Frank Lloyd Wright-Prairie School of Architecture Historic District, Masonic Temple Building
8. Sioux City, IA
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 7 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 56 properties
- Median home age: 69 years
- City incorporated: 1857
- Notable Prairie School listings: Woodbury County Courthouse, Sioux City Baptist Church, Sioux City Public Library (Smith Villa Branch), H.H. Everist House, Ben and Harriet Schulein House
7. Evansville, IN
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 8 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 98 properties
- Median home age: 65 years
- City incorporated: 1847
- Notable Prairie School listings: Evansville Municipal Market, Michael D. Helfrich House
6. Little Rock, AR
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 8 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 282 properties
- Median home age: 46 years
- City incorporated: 1831
- Notable Prairie School listings: Peoples Building & Loan Building, Retan House, Keith House, England House, Mount Zion Baptist Church
5. Highland Park, IL
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 9 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 33 properties
- Median home age: 61 years
- City incorporated: 1869
- Notable Prairie School listings: Ward Winfield Willits House, Humer Building, George Madison Millard House, Haerman Lanzl House, Mary W. Adams House
4. Omaha, NE
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 10 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 187 properties
- Median home age: 52 years
- City incorporated: 1857
- Notable Prairie School listings: St. John’s A.M.E. Church, Drake Court Apartments and Dartmore Apartments Historic District, Bradford-Pettis House, Strehlow Terrace, Howard Street Apartment District
3. Kansas City, MO
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 10 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 361 properties
- Median home age: 56 years
- City incorporated: 1850
- Notable Prairie School listings: Mineral Hall, Bernard Corrigan House, Hyde Park Historic District, Simpson-Yeomans-Country Side Historic District, Jensen-Salsbery Laboratories
2. Mason City, IA
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 18 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 42 properties
- Median home age: 69 years
- City incorporated: 1869
- Notable Prairie School listings: Park Inn Hotel, City National Bank Building, Rock Crest-Rock Glen Historic District, Tessa Youngblood House, Curtis Yelland House
1. Chicago, IL
- NRHP listings in Prairie School style: 20 properties
- All listings in NRHP: 411 properties
- Median home age: 72 years
- City incorporated: 1835
- Notable Prairie School listings: Albert F. Madlener House, Shedd Park Fieldhouse, Charles Hitchcock Hall, Robert A. Millikan House, John Gauler Houses
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