The Dana–Thomas House (also known as the Susan Lawrence Dana House and Dana House) is a home in Prairie School style designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Built 1902–04 for patron Susan Lawrence Dana, it is located along East Lawrence Avenue in Springfield, Illinois. The home reflects the mutual affection of the patron and the architect for organic architecture, the relatively flat landscape of the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Japanese aesthetic as expressed in Japanese prints. Susan Lawrence Dana Susan Lawrence Dana (1862–1946) was an independent-minded woman and heiress to a substantial fortune, including silver mines in the Rocky Mountains. Widowed in 1900, Dana enjoyed complete control over her household and fortune. Eager to express her personality and become a leading philanthropic figure in Springfield, Dana decided to completely remodel her family's Italianate mansion located in the state capital's fashionable "Aristocracy Hill" neighborhood. Dana House Dana's search for an architect to match her aspirations ended when she was introduced in 1902 to Frank Lloyd Wright, the rising leader of the new Prairie School movement of "organic architecture" which stressed congruence between the interior of a building and its surroundings. The Dana commission to plan the remodeling of the Lawrences' Italianate mansion was the largest Wright had received. Recognizing a kindred spirit in Mrs. Dana, he expanded the boundaries of his contract to design and build what was, in effect, an entirely new house showcasing his approach to the Prairie Style aesthetic. The new home reflected the flamboyant personalities of the patron and the architect, particularly their love of Japanese prints and drawings. The structure was designed for both display and entertainment. An arched doorway admitted guests into a series of expanding spaces, transitioning from vestibule to the reception hall. The concept of "expanding space" was repeated throughout the house, with windows placed to continually draw the attention of someone within toward an awareness of the outside. Wright designed approximately 450 art glass windows, skylights, door panels, sconces, and light fixtures for the house, most of which survive. Much of the art glass, and the mural by George Mann Niedecken surmounting the dining room interior, centered on a sumac motif. A substantial west wing leads visitors through an interior Torii gate into two of the largest rooms in the house. The upper-level gallery was used for musical entertaining, and the ground-level library contains special easels, part of more than