Arthur Richards American System-Built Houses
Milwaukee, WI 1915
By November 1916, Milwaukee real estate developer Arthur Richards had entered into an agreement with Wright to design a series of prefabricated houses marketed as American System-Built Houses. The construction materials and plans would be packaged in kits and shipped by rail throughout the country. This project exemplifies Wright’s lifelong interest in housing every American in beautiful, reasonably priced, innovative homes of his design. During WWI housing starts ground to a halt and only about 20 were built. The six structures on Milwaukee’s Burnham Street were constructed between October 1915 and July 1916. Other examples were built on scattered sites throughout the Midwest. The Burnham Street structures consist of four two-story stucco-clad duplexes with flat roofs, and two one-story cottages of different designs. Two of the houses have been restored and are open for regular tours by Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin. One is in private hands and available as a vacation rental.
For more information:
wrightinmilwaukee.org