An American Home: Frank Lloyd Wright's B. Harley Bradley House

Frank Lloyd Wright, perhaps the 20th Century's most influential architect, redefined architecture when he designed the B. Harley Bradley House in Kankakee, Illinois. To many scholars, this single-family home represents Wright's first complete foray into the "Prairie Style." Despite this distinction, the structure has remained relatively overlooked in Wright's lexicon. An American Home intends to share the story of this architectural treasure and explore its uncanny connection to the rise, fall, and resurgence of its designer and the community in which it resides.

The turbulent story surrounding a groundbreaking Frank Lloyd Wright structure.

Patricia (Pat) Wisniewski, who operates For Goodness Sake Productions, collaborated with Tom Desch and his production company, House Painter Media, to produce “An American Home: Frank Lloyd Wright’s B. Harley Bradley House” in 2017. Desch, the film’s director, believes this film works to connect a local treasure to a history lesson.

" I hope people who watch An American Home come away with the idea that amazing history can be experienced in their own backyard. It’s not necessary to travel far to experience things that helped change the world,” Desch said.

An American Home tells the interweaving stories of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the B. Harley Bradley House — one of Wright’s earliest designs, and the community of Kankakee, Illinois where the home resides. Over the course of their lives, Wright and his Bradley House both experienced moments of tremendous hardship followed by great resurgences. The working-class city of Kankakee, Illinois is in the midst of its own resurgence, and Wright’s 116 year-old house is part of the town’s rebirth.

Educators using this film as part of their curriculum can use the free educator’s guide provided by House Painter Media located at anamericanhomefilm.com/educators.

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