Tomek House
Posted by: 
KxRt66
N 41° 49.937 W 087° 49.060
16T E 432104 N 4631478
"Prototype" for the Robie House in the Frederick Olmstead-designed Village of Riverside. Follow the braided streets only a short side-trip off Route 66 on the way to the Coonley Estate residences.
Waymark Code: WM2EN9
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 10/21/2007
Views: 141
Emily and Ferdinand Tomek, a real estate broker, commissioned Wright to fashion their first real home. Wright's use of cantilevering makes this a most daring significant design. The main entrance is set low in the center of the facade on the ground level, sheltered by a cantilevered projection. The basement level consists of billiard/playroom, servant quarters, wine cellar and utilities. Art glass casement windows form a running band of glass across the second level of the living and dining area. The third level contains the house's three bedrooms in the private area of the house raised high above the social area. At each end of the structure wide, cantilevered roofs shelter the open porches. The profile of the east porch facade of the Tomek house and the south facade of the Robie house are quite similar. For many years, this critically important Wright design was thought to have been designed later than it really was. The later designed and more famous Robie house is a mirror image to the Tomek House in all basic elements of design
Beginning in the early 1970s with her purchase of the Tomek House, past owner Maya Moran began a dramatic restoration of the house to return it to its former splendor.
The house continues to be privately owned, but is clearly visible from the sidewalk.
Year Completed: 1904
Commissioned By: Emily and Ferdinand Tomek
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.