Tour the House; FLW + Meyer May Chronology; The Renewing of a Vision; Contact Us

Tour the Meyer May House Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1908 for a prominent Grand Rapids Clothier, the Meyer May House was purchased by Steelcase Inc. in 1985, meticulously restored and opened to the public in 1987.

Today the Meyer May house is exactly as Wright intended. From landscaping to light fixtures to carpets and linens, Steelcase’s restoration and maintenance has established it as the most complete and beautifully preserved of all Wright’s Prairie houses.

Open to the public in 1987 and meticulously restored, the Meyer May house offers a rare opportunity to experience an original Prairie house as Wright envisioned it. After months of interviews and intensive study of reference materials, work began to restore the interior and exterior to its original design.

The building living before us now as an organism (twentieth century) may only be seen by experience within the actual structure.

The guest experience at the Meyer May House starts with a viewing of “Renewing of a Vision” (the videos above) prior to a docent-led tour.

Meyer May House. 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm. Thursdays 1:00-2:30 – Meyer May House Tour. Meyer May House. Events for February 28th. No Events. Steelcase & Frank Lloyd Wright. S.C. Johnson Connection; Wright Home & Studio; Meyer May Restoration; …

Explore the blended history of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Meyer May House in the Chronology below.

Designed for a progressive and prominent Grand Rapids clothier, during the decades after the Meyer May house was completed it changed significantly and deteriorated slowly. A large addition was made in 1921 to accommodate May’s growing family, and in the mid-1960s the house became a multi-unit rental with carports and extra entrances.

Frank Lloyd Wright consulted closely with Steelcase in the development of new forms of desks and chairs, conceived as modular units that further expressed the principles at work in the architecture of the S.C. Johnson and Son Administration Building in Racine, Wis., and supported the work styles of its employees.