Beverly in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

William and Jessie Adams House

Frank Lloyd Wright, architect; 1901

— Chicago Landmark —

William and Jessie Adams House Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, June 15, 2024

1. William and Jessie Adams House Marker

Inscription. This building represents an important period of experimentation in the career of one of the world's best-known architects. Its horizontal massing, broad porch, and decorative treatment prefigure Wright's later work, demonstrating the evolving form of the Prairie Style. The original owner was a contractor who built several other Wright-designed houses in the Chicago area.

Designated on June 16, 1994
Richard M. Daley, Mayor

Erected 1994 by Commission on Chicago Landmarks; City of Chicago.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Architecture. In addition, it is included in the Frank Lloyd Wright, and the Illinois, Chicago Landmarks Commission series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1901.

Location. 41° 43.442′ N, 87° 40.19′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Beverly. It is on South Pleasant Avenue south of 93rd Street, on the right when traveling south. The marker is atop a concrete slab laid on the ground in front of the home. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 9326 South Pleasant Avenue, Chicago IL 60643, United States

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Upwood-Morgan Home (approx. 0.2 miles away); Walden Station (approx. 0.7 miles away); Gold Star Mothers World War I Memorial (approx. one mile away); Nature & Restoration (approx. one mile away); Building Dan Ryan Woods (approx. one mile away); Surrounded by Water (approx. one mile away); Dan Ryan Woods (approx. one mile away); 1937 Allis Chalmers (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Regarding William and Jessie Adams House. William Adams was a contractor who built some Wright-designed homes. The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust's description of the home dates the home to 1900, and it notes that many of its elements are incongruous

William and Jessie Adams House image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean Flynn, June 15, 2024

2. William and Jessie Adams House

The marker is flat on the ground, on a concrete slab in front of the home.

with Wright's style at the time. Some historians, they write, believe that Adams himself may have designed the home.

Adams was born in Scotland and emigrated to the United States in the 1870s, settling in Florida. He came to Chicago in the 1880s and became an independent contractor. A 1992 report by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks lists close to a dozen homes or commercial buildings that had been designated Chicago Landmarks as of that year that were built by Adams. William Adams died in July 1939; his wife Jessie died in March 1941.

Also see . . .
1. William and Jessie Adams House.

From the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust: "Scholars speculate that William Adams, who served as the contractor for Wright’s Heller and Husser houses, may have designed the house himself. Questions of attribution are complicated by the fact that Wright’s name is printed on one of the original drawings. At the very least, the house’s widely overhanging roofs suggest Wright’s influence, if not his hand."

(Submitted on June 16, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. The Jessie and William Adams House.

From the Commission on
Courtesy of Commission on Chicago Landmarks (City of Chicago), 1987

3. William and Jessie Adams House
Chicago Landmarks: "Designed in 1900 and built early the following year, this house represents an important period of experimentation in the architect's career, extending from roughly 1893 through 1910, during which Wright laid the theoretical basis for the formation of the Prairie School. In addition to its interest relative to its design and its architect, this structure is unique in that its original owner was a contractor who had previously built a number of residences from designs by Wright. As such, the Jessie and William Adams House represents a singular statement of the relationship between the architect and one of his builders."

(Submitted on June 16, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 398 times since then and 43 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 15, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 2, 3. submitted on June 16, 2024, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.