Constructed between 1905 and 1908, Unity Temple was Wright’s first building to use only one material for the entire structure, reinforced concrete. It was also one of the few public buildings that would be built in the Prairie Style.

In Unity Temple – as in many of his designs - Wright attempted to blur the line between nature and building, and more broadly, between the inside and the outside world. The monotone exterior, with its flat roof and overhanging eaves, is meant to blend in to its surroundings.

The Model

Meticulous details accurately convey the temple’s compact but imposing volumes, from the flat roof and overhanging eaves that cloister the building to the extensive skylights that flood its interior with gentle light. The model uses American Cherry to highlight the design details of this unique building. The kit’s precise adherence to the architect’s design ensures your completed model is as stunningly beautiful and iconic as the original.

Rotate the model by dragging across the image!

The Unity Temple kit comes with clear, easy to follow instructions and is the ideal gift for any fan of art, architecture, or Chicago’s history. It’s also a beautiful diversion for you to enjoy. It's a great model to start your collection of model landmarks (or give as a gift) and is appropriate for all model builders. This model can be completed in four to five evenings but will provide years of pleasure.

If you'd rather enjoy the model without building it, you can purchase a professionally built (Pre-assembled). Go to our Finished Model page for more information.

Keep your model in pristine, dust-free condition with an acrylic case specifically designed for your model.  Go to our Acrylic Cases page for photos and ordering information.

Product Details

Each kit comes complete with all required parts and clear, easy to follow instructions. All you’ll need to provide is a good quality wood glue, a knife to remove individual parts from their sheets, and a flat work surface to construct the model.

Materials American Cherry, MDF And Acrylic

— Scale: 1:250
— Recommended Age: 15 & Up
— Difficulty Level: Intermediate
— Assembly Time: 7 Hours
— Completed Dimensions: 10"L x 6"W x 2.5"H

Model by Little Building Co.  Click here to learn more about the artist behind this fine model.

Photo courtesy of one of our customers,  Francis S.

Frank Lloyd Wright, 1867 – 1959

Frank Lloyd Wright grew up in Wisconsin and left high school before graduating to work in the University of Wisconsin’s engineering department. While there, he studied civil engineering before being apprenticed to architect Joseph Lyman Silsbee. In 1887, he took up a draughtsman position with Adler and Sullivan in Chicago. There he worked under Louis Sullivan, who has been called the father of modernism and some say was the inventor of the skyscraper. In 1893, Wright left Adler and Sullivan to open his own firm. Throughout his career, Wright sought to create buildings that would open up richer possibilities for their inhabitants, a testament to his idea that all buildings should liberate the life of the individual. Because he was a parishioner of Unity Temple, designing the new space for the congregation presented an opportunity to combine his considerable professional skills, passion for spaces, and personal beliefs in one project. It’s also possible Wright was intent on impressing one particular congregation in mind: his mother was also a Unity Temple parishioner.

Wright died on April 9, 1959, at the age of 91. Wright’s building has shown us the potential that good architecture can have, not only to reflect its present, but to shape that present and its future.

More about the Unity Temple

One of many designs created at Wright’s Oak Park Studio, Unity Temple exemplified Prairie School architecture – one of few public buildings built in that particular style. Wright designed Unity Temple in 1905 for the Unitarian Universalist congregation of Oak Park Unity Church - which included the architect and his mother - after the original building burned down.

Lacking windows at the street level, guests inside have no view of the exterior. Wright instead evoked a sense of nature by incorporating stained glass that had hues of green, yellow, and brown. Light also pours in from 25 skylights in the roof of the sanctuary, making the building’s interior feel larger than it actually is. Like many of Wright’s designs, Unity Temple is a bipartite building, with two distinct volumes that accommodate separate spaces for worship and the community at the temple.

Located on a busy main street, Unity Temple sits as a heavy mass on the site – unlike the low-slung, sprawling horizontal profiles of some of his later, signature works.

The temple was completed in 1909, shortly before Wright left Chicago. Later, he said that it marked a defining period in modern architecture.

For more than 100 years, the building has continued to be the home of the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation. In 1971, Unity Temple was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Unity Temple was completed in 1909, shortly before Wright left Chicago.

A major restoration was completed 2017.

"Unity Temple makes an entirely new architecture — and is the first expression of it," said Wright. “That is my contribution to modern architecture."

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