Como Orchards Summer Colony One-Room Cottage, Prairie School cottage in Bitterroot Valley, Montana.
The Como Orchards Summer Colony One-Room Cottage is a single-room residential structure in the Prairie School style located in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, distinguished by horizontal lines, broad roof overhangs, and expansive windows. These design features create a direct connection between the interior and the surrounding mountain landscape.
The cottage was created in 1909 when Chicago investors commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design a summer community with 60 cabins. Only 12 structures were ultimately built, making the site a fragmentary example of Wright's community project.
The cottage demonstrates Wright's philosophy of connecting buildings with nature, something visitors can still observe in the large windows and open room layout today. The design shows how the architect wanted people to enjoy views of the landscape while spending time indoors.
The cottage is remote and difficult to access, located in an isolated part of the Bitterroot Valley, so advance planning and research are necessary before visiting. Visitors should prepare for rural conditions and contact local information sources to learn about current access details and best visiting times.
The site was originally conceived as Wright's first planned residential community where buyers would receive both a cabin and a piece of orchard land. This combination of housing and agriculture was an innovative approach to creating a self-sufficient community for university professors.
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