THE ENTRANCE TO THE FABYAN VILLA
As you enter the Villa you pass through the large Dutch-style door. The split door allowed for the top to open so air could be allowed in but critters could not.
The knocker is what most people notice on the door. It is unique and added by the Fabyans. Its origin is unknown but the character is similar to a figure known as “the green man,” a motif in art from the middle ages.
This entrance was likely designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in keeping with his Prairie Style. The style tended to hide a home’s entrance so that it did not disrupt the intended overall exterior design. The deep, low-ceiling porch leads into a small, enclosed interior entrance before opening into the larger, light-filled open spaces of the Den and Dining Room. This architectural design concept, used frequently by Wright in his Prairie and Usonian styles, is called “compression into release.”
Carefully notice the wood trim around the walls of the entrance and one of Wright’s signature built-in benches. Above the bench and mirror you will see the sign “Riverbank” which is the title the Fabyans gave their estate. The lighting on both sides of the entrance mirror are reproductions of a style that was popular at the time.
Step next into the Den at your left.
