“Unity Temple is a Unitarian Universalist church in Oak Park, Illinois, and the home of the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation. It was designed by the American architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and built between 1905 and 1908. Unity Temple is considered to be one of Wright’s most important structures dating from the first decade of the twentieth century. Because of its consolidation of aesthetic intent and structure through use of a single material, reinforced concrete, Unity Temple is considered by many architects to be the first modern building in the world. This idea became of central importance to the modern architects who followed Wright, such as Mies Van Der Rohe, and even the post-modernists, such as Frank Gehry.” – Wikipedia entry for Unity Temple.
In 2017 Judson Studios completed a full restoration and reinstallation of all the art glass inside Unity Temple. Working alongside conservators and the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, we meticulously revitalized the Frank Lloyd Wright designed stained glass inside the sanctuary. The project received the “Special Award of Restoration Excellence” by the Modernism in America Awards 2018. In July 2019, along with seven other buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in the 20th century, Unity Temple was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is the first time modern American architecture has been recognized on the World Heritage List.
Project Designer: Frank Lloyd Wright Client: Julie Sloan (Art Glass Conservator) Work: Removal, Restoration, and Reinstallation Category: Restoration, Liturgical, Commercial, Historical Materials: Stained Glass Place: Oak Park, IL
