Frank Lloyd Wright designed Usonian houses for middle-class families. The term describes a group of economical, modern homes intended to make thoughtful architecture more accessible to ordinary American households.
Wright developed the Usonian idea during the 1930s, using it to express a distinctly American approach to architecture rather than one based on European traditions. About 60 middle-income family homes are commonly associated with the style. The Herbert and Katherine Jacobs First House, completed in Madison in 1937, is often regarded as the first true Usonian house.
These homes were usually compact, low-slung, and closely connected to their sites. Typical features included one story, an L-shaped plan, native materials, flat or gently sloping roofs, broad overhangs, clerestory windows, and radiant-floor heating. Private rear spaces often opened toward gardens, while the street-facing side was relatively closed.
Usonian is often confused with Prairie architecture, another Wright-associated style. Prairie houses generally belong to an earlier period and are more formal and expansive; Usonian homes focused more directly on affordability and everyday family life.