Introduction / Description
Designed for Kenneth & Phyllis Laurent, this is Frank Lloyd Wright's only accessible home design.
Accessible Rooms & Bathrooms / Accessibility
Frank Lloyd Wright was an early adapter of accessible design, mostly because of happenstance and a House Beautiful magazine article about his work. When Phyllis Laurent read the article, she contacted Wright and asked him to design an accessible home for her and her husband Kenneth. And although this doesn’t sound like a groundbreaking event, this all happened back in 1952, when wheelchair-users were routinely institutionalized. The Laurents were living at Kenneth’s in-law’s inaccessible house at the time, and the couple desperately needed a place of their own.
Wright had never designed an accessible home, but he worked with the Laurents to make it usable for Kenneth. He tweaked the design of his single-story Usonian home model, made it step-free and expanded the open floor plan for better wheelchair access. Wright also added in lowered electrical outlets and doorknobs, and outfitted the bathroom with a low-step shower (remember tubs were standard back then). A government grant for veterans helped the Laurents finance the house, and although it took many years to design and construct, they remained lifelong friends with the architect.
Today the Laurent House is open for tours, and because of Wright’s original design, wheelchair-users and slow walkers can also enjoy this historic home tour.
