The Acres

Sometimes referred to as the Galesburg Country Homes, the Acres is a small residential neighborhood of five Usonian homes, four of which were designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1947. The fifth home was designed by Francis “Will” Willsey and added to the neighborhood in 1960. It is referred to as the Fonken Home. The neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

Wright designed the homes at the request of a group of young scientists who worked for the Upjohn Company.  Wright agreed, a cooperative was created in 1947 and the homes were built in 1948.  Each sits on a circular acre of land within the neighborhood’s 71 total acres.  All remain fully intact, although some modifications have been made by previous owners.

Wright used the term “usonian” to describe his design as “A home of the common people.”  The homes (the Meyer, Weisblatt, Pratt, and Eppstein Residences) are all integrated into the surrounding landscape and are difficult to view from the road to provide for maximum privacy.

Each features some of Wright’s trademark designs, to include: prominent horizontal lines, large windows, curved walls, and wooden trim accents.  The primary building material utilized by Wright was concrete block, which adds to each home’s simplicity and made each affordable at the time it was built.