Exploring the Unity Temple: A UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Updated: 04/08/2024
- Janice
Hiding in plain sight in a leafy, near suburb of Chicago is one of the most significant contributions of celebrated architect Frank Lloyd Wright to his Prairie-style architectural movement.
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This contribution is the over 100-year-old Unity Temple, found in the heart of Oak Park, Illinois, constructed impressively with unadorned cement—innovatively meeting 1905 budget requirements—and ensconces a warm-toned and harmonious geometric sanctuary that is a wonder to see. I share why to visit this site and how to tour it below.
About the Unity Temple: A UNESCO World Heritage Site
The Unity Temple, just eight miles west of downtown Chicago in the village of Oak Park and easily accessible via public transportation and with easy parking, is one of eight buildings that make up the collection of 20th Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright. Which together—represent one of only 24 UNESCO World Heritage sites in the US.
Equal part church for the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation and equal part a community hub for musical performances, the temple makes for an excellent day trip from Chicago for visitors and a valued local institution for residents.
The Unitarian Congregation that had the foresight to commission this modern structure in 1905 has had roots in the Oak Park, Illinois community since the mid-late 19th century. When the original church burned down that same summer, Wright, whose mother, Anna, had brought the family to the congregation as members, was awarded the commission for its replacement.
Wright’s design for the temple and ultimate construction broke the mold of traditional western church buildings of the time.
And it is easy to underestimate by the standards of today what this departure meant, which is why a tour for the architecturally curious and the history-loving guest makes sense even for the casual visitor.
Touring the temple, which underwent an extensive two-year aesthetic and environmental restoration begun in 2015 and completed in 2017, provides a unique insight into Frank Lloyd Wright’s impactful architectural career and the time and community that encouraged this unlikely and exceptional structure to come to be.
It is the perfect one-hour to hour-in-a-half activity to do in conjunction with visiting other Oak Park area architectural sites of interest, including a Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio tour, a walking tour— or visiting famed hometown author Ernest Hemingway’s Birthplace and Museum.
How to Visit the Unity Temple
The Unity Temple offers visitors the opportunity to learn more about its history and unique features in one of three tours ranging from 45 to 90 minutes, or on individually scheduled group tours. I share information on each below. They are:
Special family note: Touring the Unity Temple is best done with older kids, as children under 12 are not permitted to join on tours. View alternative kid-friendly activities below.
Unity Temple Guided Interior Tour
This 45-minute ticketed and docent-led tour is available twice a day—at 10 AM and at 12 noon—five days a week, Monday through Friday. Tickets are $20 per person and can be reserved here. Or call the ticket office 312.994.4000 to buy tickets over the phone. On this guided tour, expect to learn about the architectural elements of the building. And the history and background of its famed architect and the congregation that commissioned it.
Unity Temple Audio Self-Guided Interior Tour
If you cannot join for a guided tour time, you can visit and learn about the temple at your own pace with a self-guided audio tour from 9 AM through 2:15 PM Mondays through Fridays and 9 AM through 11:15 AM on Saturdays. Tours are not offered on Sundays when the congregation meets for services.
You can pre-book audio tours online, which cost $15 per person, here. Or wait to purchase from the information desk in the temple lobby. Recordings are available in eight languages. Expect to receive an audio player and map to help you with your exploration.
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Unity Temple In-Depth Guided Tour
Offered once a week on Saturdays at 10 AM, get a behind-the-scenes look into spaces not open to the public. And learn more about the extensive restoration process completed in 2017 in this 90-minute guided tour. Book tickets in advance here, or by calling the ticket office at 312.994.4000.
Group Tours
If you are looking for an organized activity for a professional, school, family, or friend group of 10+, know that The Unity Temple also schedules one-off tours for groups of this size or larger. Visit the Group Tours page of the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust website for more information and pricing for a group tour of the Unity Temple or other local Frank Lloyd Wright sites.
The Tour Experience & YouTube Video
To tour the Unity Temple, I met up with the former Executive Director of the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation (since shut down after the completion of the restoration), Heidi Ruehle. As an expert on the building and its restoration, Heidi graciously offered to walk me through a tour experience, answering questions and pointing out highlights. I share my walk-through with her in the YouTube video below.
Highlights of the tour include learning:
- The sanctuary has a deliberate theatre-in-the-round construction to encourage congregants to see each other, not just the pulpit. Which also means there is not a bad seat in the house.
- Frank Lloyd Wright had to create a model for his design before the congregation could commit to commissioning it, as the design deviated so strongly from traditional church structures.
- Poured concrete is the material for all exterior and interior elements. This construction innovation—one of the many reasons the temple is so unique—was born out of necessity. Wright’s original design called for brick, but the budget could not accommodate more expensive building materials.
- The intentional design element—known as compression and release—of the small and low hallways that spill out to the wide open and airy sanctuary is meant to evoke an experience of awe.
- The high placement of windows around the top of the sanctuary helped to minimize exterior noise from Lake Street—a busy thoroughfare even 100 years ago.
I particularly enjoyed walking around to view the sanctuary from various vantage points on multiple levels—finding it a moving experience to see how much the design and my perspective of it changed.
Quick Facts to Help You Plan Your Visit
Here are some helpful facts to help you plan your visit.
- Address: 875 Lake Street, Oak Park, IL, 6030
Website: To plan a visit to the Unity Temple, go to the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust website for more information. Avoid going to the UnityTemple.org website unless you would like to attend a service, as this is the informational site for the Unity Temple Unitarian Universalist Congregation and its members.
Hours: Open to the public for tours from Monday through Saturday, 9 AM to 3 PM. Closed Sundays and holidays (e.g., Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve/Day, and New Year’s Day).
Parking: Find metered street parking payable with the Passport Parking app or at a kiosk on area streets, such as Lake Street or Kenilworth Avenue. Or park in one of two parking garages shown on the map below and approximately a five-minute walk away.
Public Transport Routes: To get to the Unity Temple from downtown Chicago, you can take one of two train lines. Either take the CTA Green Line which runs approximately every 12 minutes during open hours, and exit at the Oak Park Avenue stop—a five-minute walk. Or take the less frequent, though faster, Metra Union Pacific-West (UP-W) train, and depending on where you exit the station, it is a five or ten-minute walk.
- Unity Temple Musical Events: Unity Temple offers a rich collection of community musical programs open to all ages throughout the year. Find event and ticket purchasing information on the temple Events page.
- For More Information: Visit the Frank Lloyd Trust website to learn more about the Unity Temple background and history.
Things to Do Nearby
While in the area, consider exploring more architecturally significant sites, visit the Hemingway Birthplace and Museum, or take advantage of all the restaurants, cafes, and shops this vibrant Chicago bedroom community offers.
Visit Other Local Frank Lloyd Wright Sites
After visiting Unity Temple, take a just over ten-minute walk to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. Or opt for a guided or self-guided outdoor walking tour of Wright’s notable and close-by area residential structures. Visit the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust website for more information.
For families: Children under eight are not permitted to join Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio interior tours, though are welcome to join outdoor tours. After the tour, consider visiting nearby Austin Gardens to run around or the tot playground in the northwest corner of Scoville Park. Then, promise the kids a visit to Candycopia or Gepetto’s Toy Box—all within a five to ten-minute walk of most sites.
Hemingway’s Birthplace & Museum
If you want to add literature appreciation to your architectural exploration, visit Hemingway’s Birthplace & Museum, less than a ten-minute walk from Unity Temple. Famed Pulitzer-prize-winning author, Ernest Hemingway, spent his first six years in this home, and his first 17 in the suburb of Oak Park, even attending the local high school.
On Fridays through Sundays, join a 50-minute group guided tour at the start of each hour. Learn more about the museum here. And get tour and ticket information here.
Catch a Movie at the Iconic Lake Street Theater
After visiting the Unity Temple, take a short six-minute stroll west down Lake Street to get a refreshment from your choice of Downtown Oak Park restaurants or cafes, and then catch a movie at the historic Art Deco style Lake Street Theatre. Renovated and expanded in the mid-1990s, this seven-screen theater is sure to be showing something you will want to buy an oversize tub of popcorn to sit back and enjoy.
Local Restaurants & Shopping
Walk a few minutes east of Unity Temple to Oak Park Avenue and the Hemingway District, or west down Lake Street toward Marion Street and Harlem Avenue in Downtown Oak Park, and you will have a wealth of shopping and dining options. Or check out this comprehensive shopping and gift guide for Oak Park to make the most of your visit to the area.
Related Reading
In addition to visiting the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust website to explore its five architectural sites, check out my reading list for Oak Park, Illinois, below to learn more about this community and its two most famous residents. In the list “Oak Park, IL Books to Read: History, Hemingway, & Frank Lloyd Wright,” find a collection of biographies, histories, and fiction set in place.
If you are traveling to the Oak Park area, explore this related article to help you get the information you need to plan your best visit, “The Ultimate Shopping & Gift Guide to Oak Park, IL.” And check out the Downtown Oak Park and Choose Chicago websites for additional visitor resources.
Additional Trip Planning Resources
To further help you with travel planning, I share my go-to resources for every trip below.
Google Flights. My first research stop for affordable flights for every trip. Learn why here.
Google Hotels. Use its “Where to stay” button to discover the best neighborhoods to base your visit.
Booking.com. For hotel and rental bookings, I appreciate its flexible cancellation, candid user reviews, discounts, loyalty program, and easy-to-use interface.
Viator, Get Your Guide, & Airbnb Experiences. Quickly find and book highly-rated tours and activities on these sites.
Google Travel Things to Do & Google Maps. Find more things to do in your destination on Google Travel, then record where you want to visit on a custom Google Maps list.
AllTrails. Love to hike? Me too. I religiously use AllTrails to discover hiking and biking trails and download its offline maps to manage my hikes.
Guide Along. 5-star self-guided audio tours that are GPS-compatible for US road trips and national parks. We loved the Glacier National Park tour.
Insure My Trip. I never travel internationally without trip insurance. Learn why here. My preferred place to shop and compare policies is InsureMyTrip.com.
Plus, check out the 15 travel apps I use on trips, my preferred guidebooks, and my free customizable travel itinerary template, downloadable in four file formats.
About the author: Janice Moskoff is a travel writer and blogger who loves hiking, exploring the world, and reading. She writes to inspire travel-loving families, adult friends, and couples on her blog, Gather and Go Travel. Check out her bio, learn how she became a blogger, and discover how to work with her. Sign up for her monthly Discovery Newsletter to get her latest travel recommendations and how-to’s.
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Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I only recommend products and companies I use. And the income goes to keeping the site community-supported and ads minimal.
Welcome to Gather and Go Travel, a blog inspiring families, adult friends, and couples to explore US and international destinations and to get outdoors. I am Janice, an experienced traveler to over 50 countries and a travel writer, book lover, and blogger. Learn more about me, read our story, and how to work with me.
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