Rare insider’s look at one of Wright’s last Prairie style designs

Experience one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s last small urban dwellings — the jewel-like Emil Bach House —with a Restoration in Progress Tour led by award-winning preservation architect T. Gunny Harboe. The exclusive tour is only available three Sundays, June 3, Aug. 19, and Sept. 9, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The tours feature a walk through the residence and discussion with Harboe about the multiple renovations undertaken at Bach House and what work is underway.

Designed for the owner of Chicago’s prominent Bach Brick Company, the Bach House (1915) showcases Wright’s transition into post-Prairie School design. A Chicago landmark and listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, the home’s compact structure has been described as “semi-cubist.” The wood trim and built-in furniture, all from a single walnut tree, add to the home’s appeal, along with the unique interior color scheme that Wright termed “sunshine.”

Over the past 50 years, the Bach House has undergone multiple renovations by its various owners. It is now being restored to Wright’s original vision. The Restoration in Progress Tour is a rare opportunity to get an insider’s view from the lead architect for the restoration.

Harboe is one of Chicago’s best known preservation architects. Principal of Harboe Architects, he has gained a national reputation for his award-winning work on several historic landmarks, including Burnham and Root’s Rookery Building, Burnham’s Reliance Building, Holabird and Roche’s Marquette Building, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall, Louis Sullivan’s Carson Pirie Scott Store, and Holabird and Root’s Chicago Board of Trade.

The Restoration in Progress Tour is limited to 10 guests and costs $65 for Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust members and $75 for non-members. Tickets are available at gowright.org/bach.