The Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust ( FLWPT ) will establish a new location with the lease of space in the lobby of The Rookery, a national historic landmark located at 209 S. LaSalle.

Slated to open in early December, FLWPT's newest location will feature a public information center as well as administrative offices for the not-for-profit organization's development, membership, events, communications and guest relations divisions. In early 2011, the trust will offer free tours of selected areas of The Rookery and open a "ShopWright" gift store.

The Rookery, designed by Daniel Burnham and John Root, was completed in 1888 and is considered the oldest standing high-rise in Chicago. In 1905, Wright was commissioned to update the Rookery's light court and lobbies. Wright re-faced much of the lobby in broad planes of white Carrara marble incised with gold leaf, evoking in exquisite materials many of Root's original ornamental metalwork designs.

"Expanding into this new facility is the fulfillment of a long-standing dream of our organization to increase regional visibility and leverage Chicago audience participation," said FLWPT Board Chair Jim Schiefelbein. "We've explored many possibilities for a strategic downtown presence over the past several years and when an opportunity at The Rookery opened up late this past spring, our board voted unanimously to move forward. It's a perfect fit for us."

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