The Allen House

The Allen House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Wichita, Kansas, in 1915 for former Kansas Governor Henry Justin Allen and his wife, Elsie. One of Frank Lloyd Wright's final Prairie Houses. Because Wright was working on the Imperial Hotel in Japan at the time, the prairie and Japanese design influences are visible on both the outside and interior.

A central vacuuming unit, an alarm system, and gas fireplace logs were all included in the forward-thinking dwelling. Another first was the first residential house firewall. The iron in the bricks gives them a rusty appearance. The house has over 30 pieces of Wright-designed furniture, all original art glass, and several first-of-their-kind innovations, such as wall-hung water closets and an attached garage. The house, which was restored in 1918, exhibits Frank Lloyd Wright's philosophy of living in harmony with nature. The Allen House was crucial in the 1935 Usonian architectural movement.

The Allen House Foundation currently operates it as a museum under the auspices of the Wichita Center for the Arts. On March 7, 1973, the house was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Address: 255 N. Roosevelt St., Wichita, Kansas
Construction started: in 1917
Architectural style: Prairie School