Issue 106 July 18th 2018

The Headlines

Whirling Arrow Features "William Wesley Peters: The Evolution of a Creative Force"

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation recently featured the new book William Wesley Peters: The Evolution of a Creative Force on the Whirling Arrow blog. Check it out here.

Sign Up for Home and Studio Volunteer Training

Volunteer interpreters present the Home and Studio and the surrounding historic neighborhood to an international audience. Cultivate lasting friendships, enjoy earned memberships, social gatherings, group excursions, access to an active online community, and shopping discounts. Register today for 2018 training sessions that take place Tuesday, Thursday evenings and Saturdays, September 25 – October 11 at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, IL. Get more info here.

New After Hours Tour At The Oak Park Home & Studio

Speaking of the Oak Park Home & Studio, there's a new tour opportunity you are not going to want to miss. A late summer after hours tour allows you to relax with music, wine, beer, and light refreshments as you explore the museum at your leisure. Interpreters will be on hand to talk about the rich history of the building, as well as Wright’s family and architectural career. Guided walks of the surrounding historic neighborhood will be offered throughout the evening. The tours take place September 6th and 20th from 6-8pm. Space is limited. Get info and tickets here.

Recapturing Buffalo’s Commitment To Architectural Greatness

The Buffalo News gives us an article by Adam Sokol, an architect with offices in Buffalo and Los Angeles. He asks what’s at stake for the city of Buffalo? Here is the legacy of H.H.Richardson, Louis Sullivan, and Frank Lloyd Wright, but what about Buffalo's future?

"It’s been widely recognized that with its industrial roots largely in the past, activities such as cultural tourism will play an increasingly large role in the city’s future. And so we face a simple choice: Buffalo can be a museum of the past, a place whose best days are behind it. Or it can be a city whose brightest days lie ahead, embracing that future with respect for its history, but with an equal determination to be no less bold tomorrow than yesterday."

"Living up to that promise means finding a way — whatever it may be — to build daring, visionary structures for the future that are worthy of this distinguished past. It also means finding a way to make this city a place where the best talents, whether around the corner or around the world, come to work." Read more.

Devil's Ball Fires Up Support For Auditorium Theatre

The Auxiliary Board of the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University hosted its seventh annual "Devil's Ball: The Stage Is Yours" event. More than 200 turned out June 23, 2018 to party on the theater's historic stage as they enjoyed food, dancing, and behind-the-scenes tours to benefit the theater's educational outreach efforts, programming, restoration, and preservation.

During 20-minute tours, attendees learned fascinating facts about the building's history and architectural significance. Designed by famed architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, the theater was dedicated in 1889. Using modern technology of the time, the space featured electric lighting and air conditioning. According to 1889 records, more than 55 million mosaic tiles are used in the space, as well as plaster and iron casts and beautiful art glass. Some of the original drawings of the theater's interior are signed by Sullivan's young draftsman, Frank Lloyd Wright, who had been hired by the firm in 1888. Quotes from the Sullivan poem "Inspiration" are stenciled below two large murals painted by French artist Albert Francis Fleury. The Devil’s Ball raised $42,000 to support the theater's upkeep, outreach, and future programming. Read more.

Organic Architecture And The Sustaining Ecosystem

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation's Whirling Arrow has reprinted an article that originally appeared in, “Perspective,” the Winter 2018 issue of the Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly. In this article Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation President and CEO, Stuart Graff, identifies how Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic architecture translates to the call for a more sustainable built environment. Read it here.

Tour Wright's Walker House In Carmel

The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy is hosting a rare tour of one of Wright’s most exquisite private residences, the Walker House in Carmel, CA.

Reaching out from a rocky promontory into Carmel Bay, the Walker House is one of the most unique among Wright’s 300-plus private houses. Designed in 1948 for Mrs. Clinton Walker, it is one of the only Wright buildings in a coastal environment.

A special evening reception limited to 25 guests on Thursday, Aug. 23 ($250 per person) will include a private tour of the house with hors d’oeuvres and fine wines enjoyed on the prow as the sun sets into the bay. A truly unforgettable experience. Small group tours on Friday, Aug. 24 ($125 per person) allow a personal experience of the house. All proceeds supporting the important work of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. Attendance is strictly limited. Get more info and register for the tour here.

FLWBC Conference Adds More House Tours

Excitement is building for this year's Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy Annual Conference being held in Madison, WI. Titled "Preserving Wright’s Legacy in Wisconsin" the conference will take place October 10-14 and will feature lectures, special events, and of course unique building tours. The Conservancy just announced that two more houses will join the tour line-up, including a rare chance to see William Wesley Peters's 1960 Plaut Residence. Get info and sign-up for the conference here.

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