Research Center

Research Center. Photographer: Perry Paegelow. Collection of FLWPT.

The library of reference materials is available for study by members of the general public and includes:

• Books written by or about Wright and his contemporaries, the Prairie style, and early modern architecture
• Historical and current periodicals
• Files on Wright's architectural and decorative designs
• Selected architect and artist files
• Historic photographs

Additionally, the Research Center provides access to the Preservation Trust's rare books, archives and manuscripts collections, Home and Studio and Robie House restoration documentation, architectural drawings and artifacts. These special collections are available for study by qualified researchers by appointment only.

The Research Center is located in the basement of the Oak Park Home and Studio.

Research Center hours:  

Weekdays – By appointment
Saturdays – 10 am to 3 pm
Closed in August  

To make an appointment, email research@gowright.org, or call 708.848.1695. We will return your email/call to set up an appointment time and learn more about the topic of your research.  

Before visiting, please familiarize yourself with the Rules Governing the Use of the Research Center. Please scroll down for a list of other archives and collections.

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Other Archives and Collections

Following is a list of links to repositories with significant holdings of Frank Lloyd Wright decorative arts, architectural drawings, reference materials, or manuscripts collections. The descriptions of the individual holdings of each of these repositories are not meant to be exhaustive, and for further information the repository should be contacted directly.

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Rules Governing the Use of the Research Center

Permission to Examine
Permission to examine the materials or objects in the collections of the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust will be granted to qualified individuals. Such permission is granted subject to whatever restrictions have been placed on specific holdings by their writers, donors, or depositors, or by collections department staff. Researchers may not use any documents or information included in or provided by the Preservation Trust's Research Center for any illegal purpose or in an illegal manner.

Protection of Materials

• Only pencils or laptop computers may be used for note-taking
• Mutilation, destruction and theft of materials are subject to prosecution
• Smoking, eating, and drinking are prohibited
• Research Center staff reserve the right to limit access to materials requiring special handling

Photocopy Services

• The Research Center will consider requests for the photo-duplication of material when such duplication can be done without injury to the material, and does not violate copyright restrictions.
• This institution reserves the right to refuse to accept a copy order because of the physical condition of the materials, restrictions imposed by the donor, copyright law, or right-to-privacy statutes.

Photocopy/Postage/Fax Fees

• 1st photocopy is free
• All other photocopies are $0.25 per copy.
• No fees charged to Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust staff and volunteers for Trust-related projects.
• Postage and handling: $2.50 plus international postage cost if applicable.
• All faxes $2.50 processing fee.
• First faxed page free
• All other fax pages, $0.25 per page

Copyright Restriction Warning
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, US Code) governs the making of photocopies and other reproductions of copyrighted material. Under certain conditions specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to furnish a photocopy or other reproduction that is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship or research." Copies are not to be transferred to another individual or organization, deposited at another institution, or reduplicated without prior permission of the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. Reproduction in no way transfers either copyright or property rights, nor does it constitute permission to publish or display materials. If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of "fair use," that user may be liable for copyright infringement.

Permission to Publish
Permission to examine materials is not an authorization to publish them in whole or in part. Requests for permission to publish documents and materials held by the Research Center should be addressed to the Archivist. Written requests should include the following: name of individual, sponsoring institution or agency (if applicable), position of individual (if applicable), address, telephone number, a description of the materials, purpose to which the materials will be used, and the title and date of the proposed publication or exhibition. The Archivist will determine in each case whether the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust is the owner of common law or statutory rights to the material concerned. To the extent that it may properly do so, permission may be granted. The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel and literary property rights which may be involved in his/her use of materials.

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