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| Susan Lawrence Dana House | |
|---|---|
| Name | Dana-Thomas House |
| Nrhp type | cp |
| Caption | Exterior, south facade |
| Location | 302 East Lawrence Avenue, Springfield, Illinois |
| Built | 1902–1904 |
| Architect | Frank Lloyd Wright |
| Architecture | Prairie School |
| Added | 1971 |
| Refnum | 71000298 |
Susan Lawrence Dana House
The Susan Lawrence Dana House is a landmark early-20th-century residence in Springfield, Illinois, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and executed for socialite and philanthropist Susan Lawrence Dana. The property exemplifies the Prairie School of architecture and is noted for its integrated architecture, decorative arts, and landscape, reflecting connections to Midwestern United States cultural networks, progressive-era patronage, and the work of leading artisans of the period. The house has been the subject of preservation efforts associated with the National Register of Historic Places, the Historic American Buildings Survey, and local heritage organizations.
Construction began in 1902 for Susan Lawrence Dana, scion of the Lawrence family of Springfield, who commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright after meeting his work associated with Unity Temple and earlier Prairie School projects. The initial phase (1902–1904) produced the core residence; subsequent campaigns in 1909–1910 and 1913–1914 expanded living and entertaining spaces as Dana's social role and connections to Progressive Era reformers, Women's suffrage, and regional elites grew. The house hosted guests from networks including William Jennings Bryan, Margaret Fuller, and local politicians tied to Illinois civic life. After Dana's death and changing ownership in the mid-20th century, the property faced threats tied to suburban development trends documented by Historic American Buildings Survey teams; advocacy by preservationists and municipal actors culminated in acquisition and a preservation campaign influenced by models from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The building manifests Wright's mature Prairie School vocabulary: low-pitched rooflines, extended eaves, horizontal emphasis, and cruciform planning resonant with earlier projects such as Robie House and Heurtley House. Wright integrated site planning with the urban lot at 302 East Lawrence Avenue, aligning the massing with Springfield, Illinois street patterns and adjacent historic districts. Exterior cladding employs pale brick and artful masonry echoes found in Wright commissions like Dana–Thomas House contemporaries; fenestration includes banded casement windows and extensive leaded glass developed in collaboration with craftsmen associated with the Oak Park Studio and Glass Movement linked to studios that worked on Gustav Stickley-era commissions. Structural and programmatic innovations reflect Wright's responses to client demands for parlors, music rooms, and reception spaces suited for high-society gatherings paralleling those at houses owned by figures such as Frederick C. Robie and George Mann Niedecken's collaborators.
Interiors demonstrate Wright's insistence on total design—fitted furniture, custom light fixtures, and integrated stained glass—comparable to ensembles at Taliesin and the Meyer May House. The decorative program included bespoke furnishings, built-in seating, and leaded-glass windows whose abstract motifs reference motifs used in other Wright commissions and the wider Arts and Crafts movement. Decorative artists and firms associated with the project trace to the Prairie School network: cabinetmakers, metalworkers, and textile designers who also worked with clients such as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper patrons and regional cultural institutions. Rooms were arranged to support concerts, lectures, and salons that linked material culture to social programming frequented by affiliates of Chicago World's Fair–era reformers, literary figures, and political leaders.
Susan Lawrence Dana was a prominent Springfield philanthropist, arts patron, and social host whose activities connected her to reform circles, Women's suffrage advocates, and the cultural elite of Illinois and the Midwest. Her commissioning of Wright positioned her among patrons like Bertha Palmer and other collectors who shaped American modernism through private commissions that intersected with institutions such as museums, libraries, and university cultural programs. Dana used the house for charitable receptions, musical performances, and political gatherings that drew figures from state and national life, reinforcing Springfield's role as a civic nexus alongside sites such as Illinois State Capitol events and gatherings linked to regional political leaders.
By the mid-20th century the house suffered from deferred maintenance and changing ownership, prompting interventions by preservationists inspired by precedents set by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and local historic commissions. Landmark designation on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971 catalyzed fundraising, and subsequent restoration campaigns sought to reconstruct Wright-designed elements using archival sources from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, early photographs, and surviving original drawings. Conservation work addressed stained glass conservation, masonry repointing, and replication of clipped fixtures guided by standards similar to those recommended by Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties practitioners. The project mobilized volunteers, conservators, and municipal support in line with case studies from restored sites like Robie House and Morris Frank House initiatives.
Today the house operates as a house museum and cultural site managed through a non-profit stewardship model that parallels governance at institutions including the Illinois State Museum and regional house museums. Public access includes guided tours, educational programs tied to architectural history curricula found in university departments such as University of Illinois programs, and special events that interpret Wright's legacy and Progressive Era social history. Ongoing programming connects the site to tourism initiatives promoted by statewide organizations and to collaborative exhibitions with partners like local historical societies and preservation networks.
Category:Frank Lloyd Wright buildings Category:Prairie School architecture