The Unitarian Meeting House was Frank Lloyd Wright’s own church.  He was a member of the First Unitarian Society and his parents were founding members in 1879.  The original manuscript of the church’s Bond of Union is in the handwriting of Frank’s father William Wright.  Wright called the Meeting House his “little church in the country”, and when it was completed in 1951, it was indeed in the country. Wright designated it, the “Meeting House”, referencing the Quaker values of simplicity and humility. The building is purposely designed to human scale and built with natural materials. Wright incorporated the triangle shape throughout the design to symbolize “structural strength” and “aspiration,” an analogy for the non-creedal Unitarian Universalism religious community.    

In 1964 the American Institute of Architecture named the Unitarian Meeting House one of Wright’s 17 most important contributions to American culture because of its profound effect on church architecture.

The Meeting House was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2004.

Friends of the Meeting House, Inc.

The Friends organization was established in the early 1970’s to help the church manage the large number of Frank Lloyd Wright devotees interested in touring Wright’s church.  Over the 50 years of its existence, the Friends of the Meeting House has supported an appreciation of the First Unitarian Society of Madison’s Landmark Meeting House through education, financial support for Landmark preservation projects and advocacy for the preservation of its unique architectural features and character.

In order to further assist the church in its extensive and ongoing efforts to preserve the Meeting House and share its beauty with others, the Friends has recently become a 501(c)(3) non-profit, non-stock, organization. It takes a village to maintain a Frank Lloyd Wright National Historic Landmark.

2023-2024 Members of the Board of Directors

March Schweitzer, President

Steve Holtzman, Treasurer

At large members:

John Powell

David Weber

Tom Miskelly

Susan Koenig

Katie Croake

Eric Kettner

Hari Carnes

Thomas Dulmage