Some of the best art is ephemeral, beauty that we only get to experience for a short time before it is gone. Architecture is a functional art form that often seems it will last the test of time – structures that are engineered, constructed out of durable materials, standing tall against the elements. However, some of the bests are lost to disaster, development, or worst of all, the mere change in fads and trends. In Downers Grove, we are lucky enough to capture architectural beauties across centuries, but sadly, have also seem some of those masterpieces disappear. One example of this is a home that was designed by Allen Lape “Davy” Davison, senior apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright at the Taliesin Fellowship.
The Emmett Flaherty House was designed in the early 1960’s and constructed in 1966. It was located on what used to be Forest Grove Lane, a heavily wooded development located in what is now Lyman Woods. The homes on Forest Grove Ln. were built mid 1900’s and were mainly single level ranch style homes. Emmett Flaherty house was a bit different as it had the flare of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style.
Embodying the emphasis on nature, craftsmanship and simplicity, this one bed, one bath home featured a dramatic roof line and an outdoor terrace that overlooked the woods. Davy utilized Wright’s love for creating a building that was “married to the ground” by keeping the building on a single level and extending the horizontal appearance more than a vertical one. A central massing and a cantilevered roof over the living room enhance this perception while overhanging eaves, rows of windows and an open floor plan concept further accentuated the style. An outdoor carport and a separate storage area allowed the owners to be protected from the elements during incremental weather but still be wrapped within nature when they arrived home. Iterations of early designs also featured a separate workspace as an outbuilding that had a covered walkway.
The Flaherty’s owned the home until Margaret, Emmett’s wife passed and the home was inherited by their two children in 1983. The siblings then sold the home to John Somers in 1985. However, as the town grew so did the desire of developers and the entirety of homes on Forest Grove Lane were purchased for $16,000,000 through a Trust handled by LaSalle National Bank in 1988. The intention of the original trust was unknown and never pursued as it appears from mortgage records that the development struggled from the start. A mortgage extension was recorded only a year after purchase in 1989 and increased the total value to $17,150,000. The mortgage then changed hands through the end of the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s. The collection of parcels were then sold to a hotel investment group in 1992 which also appears to have struggled with their development as a new mortgage was taken out against the properties in 1994.
After multiple struggles, news of the possible development spread and before the new construction could begin, the people in the Village of Downers Grove created the “Save Downers’ Last Grove” campaign which urged local leaders to preserve the land. In 1996, with the community support, 40 acres of land was acquired by the Downers Grove Park District for public use and added to the existing Lyman Woods property.
The architectural beauty that was once the Emmett Flaherty House, and Downers Grove’s link to Frank Lloyd Wright, was destroyed in the mid 1990’s. However, it is rare that history returns structures back to nature, and while that is always a happy occurrence, it is still a loss to have such a unique structure erased without a trace of existence.
Want to Learn More?
Want to learn more about the Lyman Woods structures? Attend the “Relics & Ruins” event on November 8th – Relic & Ruins
Interested in more DG History? Check out our Historic Homes Program or other Lost Homes page.
Sources
- Picture courtesy of Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation – Copyright Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Image courtesy OA+D Archives, Inc.
- Chicago Architecture Center, definition of Prairie Style – https://www.architecture.org/online-resources/architecture-encyclopedia/prairie-style
