04 Feb depression-era grant mason and gilman lane snapshots of frank lloyd wright’s roloson houses now digitized
February 4, 2026
in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, New Acquisitions, New Products, Uncategorized
recently digitized, original 1930s grant mason and gilman lane interior and exterior snapshot photos of frank lloyd wright’s roloson houses (1894) at 3213-3219 s. calumet ave., chicago, il, are now available through the bld. 51 museum and archive. a small collection of digitized images provided below.
the roloson houses a significant set of four adjacent row houses in chicago, illinois, notable for being the only row houses frank lloyd wright ever built. designed in 1894 for client robert w. roloson, a successful grain merchant, the houses are a chicago landmark and listed on the national register of historic places.
grant carpenter manson was an internationally recognized architectural historian and author, best known for his authoritative biography of frank lloyd wright. wright himself once referred to manson as the individual “who knows more about me than i do,” acknowledging manson’s thorough research and unparalleled personal access to the architect.
manson’s seminal work, “frank lloyd wright to 1910: the first golden age,” was published in 1958. this volume examined wright’s early career, with particular emphasis on the development of the prairie house and notable projects such as the larkin building and unity temple.
manson’s unique perspective stemmed from direct interviews with wright, which began in 1939 during his doctoral studies at harvard. unlike other biographers of the era, he recorded first-hand accounts of wright’s life and welsh heritage.
in his academic career, manson served as a professor and associate dean at the university of southern california (usc) from 1961 to 1969, and also taught at the university of pennsylvania.
throughout the 1970s, manson contributed to the field by donating his comprehensive research collection—including over 350 photographic prints and negatives of wright’s works—to the oak park public library.
