In 1893, Wright left his position as head draftsman at Adler and Sullivan, establishing his own independent practice with offices initially in downtown Chicago.
It was in the suburbs surrounding Chicago that Wright found a receptive clientele for his work. Wright’s bold, simple architecture, unfettered by historical European styles, resonated deeply with middle class “American men of business with unspoiled instincts and ideals.” He found the perfect clients in his Oak Park neighbors, industrialists, William Winslow and William E. Martin, lawyer Nathan Moore, and banker Arthur Heurtley. Residential commissions in the suburbs surrounding Chicago secured Wright’s early reputation.
Wright’s first major commission as an independent architect is the William Winslow house, built in River Forest, Illinois, in 1893.