“In the Austin community on Chicago’s West Side sits the J.J. Walser House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1903. A local organization is working to preserve the landmark and transform it into a community asset for generations to come.
“‘This is a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the world-famous architect. It’s one of five surviving standalone Frank Lloyd Wright homes in the city of Chicago,’ Darnell Shields, executive director of Austin Coming Together, told WTTW News on a recent tour.
“‘This is one of his first representations of the Prairie style, this open concept that you see here where we literally have the separate spaces, but you can stand from one end of the home and just see through the living room, dining room, all the way to the backyard,’ Shields said. ‘It was just really cutting-edge for the time.’
“For Shields, preserving the home isn’t just about saving an architectural treasure. It’s about investing in the neighborhood where he grew up.
“Despite years of wear and tear, pieces of Wright’s original vision remain throughout the property. The home’s original brick fireplace still stands, showcasing one of the architect’s signature design elements.
“‘Coming into this home and seeing this fireplace and hearth still intact with the original bricks, these bricks are very difficult to find,’ Shields said. ‘They were made in the 1900s.’
“Bringing the home back to life won’t happen overnight. Austin Coming Together’s first priority is stabilizing the property before winter. Shields estimates it will take close to $3 million to restore the home.
“‘It can actually serve a purpose for the community as a center where we can gather, we can take part in different kinds of events or forums or educational seminars and things like that,’ Shields said. ‘We can partner with our schools to introduce young people to preservation, history and architecture.’
“‘I want them to feel the beauty of something majestic that is theirs and that is here for them to experience and take part in and they can brag about, like, “Hey, that’s in my neighborhood. I live on that block. We have a Frank Lloyd Wright. People come from all over the world to see something in my community,”‘ Shields said.” (Hernandez, WTTW News, 7/16/26)
“Wright designed the Walser house for printing executive Joseph Jacob Walser. Built in 1903, it’s one of only five structures from Wright’s Prairie period still standing today in the city the architect lived near for 20 years.
“By 2019, after the Teagues died, the Walser House fell into disrepair, burdened by the couple’s reverse mortgage. Last March, it landed on Preservation Chicago’s annual list of endangered historic buildings.” (Benzine, Artnet News, 6/24/26)
“The Joseph Jacob (J.J.) Walser Jr. House located at 42 N. Central Avenue in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago, is a significant structure to both the West Side Chicago neighborhood and city at large. Today, the J.J. Walser Jr. House has accrued additional significance as one of only five extant Prairie School structures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, perhaps the world’s most recognized architect, and within the city of Chicago. It is also the only single-family house designed by the renowned architect on the city’s West Side.
“The Walser House was listed as a City of Chicago Landmark in 1981, with the Landmark Designation Report later revised in 1983. In 2013 the property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) for its significant design by Frank Lloyd Wright, which is exemplary of the design philosophies practiced by the Prairie School of Architecture. The J.J. Walser House is one of Wright’s experiments with employing the tenets of Prairie School design to more affordable residences.
“J.J. Walser Jr. and his wife Grace purchased the property at 42 N. Central Avenue for their new home in early 1903. It is not known how Walser, the son of Jacob Joseph Walser, a founder of the Goss Printing Company and a real estate developer in Austin, came to commission architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959) for the design of his home. Proximity to Wright’s home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois, is one possible explanation. The scope of the commission included ‘not only a modern style house but also custom-designed interior built-in furniture and specially designed leaded art glass windows.’ For a cost of $4,000, the house was built and occupied by the Walser family by the end of 1903.
“Though not often cited as one of Wright’s grander works, the Walser House nonetheless incorporates essential details of the Prairie Style and is a testament to the style’s broad applicability and its emphasis on simple forms, horizontality, and ‘organic’ naturalism. Just two years after its construction, the house was featured in the September 1905 issue of House Beautiful magazine. At the time, it was often cited as a model design for similarly modest, architect-designed residences.” (J.J. Walser House, a Preservation Chicago 2025 Chicago 7 Most Endangered chapter)
Significant restoration remains ahead, but we are thrilled that Austin Coming Together is the new owner with the will and capacity to fully restore this important building. We remain actively involved until the restoration is complete.
J.J. Walser Jr. House was a Preservation Chicago 2025 Chicago 7 Most Endangered and we have been working very closely with stakeholders to bring about a successful outcome for the Walser House. We worked to secure and support potential restoration buyers along with our preservation partners the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, Landmarks Illinois and other community organizations.
Preservation Chicago played an important role in this campaign and led the building court effort by attending every hearing in person to advocate on behalf of this very important house by a very important architect in very distressed condition. Due to holes in the roof and broken windows, water has been able to penetrate into the home and cause damage. Vandalism and vagrancy remain ongoing problems and a potential threat.
During the vulnerable period of vacancy, we checked on the house often and frequently requested that the building court require the property manager to replace the frayed tarps and to resecure missing board-ups.
The recent intense phase was the culmination of many years of monitoring the deteriorating condition of this important house and advocating for its stabilization and restoration. Our extensive experience working in neighborhoods of disinvestment has proven to be a very important component in working through many challenges.
Read the full story at WTTW News, Artnet News, and Preservation Chicago
J.J. Walser House; a Preservation Chicago 2025 Chicago 7 Most Endangered
J.J. Walser House acquired by ACT, Céline Lesage, Art Media Agency, 6/25/26