Gustavus Babson House Number Two, Oak Park, Illinois, East Elevation

Tallmadge and Watson was one of the many Prairie School firms that shaped the character of the Chicago suburb of Oak Park in the first two decades of the 20th century. The design for Gustavus Babson’s second Oak Park home includes many markers of Prairie School style. The large, horizontally planned house features a strong asymmetrical composition, a gabled roof, and bands of narrow windows, as seen in these working drawings. Although their work was not as geometrically daring as Wright’s, Tallmadge and Watson left their own unique imprint on the quiet streets of Oak Park.