J. J. Walser Jr. House

Imagine a house that looks like it's from a storybook! The J. J.

Walser Jr. House is a special building in Chicago. It was designed by a super famous architect named Frank Lloyd Wright.

He was like a wizard of buildings! This house was built a long, long time ago, in 1903. That's even before your grandparents were born!

It was made for a man named Joseph Jacob Walser Jr. and his family to live in. Think of it as a really cool place where people used to have fun and make memories.

This house has a secret shape inside! It's called a 'cruciform' floor plan, which means it looks a bit like a cross. It has two floors, like a mini-mansion!

On the first floor, there's a room to welcome guests, a big open space for eating and playing, and a kitchen. Upstairs, there are five cozy bedrooms for sleeping. There's even a basement for storing things and a garage for cars.

It's like a puzzle with rooms connected in a special way!

Guess what? This house was so cool that it was shown in a magazine called 'House Beautiful' way back in 1905! That's like being a movie star for houses!

It was also put in a special book by the architect that showed off his best designs. People loved how unique it looked. It's so important that it's now a 'Chicago Landmark' and on the 'National Register of Historic Places'.

That means it's protected and everyone knows it's a special piece of history!

The Walser family lived in this house for a few years, but then they moved away. Since then, lots of different families have lived there. Some people even changed it a little, like closing in the porches to make more room inside.

It's been through a lot of changes, like growing up! Even though it got a little worn out over time, people still think it's a really important and beautiful building. It tells us a story about how houses used to be made and how people lived.