The house was restored by Gaines & Sharon Hall, former owners. In 2010, Wright In Kankakee purchased this landmark house on a 10-year contract. Rental fees and other contributions aided in the purchase and now assist in the maintenance costs.

Mission Statement

Wright in Kankakee preserves and promotes Frank Lloyd Wright’s B. Harley Bradley House and his innovative architectural vision by providing educational experiences and cultivating public pride and use of this unique community Prairie design.

Vision Statement

Connect diverse communities, local, national, and global, with Frank Lloyd Wright’s unique architectural vision of the first Prairie House, the B. Harley Bradley House.

Core Values

Wright in Kankakee commits to upholding these core values that unify our collective work.

• Collaboration – Working together to maximize community ownership and investment for the future.
• Diversity/Inclusion – Welcoming and respecting all; recognizing and responding with empathy to multiple perspectives in our programming and deliberations.
• Equity/Accessibility – Ensuring fairness and impartiality in all practices and policies, and providing people across the spectrum of human ability and experience with equitable access to our buildings, programs, and communications.
• Integrity – Conducting all ac..ons in accordance with ethical, legal, and professional requirements and norms.
• Relevance – Ensuring that our activities and programs are responsive to the needs, concerns, and interests of the communities and audiences we serve-locally, nationally, and globally.
• Safety – Ensuring a safe environment for all who come to our facili..es to visit or to work.
• Stewardship – Optimizing our collections and the Bradley House and artifacts for the benefit of the public we serve and supporting the efforts and welfare of our staff.
• Sustainability – Considering the impact of our ac..ons on the environment and on the long-term viability of our facilities and finances.

Frank Lloyd Wright Design

The B. Harley Bradley and Warren R. Hickox houses are the very first of their kind and for the next decade Wright’s commissions are said to have been derived from these two basic plans. They were also some of the first in which Wright exercised total control over the interior, including furnishings, and unique art glass windows.

Designed in 1900, these two houses marked the beginning of Wright’s Prairie Style period. The style is distinguished by a simple, plain composition, horizontal to the ground, with rows of casement windows, a low pitched roof, extended overhanging eaves, and wood trim that defines planes, turns corners and highlights special features. The geometric art glass patterns reflect natural plant forms.