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Robert W. Roloson Rowhouse, Chicago, IL (1894 - S.026) BALUSTER BOOKS PHOTOGRAPHS STUDY
Robert W. Roloson Rowhouse Baluster Date: 1894 Title: Roloson Rowhouses Baluster.
Description: By the late 1930s these houses had long been forgotten as Wright's work. They were rediscovered in 1940 when Grant Carpenter Manson "happened upon them while driving along Calumet Avenue looking for some early Adler and Sullivan buildings". According to William Storrer, Robert W. Roloson purchased four rowhouses and commissioned Wright to remodel them in 1894. This was Wright’s 26th project (Storrer 026). Manson indicates that Roloson commissioned Wright to "design the houses... on property which he wanted to improve. The idea of erecting identical row houses..." Henry-Russell Hitchcock, "In The Nature of Material" Page 108, says they were "Remodeled as apartments". This baluster is very similar to the design used in the Nathan G. Moore Residence (1895). Wright often used identical or similar forms in commissions of approximately the same date. An example is the same wall sconce used in the Little Residence, Peoria (1902) and in the Dana Residence (1902). In 1981, fire gutted the interior and the structure was neglected. Under the assumption that the building would be torn down, the building’s ornamental items were scavenged. "Robert W. Roloson Houses" was published in 1979. Grant Carpenter Manson writes extensively about the Roloson Rowhouses in “Frank Lloyd Wright to 1910", 1958. Pp 69-71. Robin Langley Sommer also wrights about it in "Frank Lloyd Wright, American Architect for the Twentieth Century" 1993, Pp 36-37.
Size: 8" in diameter.
S#: 0016.01.0606
Detail of the Baluster from Roloson Houses
This is an image of a complete baluster
Roloson Rowhouses in 1930s. Gilman Lane photographer.
Original balustrade 1940. Grant Manson photographer.
Close-up. Grant Manson photographer.
Roloson Rowhouses as they appeared in the late 1987 (left). Bob Thall photographer.
Roloson Rowhouses in 2000
Nathan G. Moore Residence (1895)
Nathan G. Moore balustrade (left). Comparing the Roloson on the right with the Moore on the left: A) Orb is about 75% smaller than Moore. B) Neck has pedestal and is much taller than Moore. C) Moore has horizontal center line.
BOOKS Date: 1979 Publication: Robert W. Roloson Houses (Published by the Commission on Chicago Historical and Architectural Landmarks, Chicago)
Author: Barton, Timothy
Description: The Roloson Houses are a group of four townhouses designed by Wright and built in 1894, while Wright was still working in Louis Sullivan’s office. Wright referred to these designs as his “Bootlegged houses”. Includes eight photographs and three illustrations. (First Edition)
Size: 4.25 x 11
Pages: Pp 12
1979.17.0806
Date: 2006 Title: Mass Modern, 17 June 2006 (Published by Wright Actions, Chicago)
Author: Wright Auctions
Description: Auction catalog which included Lot 488, “Frank Lloyd Wright cast concrete baluster from the Robert W. Roloson House, Chicago, IL 1894.” Includes one photograph. Original list price $20.00. (First Edition)
Size: 8.25 x 10.75
Pages: Pp 176
ST#: 2006.08.0107
Photographs Date: 1961 Title: Roloson Rowhouses (1894 S.026) 1961.
Description: Photographed on June 26, 1961 by Chicago Daily News photographer Robert Stiewe. Stamped on verso: "Daily News. Dec 13, 1961." Caption pasted on verso: "Little-known landmarks, the ‘Roloson houses’ at 3213-19 S. Calumet, were built by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1890s. For many years they were lost to architectural memory. Today they stand in the midst of a bad slum marked almost entirely for clearance. Will they too be cleared? Nobody knows." Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Daily News. For more informamtion see our Wright Study on Robert W. Roloson Rowhouses.
Size: A) Original 10 x 8 B&W print. B) One original 4x5 B&W negative C) Second original 4x5 B&W negative and one High Res 46 x 36" B&W photograph.
S#: A) 1483.15.0310 B) 1483.17.0910 C) 1483.27.0915
Date: 1963 Title: Roloson Rowhouses (1894 S.026) 1963.
Description: Stamped on verso: "Sun Times. May 12, 1963." Clipping pasted on verso: "This love of music was an early sign that Chicago had a soul." - Frank Lloyd Wright. On the South Side along Calumet Av., their backs facing the steel-and-glass high-rise apartment of Prairie Shores, sit our unimposing row houses. Of an English Tudor design, they appear to be little different from many of their neighbors that have gone the way of the wrecking ball. But different hey are. In fact, they are historically and architecturally unique. Located at 3213-15-17-19, they are the Roloson Houses, an early creation of the most famous and influential architect of the last half-century - Frank Lloyd Wright. Little is known about the houses. They - unlike almost all of the other Wright structures - have received almost no public notice. Now they may be swept away by the mighty bulldozer of urban renewal. No plans for their destruction have been made by the urban renewal people. But they’re not making any promises, and as o the future, well... What exactly is the importance of the row houses? Today is the sum total of the past. Let us take a look. In 1894, Wright, an aggressive architect in his early 20s, received a commission by one Robert Roloson to build some income-producing buildings on he South Side. Wright apparently wasn’t overenthusiastic because, once completed, he virtually erased the memory of the houses from his mind. Article by Alver Carlson. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times.
Size: Original 8 x 9 B&W print.
ST#: 1565.33.0312
Date: 1963 Title: Roloson Rowhouses (1894 S.026) 1963.
Description: Stamped on verso: "Sun Times. May 12, 1963." Caption pasted on verso: "This picture shows a portion of the only remaining ballustrade left in front of the homes. Wright also used a series-of-balls pattern in an Oak Park home ballustrade." Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. See Wright Study on Robert W. Roloson Rowhouses
Size: Original 8.25 x 9 B&W print.
S#: 1565.22.0310
Roloson Rowhouses Balustrade Detail (1963) Roloson Rowhouses Balustrade Corner Detail (1963)
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." Four landmark row houses on the Near South Side designed by Frank Lloyd Wright get a new lease on life. A suit in Housing Court once sought to demolish the Roloson houses, which were vacant for years and fell into disrepair. Parents from Douglas Elementary School across the street complained that the houses harbored packs of stray dogs that menaced children. Now the houses, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and designated as city landmarks in 1979, are being rehabilitated by businessman James J. Hutchinson Jr. and his sister, Janice, a pediatrician. The four row houses are characterized by steep-sided triangular gables and rectangular windows divided by heavy mullions. Sullivanesque terra-cotta spandrel panels separate the second and third level windows. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. Two similar views.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.29.0712, 1981.30.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." Four landmark row houses on the Near South Side designed by Frank Lloyd Wright get a new lease on life. A suit in Housing Court once sought to demolish the Roloson houses, which were vacant for years and fell into disrepair. Parents from Douglas Elementary School across the street complained that the houses harbored packs of stray dogs that menaced children. Now the houses, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and designated as city landmarks in 1979, are being rehabilitated by businessman James J. Hutchinson Jr. and his sister, Janice, a pediatrician. The four row houses are characterized by steep-sided triangular gables and rectangular windows divided by heavy mullions. Sullivanesque terra-cotta spandrel panels separate the second and third level windows. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. Four similar views.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.31.0712, 1981.32.0712, 1981.23.0712, 1981.34.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during remodel (1894 S.026) 1981.
Description: Sign reads "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." Label on verso: "Photographer: Gene Pesek. Date: 2/9/81. Location: 3213 to 3219 So Calumet. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Prints to: Don DeBat. 14A: Third floor bedroom with a fireplace on the south wall and a spiral staircase going up to a bath and dressing room on the floor above. 7A-8: fancy scroll work above the new front windows. 15-15A: remodeled rear area of the rehabbed Frank Lloyd Wright townhouses. 10A and 3-3A: exterior view of the front showing the four units of the rowhouse which are in the process of being remolded (remodeled)." Sun-Times Caption pasted on verso dated Feb 13, 1981 "The Roloson houses, located in the 3200 block of South Calumet, were built in 1894 and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The four row houses are characterized by steep-sided triangular gables and rectangular windows divided by heavy mullions." Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. See Wright Study on Robert W. Roloson Rowhouses
Size: Original 35mm B&W Negative #1A-5A and six 10 x 7 B&W photographs.
ST#: 1981.22.0310, 1981.59.0912, 1981.60.0912, 1981.61.0912, 1981.62.0912, 1981.63.0912
Roloson Rowhouses Detail (1981) Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." Four landmark row houses on the Near South Side designed by Frank Lloyd Wright get a new lease on life. The four row houses are characterized by steep-sided triangular gables and rectangular windows divided by heavy mullions. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print. Two similar views.
S#: 1981.35.0712, 1981.36.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses Terra-cotta Spandrel Panels (1894 S.026) 1981.
Description: Sullivanesque terra-cotta spandrel panel between the second and third level windows. Photographed during the 1981 renovation. Label on verso: "Photographer: Gene Pesek. Date: 2/9/81. Location: 3213 to3219 So Calumet. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Prints to: Don DeBat. 14A: 3rd floor bedroom with a fireplace on the south wall and a spiral staircase going up to a bath and dressing room on the floor above. 7A-8: fancy scroll work above the new front windows. 15-15A: remodeled rear area of the rehabed Frank Lloyd Wright townhouses. 10A and 3-3A: exterior view of the front showing the four units of the rowhouse which are in the process of being remolded (remodeled)." Caption pasted on verso dated Feb 13, 1981: "Third-floor bedroom has a fireplace and a spiral staircase that leads to a bath and dressing room (above left). Standing in the main stairwell (above right) is Dr. Janice Hutchinson, who is renovating the landmark houses with her brother, businessman James J. Hutchinson Jr. (note: these two images not seen). Exterior view (below) shows scroll work that decorates the facade. (Sun-Times Photo by Gene Pesek). Caption pasted on verso: "Four landmark row houses on the Near South Side designed by Frank Lloyd Wright are getting a new lease on life. ¶ A suit in Housing Court once sought to demolish the Roloson houses, which were vacant for years and fell into disrepair. ¶ Neighbors described them as a nuisance. Parents from Douglas Elementary School across the street complained that the houses harbored packs of stray dogs that menaced children. ¶ Now the houses, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and designated as city landmarks in 1979, are being rehabilitated by businessman James J. Hutchinson Jr. and his sister, Janice, a pediatrician. They will occupy one house. The others are now on the market for between $275,000 and $300,000 each. ¶ The project is one of a number of rehabilitation efforts under way in the Near South Side neighborhood known as the ‘The Gap,’ an area of stately old homes bounded by 31st St. on the north, 35th St. on the south, Martin Luther King Dr. on the east and Michigan Ave. on the west. There has been some new construction." Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. See Wright Study on Robert W. Roloson Rowhouses
Size: Original 10 x 7 B&W print.
ST#: 1981.23.0310
Detail of the Terra-cotta Spandrel Panels (1981) Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." Four landmark row houses on the Near South Side designed by Frank Lloyd Wright get a new lease on life. The windows are divided by heavy mullions. Sullivanesque terra-cotta spandrel panels separate the second and third level windows. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. Two similar views.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.37.0712, 1981.38.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." Detail of the brick and stone work surrounding the windows and doors on the first level. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.39.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." View of the front descriptive sign. 5 Bedrooms, 4 Baths, Living Room / Dining Room / Library, 4000 Sq. Ft of Living Space, 1 Office, 1 Study Room, 1 Family Room... Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. Two similar views.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.40.0712, 1981.41.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." View of the back and the descriptive sign. 5 Bedrooms, 4 Baths, Living Room / Dining Room / Library, 4000 Sq. Ft of Living Space, 1 Office, 1 Study Room, 1 Family Room... Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. Four similar views.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.42.0712, 1981.43.0712, 1981.44.0712, 1981.45.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." Four landmark row houses on the Near South Side designed by Frank Lloyd Wright get a new lease on life. A suit in Housing Court once sought to demolish the Roloson houses, which were vacant for years and fell into disrepair. Parents from Douglas Elementary School across the street complained that the houses harbored packs of stray dogs that menaced children. Now the houses, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and designated as city landmarks in 1979, are being rehabilitated by businessman James J. Hutchinson Jr. and his sister, Janice, a pediatrician. Standing in the main stairwell is Dr. Janice Hutchinson, who is renovating the landmark houses with her brother, businessman James J. Hutchinson Jr. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.46.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses (1894 S.026) 1981.
Description: Label on verso: "Photographer: Gene Pesek. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Dr. Janice Hutchinson stands in the main stairwell looking down. Behind her is one of the five fireplaces which are in the unit." Caption pasted on verso dated Feb 13, 1981: "Third-floor bedroom has a fireplace and a spiral staircase that leads to a bath and dressing room (above left). Standing in the main stairwell (above right) is Dr. Janice Hutchinson, who is renovating the landmark houses with her brother, businessman James J. Hutchinson Jr. Exterior view (below) shows scroll work that decorates the facade. (Sun-Times Photo by Gene Pesek). Caption pasted on verso: "Four landmark row houses on the Near South Side designed by Frank Lloyd Wright are getting a new lease on life. ¶ A suit in Housing Court once sought to demolish the Roloson houses, which were vacant for years and fell into disrepair. ¶ Neighbors described them as a nuisance. Parents from Douglas Elementary School across the street complained that the houses harbored packs of stray dogs that menaced children. ¶ Now the houses, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 and designated as city landmarks in 1979, are being rehabilitated by businessman James J. Hutchinson Jr. and his sister, Janice, a pediatrician. They will occupy one house. The others are now on the market for between $275,000 and $300,000 each. ¶ The project is one of a number of rehabilitation efforts under way in the Near South Side neighborhood known as the ‘The Gap,’ an area of stately old homes bounded by 31st St. on the north, 35th St. on the south, Martin Luther King Dr. on the east and Michigan Ave. on the west. There has been some new construction." Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. See Wright Study on Robert W. Roloson Rowhouses
Size: Original 10 x 7 B&W print.
ST#: 1981.27.0612
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." Viewed from the front of the home looking toward the back on the second level. 5 Bedrooms, 4 Baths, Living Room / Dining Room / Library, 4000 Sq. Ft of Living Space, 1 Office, 1 Study Room, 1 Family Room. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.47.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." View of the "Dining Room", looking toward the back of the home on the second floor. 5 Bedrooms, 4 Baths, Living Room / Dining Room / Library, 4000 Sq. Ft of Living Space, 1 Office, 1 Study Room, 1 Family Room. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.48.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." View of the "Drawing Room" on the second floor. Evidence of removed lath and plaster visible on the 2x4s on the left. The front of the home is to the right. 5 Bedrooms, 4 Baths, Living Room / Dining Room / Library, 4000 Sq. Ft of Living Space, 1 Office, 1 Study Room, 1 Family Room. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. Two similar views.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.49.0712, 1981.50.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 - S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." Remnants of the original hand made nails. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. Three similar views.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.51.0712, 1981.52.0712, 1981.53.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." One of the four bathrooms. Douglas Elementary School can be seen through the window on the left. 5 Bedrooms, 4 Baths, Living Room / Dining Room / Library, 4000 Sq. Ft of Living Space, 1 Office, 1 Study Room, 1 Family Room. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. Three similar views.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.54.0712, 1981.55.0712, 1981.56.0712
Date: 1981 Title: Roloson Rowhouses during 1981 renovation (1894 S.026).
Description: "Four Landmark Frank Lloyd Wright Townhouses For Sale." View of the third floor bedroom with a fireplace on the south wall and a spiral staircase going up to a bath and dressing room located in the peck of the fourth floor. Photographed by Gene Pesek on February 9, 1981. Reporter: Jackie Thomas. Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. Two similar views.
Size: Original 35mm B&W negative and 10 x 7 B&W print.
S#: 1981.57.0712, 1981.58.0712
Date: 1986 Title: Roloson Rowhouses (1894 S.026) 1986.
Description: Label on verso: "Photographer: Gene Pesek. Date: 9/17 (Also stamped Oct 17 ‘86). Location: Chicago’s 2nd Ward. Prints to: Debat." Sun-Times Caption pasted on verso: " Resident Paula Lingo and Ald. Bobby Rush (2nd) stroll in front of the Frank Lloyd Wright town houses in the 3300 (3200) block of South Calumet Avenue." Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. See Wright Study on Robert W. Roloson Rowhouses
Size: Original 10 x 8 B&W print.
ST#: 1986.36.0310
Date: 1987 Title: Roloson Rowhouses (1894 S.026) 1987.
Description: Label on verso: "Photographer: Al Podgorski. Date: 1-10-86 (miss dated). Location: 3213 S. Calumet. Prints to: Rich. Frank Lloyd Wright homes... Sun-Times Caption pasted on verso: Photographer Al Podgorski dated Jan 10 ‘87. Sun-Times Caption pasted on verso dated Sun Jan 11 ‘87 "These Frank Lloyd Wright designed apartments, at 3213-19 S. Calumet, are among the many landmarks in the Gap neighborhood on the Near South Side." Acquired from the archives of the Chicago Sun Times. See Wright Study on Robert W. Roloson Rowhouses
Size: Original 10 x 8 B&W print.
ST#: 1987.64.0310
Roloson Rowhouses Detail (1987)
