The stock market crash in 1929 hurdled the United States into a deep depression during the 1930s. The drastic cuts in income and increasing rates of unemployment sparked the idea of creating affordable housing for the common American citizens. Frank Lloyd Wright created the Usonian style home in 1936, with the name derived from United States of North America. Wright based this on the the craze of nationality and unifying Americans through what he knew best─architecture. The different elements incorporated into the home made it cheaper to construct and unique compared to the private residence architecture of the time. Although Wright tried to make this concept affordable to the middle class, he tended to constantly go over budget. This led to most of the Usonian homeowners being wealthy, upper class families. These innovative designs helped put Wright back in the running for the greatest architect during that time.

Usonian homes were typically smaller homes with one story. Some common characteristics seen in all Usonian homes included open living areas with low roofs, no attics or basements, little ornamentation, and carports. A distinguished aspect used in this style is that the homes were built on slabs of concrete. Within the concrete, a piping system was put in place to provide heat in the flooring throughout the home. Hot steam was circulated through the pipes and heated the home from the floors up. Due to the small amount of space in the homes, the layout was very open and flowing to allow Wright and the homeowners the ability to take advantage of every inch possible. The smaller amount of space meant that Usonian homes often lacked formal living areas. This resembled how home lifestyle was leaning towards the more casual side, away from the formal settings found in Victorian styled homes.

Usonian homes have a lot of similar aspects to each other, but one thing that can vary greatly is the shape of the home. The various shapes of the Usonian homes included

• Left L

• Right L

• Left inline        

• Right inline

• Outside right L

• Closed 60° L

• Open 120° L

• Outside 240° L

• True inline

Many different roof types can also be seen in Usonian homes, including

• Flat

• Shed/butterfly

• Side gabled

• End gabled

• Hipped

​Pleasantville

Architect David Henken spent two years as an apprentice under Wright at Taliesin West. During his time there, Henken learned about Wright’s developing style of Usonian. This led him to the idea of creating a neighborhood of Wright inspired Usonian homes. Henken deliberated with others and created a group that decided to put the plan into motion. Each participant contributed $10 each week until the final total of $22,000 was achieved. With this money, 95 acres was purchased in Mount Pleasant, NY. The group decided to name the neighborhood, “Usonia,” in Wright’s honor. Wright then returned a favor to the community by creating the road system and site plans, and he also designed three of the homes. Due to disputes about land ownership and finances, the community voted to give ownership to the individual homeowners (their houses and one acre lots) and leaving the other 40 acres left for the community. This reduced issues among the families and resulted in a better community atmosphere. This better community included having homes open to others during holidays, community events, and in time of need. The sense of community was clearly established through the common interest of innovative architecture and city planning.

The Usonian style left a huge impact on architecture. This design of small, one story, open concept homes largely influenced the development of the Ranch style, which has been a common style the past couple decades and continues to be popular today.

Works Cited

“A Beginner’s Guide to Usonian Architecture.” Wright in Alabama. Rosenbaum House, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. <http://wrightinalabama.com/?p=463>.

Craven, Jackie. "What Is a Usonian? Frank Lloyd Wright’s Answer to the Great Depression." About. About, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. <http://architecture.about.com/od/franklloydwright/g/usonian.htm>.

Mitchell, Nancy. “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian Homes.” Apartment Therapy. Apartment Therapy, 27 July. 2001. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. <http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/classic-american-style-frank-l-152338>.

Riklin, Scott. “Usonia Community Remembers Its Past.” New York Times. New York Times, 30 Aug. 1981. Web. 29 Oct. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/30/nyregion/usonia-community-remembers-its-past.html>.