Patricia Harris, who was nominated and subsequently applied for a free trip to see the home in Wilmette her grandparents commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build during the early twentieth century, said she’s always had a keen interest in architecture.
Harris, 80, lives in a senior living facility in Scotts Valley, Calif. She said she spent the majority of her life bouncing between Connecticut and California, and never before had an opportunity to visit the “prairie style” Frank J. Baker house, which sits partially shielded from view by a line of trees and vegetation on Lake Ave.
Her wish was fulfilled on April 23 thanks to Wish of a Lifetime, a charity that grants wishes to seniors. The national nonprofit was founded in 2008 and has fulfilled over 1,200 wishes since its inception, said Sally Webster, director of community outreach for Wish of a Lifetime.
When evaluating the wishes that come in from seniors across the country, Webster said the organization fulfills those that “have a connection to the senior’s past, their passions or important people in their lives — we want to make sure the wish will have a lasting impact and make sure it positively impacts them.”
She said Harris’ life story and the obstacles she’s overcome, including raising three daughters on her own, returning to school later in life and carving out time to volunteer for charities, were factors in the nonprofit’s decision to grant her wish.
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“She seems like a woman who has put a lot of other people before herself throughout her life,” Webster said.
Harris’ grandparents and mother lived in the home, which was designed by the renowned architect and erected in 1909, until her grandfather’s death in 1922.
The prairie house design is “something that initially made Frank Lloyd Wright famous,” said Richard Sobel, whose parents purchased the house in 1957 because of its architectural significance. Prairie style homes are usually built low to the ground, with big open spaces and horizontal lines, he said.
During her Saturday visit, Harris also met with her second cousin, Alice Markham, 91, of Wilmette, and one of her uncle’s descendants, Kelley Latshaw, 36, of Stow, Ohio.
Harris described the visit as “wonderful.”
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.