Issue 68  October 25th 2017

Seven Original Wright-Designed “Light Screens” Return To Martin House

There has been a major effort to restore The Darwin Martin House to its original elegance. To this day, missing architectural elements continue to be returned to their rightful place of origin. Recently, a historic transfer agreement was reached with the University of Victoria’s Legacy Art Galleries in British Columbia, Canada, to return seven of the original art glass windows (called "light screens" by Wright) to the architectural landmark.

It turns out that the University of Victoria purchased the glass elements in 1968, and has been safe keeping the Wright treasures for almost 50 years. According to the MHRC, “The extraordinary decision made by the University of Victoria to return these light screens reflects the university’s ongoing commitment to artistic stewardship and heritage preservation.

“The light screens represent a broad sampling of Wright’s genius in glass, which is critical to the scholarly interpretation and general appreciation of the complex,” stated Martin House executive director Mary Roberts. "The Martin House has more art glass in more patterns than any other house designed by Wright". Read more.

Click for more details: buffalorising.com  

A Piece Of History For Sale In Wright's Penfield House

The Louis Penfield House is on the market. Built for the 6’8" Penfield, this house has high walls and thin, towering windows, both rare for Wright houses. The Louis Penfield House wasn’t the only house Frank Lloyd Wright designed for the family. Wright drew up another property, to be built adjacent to the first home. It was known as Riverrock because it was to use stones from the nearby Chagrin River in Willoughby Hills, Ohio.

Due to financial constraints, the house was never constructed, but the land the house was to be built on is still there. Paul Penfield inherited the existing house, the land, and the plans for the second house after his mother’s death. After more than 60 years in his family, he thinks it’s time to pass it all to someone who will take care of the Louis Penfield House and who might build the Riverrock house just the way Frank Lloyd Wright imagined. Read more.

Click for more details: wksu.org  

Chalk Art Added To SC Johnson Tours

Chicago-based chalk artist Nate Baranowski is creating elaborate 3-D chalk art designs in various locations across the historic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Administration Building and Research Tower on the SC Johnson campus. Each design takes four to six hours to create and captures themes related to Frank Lloyd Wright and SCJ. Guests can enjoy 3-D chalk art features along the tour and photograph themselves with the art during this year’s Chicago Architecture Biennial. New chalk art designs will be created on the SCJ campus every weekend until November 4, 2017.

The upcoming chalk art design themes will include:

A Collective Design — Variety of Wright’s work including furniture and other interior pieces.

Architecture the Mother Art — Based on a quote from Wright, “The mother art is architecture. Without architecture of our own we have no soul of our own civilization.”

The Global Effect of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Architecture — Showcasing other designs Wright has inspired.

Frank Lloyd Wright: The Pioneer — Designs Wright created that were the first of their kind.

Go here to learn more about SCJ’s sponsorship of the 2017 Chicago Architecture Biennial and register for the free campus tours.

Click for more details: journaltimes.com  

A Visit to Taliesin, Frank Lloyd Wright's Wisconsin Estate

Kay and David Scott write about their July visit to Taliesin, Wright’s Wisconsin estate included in the state’s Frank Lloyd Wright Trail. The 800-acre estate is part of what had once been a farm settled by Wright’s grandparents. Located in Spring Green, 45 miles west of Madison, it is where Wright lived, worked and taught for a large part of his career. Read more.

Click for more details: theadanews.com  

Alan Campbell Will Play Frank Lloyd Wright in "Truth Against the World"

A staged reading of Christine Toy Johnson's Truth Against the World: The Life and Loves of Frank Lloyd Wright will be presented on October 27, 2017 at Hunter College/Lang Recital Hall, 695 Park Ave, New York, New York.

Alan Campbell, a Tony nominee for creating the role of Joe Gillis in the Broadway production of Sunset Boulevard, will star as Frank Lloyd Wright. The reading begins at 7pm. Playwright Johnson also directs.

"A 65-year-old Frank Lloyd Wright is rebounding from personal tragedy and intent on setting the record straight about his life's work when he gives a press conference about his new autobiography in Truth Against the World. “Though society has written him off as a ’has been’ on the brink of retirement, he is about to embark on the most fruitful and successful period of creativity in his life, remaining determined to continue changing people’s lives by changing the space in which they live—and proving that it’s not over till it’s over,” according to press notes. Read more.

Click for more details: playbill.com  

Iconic Louis Sullivan-Designed Union Trust Building Undergoes $55 Million Transformation

Largely vacant since 2013, the Louis Sullivan designed Union Trust building in St. Louis, Missouri is undergoing a $55 million renovation by Restoration St. Louis. Two shifts of workers from BSI Constructors and subcontractors are on the job to get the building finished by late 2018 as the 140-room Hotel Saint Louis under the Marriott Autograph flag.

Amy Gill, Restoration St. Louis’ chief executive, said this week that "Hotel Saint Louis will be, in part, an homage to Sullivan. The top two floors are being turned into 14 apartments. In addition, a rooftop penthouse apartment will have a skylight, three bedrooms and three bathrooms. The hotel’s rooftop bar, similar to the building’s original beer garden, will be named 'Form' as a reference to the architect’s motto. The street-level restaurant will be named 'Union30' as a reference to the building’s original name and order of listing, in 1971, as a City Landmark". The building has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. It includes a 1905 addition that Eames & Young, a respected St. Louis architecture firm, designed to duplicate Sullivan’s original. Read more.

Click for more details: stltoday.com  

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Keir House can be had for $779K

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kier House in suburban Glencoe, Illinois can now be purchased for $779,000. Constructed in 1914, the home is one of the five spec homes of the Ravine Bluffs development which was subdivided from the grounds of the FLW-designed Sherman Booth House. The Kier House is a variation on Wright’s “Fireproof House for $5,000” that first appeared in the Ladies Home Journal in April of 1907. Read more.

Click for more details: curbed.com  

[Book] Aaron G. Green: Organic Architecture Beyond Frank Lloyd Wright

Aaron G. Green FAIA was an internationally known organic architect of “striking originality and grace.” His diversified architectural works include residential, commercial, industrial, municipal, judicial, religious, interment, mass housing, and educational projects. Aaron also taught advanced architectural design at Stanford University for fifteen years.

In the early 1940s, Aaron became a member of Frank Lloyd Wright’s apprentice group, the Taliesin Fellowship. Over the next twenty years, he maintained a close relationship with Frank Lloyd Wright, at whose request Aaron established a San Francisco office in 1951, both for his own practice and as Mr. Wright’s West Coast representative. When asked who Aaron was, Wright commented, “Aaron Green is my son.” Green participated in over thirty Frank Lloyd Wright projects and was appointed by Frank Lloyd Wright as associated architect for the Marin County Civic Center. Shortly before his passing, Green was awarded the first gold medal by the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation in recognition of his career and accomplishments and dedication to organic architecture.

Aaron G. Green: Organic Architecture Beyond Frank Lloyd Wright by Randolph C. Henning is the new must-have book for anyone who loves Organic Architecture. This 448-page biography with over 700 black-and-white and color images, including many previously unpublished drawings from the Aaron Green archives selected and assembled with care, encompasses just a fraction of the work and influence of Aaron’s life. To cover everything in great depth would fill volumes; this monograph showcases thirty-nine projects that encapsulate the essence of his drive – to create beautiful organic architecture true to land, the building, and those who enjoy the spaces he created. Follow the link to get your copy.

Upcoming scheduled book launch events include:

• Thursday, November 9, 2017 – Informal presentation by Allan Green (Green’s son) and Jan Novie (Green’s longtime associate) at the Showcase Theater in the Marin Center, San Rafael, California, 7pm

• Sunday, November 12, 2017 – Discussion and book signing by author Randolph C. Henning at Barnes & Noble, 10500 North 90th Street (Pima & Shea), Scottsdale, Arizona, 2pm

• Thursday, December 7, 2017 – Lecture presentation and book signing by author Randolph C. Henning at AIA San Francisco, Hallidie Building, 130 Sutter Street, San Francisco, California, 6-8pm

• Saturday, December 9, 2017 – Discussion and book signing by author Randolph C. Henning at Hennessey + Ingalls, 300 South Sante Fe Avenue, Suite M, Los Angeles, California, 2-4pm

Click for more details: oroeditions.com