Coonley Playhouse
Posted by: 
KxRt66
N 41° 49.136 W 087° 49.692
16T E 431216 N 4630004
Private school designed for the Coonley's daughter and neighborhood chidren upon Wright's return from Europe. The fanciful balloon and confetti art glass windows are considered by many to be Wright's best. Only a short sidetrip off Route 66...
Waymark Code: WM2DRZ
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 10/17/2007
Views: 143
Queene Ferry Coonley was deeply involved in progressive education and began her first Cottage School for their daughter Elizabeth and neighborhood children in the Whittlesey Cottage that Mrs. Coonley had acquired in 1906. As the school added grades, the Cottage became too small and she asked Frank Lloyd Wright to build a new Cottage School in 1912. This resulted in the Coonley Playhouse, a modern cross-axial design with unique art glass windows considered by many to be Wright’s finest. The large triptych can be seen at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and a small triptych can be seen at the Art Institute of Chicago. The current owners have installed excellent reproduction windows copied from the originals.
The Playhouse was converted to a private residence when the Coonley Estate was sub-divided in the 1950s.
Year Completed: 1912
Commissioned By: Queene and Avery Coonley
Nearest City or Town: Riverside, IL
Public/Private: Private
Tours Available?: Not Listed
Website: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
There are no specific visit requirements, however telling about your visit is strongly encouraged. Additional photos of the building or house to add to the gallery are also nice, but not required. Pictures with a GPS or you in them is highly discouraged.