Usonia is a term used by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to refer to his vision for the landscape of the United States, including the planning of cities and the architecture of buildings. Wright proposed the use of the adjective Usonian in place of American to describe the particular New World character of the American landscape as distinct and free of previous architectural conventions.

The word itself dates from the 19th century and was used by Samuel Butler, the author of the utopian novel Erewhon, and other futurist British writers in reference to the United States. In this incarnation, it may been the root of the Esperanto word Usono for the United States, although that word may have been created as an acronym for Unuiĝintaj Ŝtatoj de Nordameriko.

"Usonian" is a term usually referring to a group of approximately 50 family homes designed by Frank Lloyd Wright beginning in 1936 with the Jacobs House (http://www.usonia1.com). The "Usonian Homes" were typically L-shaped, small, single story dwellings with flat roofs, large cantilevered overhangs and without garaging or much storage. The word "carport" was coined by Wright to describe an overhang especially for a vehicle to park under.

There were many variants of the Jacobs House design - and most are still extant today - and even in 2005 do not look overly dated.

See also

• Alternative words for American

External link

• Frank Lloyd Wright: Usonian House at PBS.org
• Columbia University - Usonia: Frank Lloyd Wright's Vision for America
• Esperanto League of Houston regarding Usono and Usonia