Abstract
The purpose of this study is to reveal the space composition of fireplace and common features of both Prairie and Usonian House found within Wingspread House. This house is the last and largest Prairie house and zoned house built in a Usonian period. However, this house is not an independent work, but rather Wright's evolutionary experiments of fireplace from his early works and his pursuit of Usonian ideal. This paper can be summarized as follows: 1) Living room has been transformed to allow spatial continuity towards exterior view and access and between neighboring rooms by removing doors and inglenook. At the Wingspread house Wright has introduced a freestanding fireplace in a living room with higher and prominent roof structure, therefore the space became a focal point as well as the central space of the entire house. 2) Wingspread and Coonley house have gallery space in common, but they have different settings in the living room composition. Also the living room and gallery space of Wingspread and Usonian houses have prospect and refuge principle by expansion and compression. 3) Wingspread house is a successful combination of Prairie and Usonian style to meet client's requirements in space composition and Wright's technology and economical experiments. This study is intended to reevaluate the significance of this house bridging his two great residential periods.