The Joseph Jacob Walser house was built in 1903 at 42 N. Central Avenue in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood. Set on a narrow lot, the house is among the best of Wright’s design experiments with inexpensive residences. It displays all the features of his mature Prairie style: a horizontal emphasis resulting from deep roof eaves and bands of windows, a straightforward use of simple materials, and a spacious but efficient open interior plan. The house is one of only five extant Wright-designed Prairie-period structures in the city of Chicago and was designated a landmark in 1984.

The house is currently going through the foreclosure process since the death of the long-time owner in 2019. Its condition is rapidly declining due to deferred maintenance with stucco and exterior wood trim crumbling and separating from the building, and gaping holes at the foundation level.

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, Austin Coming Together, Preservation Chicago, and Landmarks Illinois are working together to put pressure on the mortgage company and the City of Chicago to place the house into the hands of a steward who will stabilize it and work toward a long-term plan for its restoration and reuse.

The presentation will be given by John H. Waters, AIA, Preservation Programs Director for the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.