The Dana-Thomas House is located at 301 East Lawrence Avenue Springfield IL 62703, on the corner of Lawrence and 4th Street in Downtown Springfield.
The home, named after its previous owners Susan Lawrence Dana and Charles C. Thomas, was designed by world-renowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. The home was designed and construction began in 1902. The Dana-Thomas house represents Frank Lloyd Wright's earlier work in the world of architecture and provides insight into many of his stylistic choices. When the Dana-Thomas House was constructed, it was Wright's largest project (later it was surpassed by others such as Falling Waters). The most notable pieces of this specific home are the natural elements included both inside and outside the house. Wright felt that landscape is an integral part of architecture.
Photo of Dana-Thomas House exterior. Location: 301 E. Lawrence Ave. Springfield IL 62703. File is 283.5 KB PNG file with the dimensions of 750x989. Date taken 4/28/2019 at 1:04 PM.
Currently, the house stands as it did around 1910, when Ms. Dana resided in it. People typically walk away from this home discussing the 100% original art-glass pieces designed by Wright, along with the impressive amount of detail in each room. The majority of the art pieces featured in the home are original pieces from the house, or pieces relevant to the time that Wright likely would have approved of.
There is no cost to visit the home, although it is run primarily on donations so there is a suggested $10 donation amount. Despite that, the workers will not turn someone away from the tour if they are unable to pay. This is pretty accessible compared to the other, privately-owned Frank Lloyd Wright designs across the nation.
Tour Availability (around 1.5 hrs)
Monday & Tuesday 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Wednesday – Sunday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
***Last Tour at 3:45 pm
An interview with one of the workers suggested that the best kind of tour is a day when the home is less busy, because then the experience becomes more personal. Typically, Saturdays when the weather is nice is when they get the most traffic, which can reach a couple of hundred guests per day. Typically, winter and weekdays are less populated.
Visitors to the Dana-Thomas House be warned, it is not wheelchair accessible, as it includes 16 different levels and no elevators. Portions of the home are accessible, but the majority of the home is not. Most sections of the home do not have handrails on staircases, despite a fair amount of steps. Guides will provide guests with chairs, should they need a break during the tour. Also, photographs are allowed outside of the home, but not once inside, so plan accordingly.
Website: https://dana-thomas.org/
Location: 301 Lawrence Avenue Springfield IL 62703
Phone: (217)-782-6776
