The late 19th century was a time of massive social change in the United States. The population was growing rapidly. The economy was changing from agricultural to industrial, with the growth of cities. An urban middle class was forming, ann moving to the suburbs as a result to the development of streetcars, trolleys and other mass transit. After the Civil War, and as the United States became a world power, Americans increasingly withdrew from European influence and began to search for things to make America unique- through character, business and social activities, architecture and art.

Several trends in art and architecture began to emerge. Architects, social commentators, and home decorating magazines led a rebellion against the cluttered and fussy Victorian housing styles of the period. The search for a uniquely American architecture was beginning to spread throughout the United States.

Architects and magazine writers expounded on the virtues of less elaborate homes (no more turrets, towers, etc.) made of natural materials like wood, brick, and stone. They wanted more open floor plans, with multi-purpose rooms that could be used for entertaining, reading, and family gatherings. They wanted simpler, lighter furnishings (no more heavy tables and dark cabinets).

Through the turn of the century, Wright's distinctively personal style was evolving, and his work in these years foreshadowed his so-called "prairie style," a term deriving from the publication in 1901 of "A Home in a Prairie Town" which he designed for the Ladies' Home Journal.

Prairie houses were characterized by low, horizontal lines that were meant to blend with the flat landscape around them. Typically, these structures were built around a central chimney, consisted of broad open spaces instead of strictly defined rooms, and deliberately blurred the distinction between interior space and the surrounding terrain. Wright acclaimed "the new reality that is space instead of matter" and, about architectural interiors, said that the "reality of a building is not the container but the space within." The W. W. Willits house, built in Highland Park, Illinois in 1902, was the first house that embodied all the elements of the prairie style. His masterpiece of the prairie style is the Robie House, built in Chicago in 1909.

Wright did not aspire simply to design a house, but to create a complete environment, and he often dictated the details of the interior. He designed stained glass, fabrics, furniture, carpet and the accessories of the house. Legend has it that, in at least one case, he even designed the gowns of his client's wife.The controlling factor was seldom the wishes of the individual client, but Wright's belief that buildings strongly influence the people who inhabit them. He believed that "the architect is a molder of men, whether or not he consciously assumes the responsibility."

Typical houses of the period (including the original Lawrence Dana residence) had rooms shaped like boxes. Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Dana-Thomas House to have open, flowing spaces. Look carefully here at the plan of a late-nineteenth century typical Victorian era house (A). Notice the shape and relationships of the rooms. Then look at the Prairie Period house (B). Wright arranged rooms to flow into one another to create more open spaces. He also varied the levels of the rooms and heights of ceilings to create a more interesting living environment (C).