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Summary
UNITY CHAPEL
Highway County T, Town of Wyoming, Iowa County
Architect: Joseph Lyman Silsbee
Date of Construction: 1886
Unity Chapel, designed by Chicago architect Joseph Lyman Silsbee, is a small, simple building arranged in an L- shaped plan. Designed for minister Jenkin Lloyd Jones, Frank Lloyd Wright's uncle, the Chapel project was a natural assignment for Silsbee's new draftsman, Frank Lloyd Wright.
This Shingle style building is covered with a layer of cedar shingles on both the roof and exterior walls and rests on a masonry foundation. A belfry with an unusual shaped hipped roof is positioned between the intersection of both wings. Frank Lloyd Wright assisted with the interior space, designing an open plan with a unique cathedral ceiling. The chapel's simple form reflects a broad architectural movement to reject frilly and fanciful Victorian ornament in favor of simpler designs using natural materials.
The Unity Chapel exemplifies the significant relationship, which developed between Frank Lloyd Wright and his first mentor Joseph Lyman Silsbee. The Chapel cemetery, located adjacent to the Unity Chapel, is the resting place of several generations of the present Lloyd Jones family.
The building is not open to the public.
Property Details
Resources Within The Property
Designations
State & National Registers of Historic Places
The State Register and National Register recognize buildings, sites, districts, structures, and objects that are significant in national, state, or local history. The State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service maintains the list for Wisconsin and makes the data available to the public for research and education.
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COUNTY HIGHWAY T, 1/4 MILE E OF STATE HIGHWAY 23, S SIDE
16190
Located in Wyoming, Iowa County
Ellen Lloyd Jones and Jane Lloyd Jones
Cyanotype of sisters Ellen Lloyd Jones (left) and Jane Lloyd Jones (right) founders and administrators of Hillside Home School. The women are the aunts of architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
COUNTY HIGHWAY T, .5 MI EAST OF HWY 23
147261
Located in Wyoming, Iowa County
Frank Lloyd Wright with Apprentices
1952
Frank Lloyd Wright with apprentices at Taliesin. Eric Lloyd Wright is seated to the right of FLW. Taliesin is located south of Spring Green, on the opposite side of the river.
