samara house

Visited Samara on Saturday. Excellent tour and Linda did an outstanding job. We found this to be the best cared for and kept FLW home we have toured. The grounds are also open to visitors and their design is also stunning. Thank you Dr. Christian for sharing your home. What a treat for us.

The tour was extremely good, informative, and fun. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and helpful. Went with 3 others friends and we all enjoyed it and were able to take lots of pictures. Since there was only 6 in the tour that day (a Friday) we were able to ask all the questions that we wanted and it felt like we were guests in the house and not just receiving a tour. Highly recommend it..

I went with a group on Monday to tour Samara House and it was delightful. The house is not large but very unique. However, the tour guide is simply in love with her job and tells you so many facts and figures. I want to go back to visit the arboretum.

I knew a little about Frank Lloyd Wright's career when I decided to investigate the architectural genius' work here in our backyard. However, a trip to Samara increased my respect and knowledge many times over for his work. It also increased my respect for the owners of such a property. Frank Lloyd Wright took every aspect of a home into account. He named each of his places (Samara means winged seed) and designed around the name. Every detail of a home was taken into account by Wright. Wright's eye for detail is found not only in the structure, but the landscape and interior design. The owners of the home sacrificially have committed themselves to capturing Wright's vision and genius for this property. They now make it available to tour for those who seek such an opportunity. To set up a time to see the home; (yes...it is a home, Dr. Christian still lives there at 98 years old) merely visit the website for Samara and email them requesting the opportunity to view the home. We found it enlightening to take this tour. We highly recommend you take the time that is necessary to visit this little gem here in West Lafayette in the shadow of Purdue University. We have grown a much greater appreciation for Frank Lloyd Wright and hope to visit other sites associated with him.

Dr. Christian and his wife approached Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1950s in hopes of him building them an affordable, smaller scale home on their property in West Lafayette, Indiana. Today, Dr. Christian, though almost 97 years old still lives and keeps up the home. Though on our tour, Dr. Christian was tired and was not able to meet with the tour group, one can sense the love and devotion that he and his late wife have had and still have for the home. The docent, Linda, was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about the home, its story, its owners, and the work and creations of Frank Lloyd Wright. She was an interesting and dynamic tour guide of the property.Conclusion: The Samara House offers a great tour of a home still loved and occupied by the original owner who commissioned the construction from one of America's greatest architects. It's a great piece of American history to check out if you are in the area.

IF you are a Frank Lloyd Wright fan, you need to see this house. I can't believe it is in Lafayette Indiana! So nicely kept.

I have had the opportunity to tour Samara House several times with various groups. Wow, we have a Frank Lloyd Wright house tucked away here in our own community. With each tour, I learn something new. This is just one of the many fun, educational things to do here. I highly recommend taking the time to make Samara House a top priority on your "to do" list.

I enjoy visiting Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and have been to several. I just realized this house was within a 3 hour drive earlier this year. The original owner, who is in his 90s, still lives in the house. You can tell when you visit that he really loves the house as it has been very well taken care of. Anyone who knows about the Usonian's know they take a great deal of maintenance. The lot backs up to a busy street, but you would never know it is there. The house is a great example of Mr. Wright's organic architecture as the house really appears to grow out of the site. The interior of the house is just as Mr. Wright intended it. Over the years the owner has added additional custom furniture as per the specifications. The tour on my day was lead by a docent. It was a really big group since it was a Sunday, but the living room comfortably seats 50. The house is open on a limited schedule since it is still owner occupied. If you enjoy FLLW make a point of visiting Samara.

We are fans of the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, so it is no surprise that we find a tour of Samara to be fascinating. Tours usually include an opportunity to view in detail a great example of Wright's Usonian designs. Even better, the Christians have continued to furnish the house with custom furniture, housewares, rugs, etc., that were part of Wright's original design for this house. If you're really lucky, Dr. Christian will join the tour to tell the story of how he and his wife met Wright and convinced him to design their home. Tours are normally conducted by trained docents, many of whom are neighbors.

We are extremely fortunate to have a FLW house in our community. If you visit or live in our community, do not miss the opportunity to visit this house. The original owner still lives there and is very gracious in sharing this treasure with others.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Samara House has been kept in original condition -- a tribute to the owners and the famous architect. This is so worth visiting if you are lucky enough to get the opportunity.

This is a lovely example of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian architecture, although it is larger than many of his Usonian homes. The house was built in the mid-1950's. You have to make arrangements in advance to tour this home, but it is definitely worth doing. Experiencing the interior spaces is well worth the price of the tour (a very reasonable $10). Yes, the original owner still lives in the house, but we didn't meet him on our recent tour. Our tour was led by the Associate Curator and an Interpreter. The tour lasted approx. 2 hrs. There was much history provided, of Wright and the owners, and a physical tour of most of the house. You will see all of the main living area, but only one bedroom - a small guest bedroom. They allowed interior photography, which is unusal for a Wright site. You will also get to sit on the furniture in the very large living room (with seating capacity for 50 people). The gardens are beautiful. I was sworn to secrecy as to where Wright hid the TV. You will have to tour the house yourself to find out!

Frank Lloyd Wright house, owner still lives there. He is often present during tours. It is an interesting house, and they do a lovely job running it. Highly recommended.

I took a Samara tour as part of an architectural history class. At that time the tour was given by Dr. John Christian, the Purdue professor who had Frank Lloyd Wright design the house for him and his wife in the 1950s. You can't get much closer to the architectural origins than that. Through the years, Dr. Christian has added numerous details to more fully realize Wright's vision for this particular Usonian home. It's rare to find such a perfect, accessible specimen of Wright's work.

The most important part of visiting Samara is that Dr. John E. Christian, the original owner lives in the house and was part of the tour. Dr. Christian is now 94 years old yet is sharp and conversed with us throughout the tour. Linda Eales, the curator of the house led us through the tour, which not only included the details of construction and furniture, but also the beautiful gardens which surround the house. This house is in excellent condition, as Dr. Christian obviously knows the historical value of this significant home.I highly recommend a visit to Samara if you are anywhere near West Lafayette Indiana.