Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Allen House in 1915 for Kansas governor Henry Allen and his wife Elsie, and it remains the finest example of his Prairie architecture in Kansas. The house sits in the College Hill neighbourhood on the eastern side of the city, looking from outside like a low horizontal composition of brick and plaster that seems rooted to its site rather than placed upon it. Inside, the sequence of spaces — from compressed entry to expansive living areas to the garden — follows Wright's careful choreography of compression and release.
Tours are offered by reservation, and the guides are knowledgeable about both the architectural history and the furnishings, many of which are original designs by Wright. The house is a National Historic Landmark and one of fewer than 25 Wright buildings on the UNESCO World Heritage list. For visitors interested in American architecture, this is a genuine destination.