After the Unity Church of Oak Park, home to a Universalist congregation, was struck by lightning and burned to the ground in 1905, the congregation commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a new building. His bold design, with cubist features and poured reinforced concrete, broke established patterns of American religious architecture. The all-concrete building was cast entirely at this site, including distinctive columns near the top that support the overhanging roof, creating an imposing facade while the concrete muffles street noise. The building also became famous for the arrangement and flow of its interior. Wright later said that Unity Temple held the first real expression of his idea that the space within a building is that building's reality. Through subtle manipulation of proportion, layering of visual surfaces, and repetition of decorative elements, he created a serene, intimate space he called "my little jewel box." Unity Temple has been in continuous use since 1908 by the congregation that commissioned it, now a Unitarian Universalist congregation, and it is used, as Wright intended, for community events and especially for concerts that showcase its superb acoustics. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971. The Unity Temple Restoration Foundation was founded in 1973 to restore and preserve the building. In 2017, a comprehensive $25-million restoration, supported financially by the congregation, the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, and largely by the Alphawood Foundation, was completed. In July 2019, Unity Temple, along with seven other Wright buildings, was inscribed as part of "The 20th Century of Frank Lloyd Wright" UNESCO World Heritage designation, among only 24 sites in the U.S. representing significant cultural and natural value.
