Charles E. White

Born in 1876, Charles E. White Jr. was a Chicago-area architect closely associated with the Prairie School. He spent time in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park studio and went on to build a career of his own, designing houses and other buildings while also writing about architecture for a wider audience.

His best-known books include Successful Houses and How to Build Them and The Bungalow Book. In them, he wrote for readers who wanted thoughtful, well-planned homes rather than grand display, making architectural ideas feel approachable and useful.

White died in 1936. Though he is sometimes described as an underappreciated figure next to better-known contemporaries, his work still offers a vivid window into American domestic architecture and the ideals behind the bungalow and Prairie-era home.