101 Things that Play in Peoria: Frank Lloyd Wright architecture

By the turn of the 20th century, Frank Lloyd Wright had begun to assert himself as a creative architectural force, as Peoria would soon learn.

In 1888, the 19-year-old Wisconsin native went to work as a draftsman of Chicago architect Louis Sullivan, the “father of the skyscraper.” Though Sullivan’s firm focused on commercial works, Wright dabbled in residential design, eventually going out on his own.

He started designing his Prairie School dwellings, many around Chicago. The style involves extended, low structures blending with the flat, prairie landscape.

In 1903, Wright was commissioned to design a home at 1505 W. Moss Ave. by Francis W. Little, a lawyer and utility company owner. Little and his wife were founding members of the Art Institute of Chicago, and they owned a Wright home near Minneapolis. Though the couple lived at the address for less than a year, they left an enduring civic contribution: the only Wright design (by some still known as The Little House) in Peoria.

The home features wide overhanging eaves and reflects colors and texture from nature. The exterior planting areas near the house are defined with low brick walls that add horizontal emphasis.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

The residence is private, something to remember if you stop to take a glimpse. The home last sold in September 2008 for $559,000.

Today’s clue: In an odd bit of irony, few Peorians have seen this original tool pioneered here for the visually impaired.