Built 1904 Designated NHL January 20, 1999 Opened 1904 Added to NRHP 20 January 1999 | NRHP Reference # 99000632 Area 1,619 m² Architectural style Prairie School Architect Frank Lloyd Wright | |
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Location 150 Nuttall Road, Riverside, Illinois Similar Hiram Baldwin House, A P Johnson House, Cedric G and Patricia N, Eugene A Gil House, Mosher House | ||
F.F. Tomek House, also known as The Ship House or as the Ferdinand Frederick and Emily Tomek House, is an example of Frank Lloyd Wright's prairie house. Designed in 1904 and construction finished in 1906, the Tomek House is a well-preserved example of this prairie house, located in the Riverside (Illinois) National Historic Landmark District. In addition to being a good example of the Prairie style, the Tomek house documents the development of the style, which reached its clearest expression in Wright's Robie House in 1908. It is included in the Riverside Historic District and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1999.
History
The Tomek house was constructed for Ferdinand Frederick Tomek from 1905 to 1906. Tomek worked in a factory that produced picture frames and wooden moldings. The Tomeks resided in the house until 1924. The house is considered an important artifact of the development of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie School of design. Barry Byrne was the assistant architect for the house. The Tomek house served as a model for the Robie House, Wright's famed 1910 design. Like most of his projects, Wright designed the furniture for the Tomek house.
In 1973, the Illinois Historic Structures Survey identified it as a significant site. The house has been extensively restored. The Illinois Department of Conservation approved a grant for this purpose to the Moran family in 1979. The Illinois Historic Preservation Agency approved the changed and issued a Certificate of Rehabilitation. In 1993, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy was offered an easement to help protect the residence. On January 20, 1999, the house was named a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service, owing to its role as a site of national-level significance.
