Group seeks to save Frank Lloyd Wright home from being destroyed

In Hinsdale, there is concern about the fate of a home designed by one of the most important architects of the 20th century, Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Frederick Bagley House on south County Line Road is listed by @properties and up for auction. The deadline for bids is Monday, July 26.

Preservationists like Barbara Gordon with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy point out that there is nothing in the sale literature indicating it has any historical significance.

And in a neighborhood where older houses are often demolished to make way for larger more modern homes, there is nothing protect it from the wrecking ball.

A lot of neighbors and even some local preservationists had no idea the home had been designed by Wright, who is known best for his prairie-style architecture.

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The home is a Dutch colonial from 1894, one of Wright’s earliest designs.

With that kind of history, they don’t want to lose it. 

"The Village of Hinsdale is at a real cross roads in terms of historic preservation," said Alexis Braden of the Hinsdale Historic Preservation Commission. "We are not a home rule community so there’s not much that can be done to protect these architecturally significant homes. And it’s tough. We are seeing a lot of homes come down. And we understand that not every home can be saved or should be saved. But there are some select homes that are very architecturally significant and important to the make up of our village."

Braden says the Bagley house has the first version of an octagonal library that Wright would eventually put in his own home years later.

While there is no indication that the buyer will necessarily tear it down the preservationists are proactively making a request.

"We are really reaching out to the Wright community and people who love preservation and the story of Chicago architecture, And we are asking them to step in and buy this building and consider rehabbing and expanding it," said Gordon. "So we understand that right now it’s on the private MLS listing and the bIds will begin to be reviewed by the end of today.

THe Village of Hinsdale told FOX 32 our inquiry "was the first we’re hearing of the sale of the house."

Meanwhile, Braden says the commission is trying to revise the Hinsdale preservation code to offer incentives, in some cases financial, to buyers and homeowners to protect historic homes and the village heritage.