Progressive Design in the Midwest: The Purcell-Cutts House and the Prairie School Collection at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

An essential guide to Prairie School art and architecture.

Built by William Gray Purcell and George Grant Elmslie in Minneapolis in 1913, the Purcell-Cutts house features a buff-colored facade, nearly flat roof, floor-to-ceiling art glass windows, and a revolutionary interior structured around an open floor plan, facilitating everyday living without the senseless division of space. Progressive Design in the Midwest documents the house and its furnishings from the year it was built to the time it was donated to the museum, restored, and opened to the public in 1990.

The many objects in the Institute’s Prairie school collection, including works by Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, William Gray Purcell, and George Grant Elmslie, among others, are described in detail. Along with each piece is a list of relevant texts, exhibitions, and the historical background of the piece, as well as information about the designer.

With its multitude of historic photographs, many never before published, Progressive Design in the Midwest is a unique combination of history, house tour, and museum guide.

Distributed for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

Jennifer Komar Olivarez is assistant curator of decorative arts, sculpture, and architecture at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.