Issue 120 October 24th 2018

The Headlines

Stunning Midcentury Home By E. Fay Jones Asks $1.8M

Curbed knows that any fan of architecture can tell you, the reach of Frank Lloyd Wright’s organic philosophy of design is long. Here they are featuring a four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home in Memphis designed by E. Fay Jones. A Frank Lloyd Wright apprentice with a lengthy architectural career of his own, Jones made a name for himself building airy structures in forested areas, many in the Ozarks.

Measuring 4,300 square feet, Jones built this Tennessee home in 1964 to respect and highlight the serene forest on the 1.27-acre property. It’s masterfully done, with an interior of cypress wood, Arkansas field stone, and flagstone floors , all carefully balanced with giant floor-to-ceiling glass windows that provide views into the trees outside. See it here.

Graycliff Restored And Open For Tours

WIVB.com has the report of the ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday of Frank Lloyd Wright's fully renovated Graycliff, which is open for public tours.

The entire interior of the house in Derby, NY has been restored. The renovation saved the historic house from being torn down and were funded in part by a Buffalo Billion 2 investment. Even though the house isn't technically in Buffalo, it's still part of the city's history.

"Everybody comes here because of the Frank Loyd Wright connection, and this is certainly connected to Buffalo in the sense that it was the Martins' summer home," Graycliff executive director Robert Wooler said. "Everyone's aware of their house in the city, and this is the lesser know house in the country."More here.

Visit Wright's Oak Park Home Where Architectural History Was Made

Sharyn Alden from the Journal Sentinel shares her experience of touring the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. Located in a leafy section of Oak Park, the home is where Wright designed some of his most famous buildings and is listed on the National Register of Historic places. It's a U.S. National Historic Landmark and a recipient of the American Institute of Architect’s prestigious National Honor Award. Read her reflections here.

A Look At The Samuel Freeman House

Atlas Obscura reminds us about a mostly forgotten Frank Lloyd Wright house which is an architectural marvel at the end of a sleepy residential street. The 1924 Samuel Freeman house is made from 12,000 concrete bricks, which incorporated sand from the hillside sloping down below it. These are assembled in the “textile block” style, which evokes the appearance of quilted stone. Around the same time, Wright designed three others in this style across Los Angeles. Many of the blocks are imprinted with distinctive shapes—though scholars haven’t agreed on exactly what they are. (Some think the ones on the Freeman House look like daffodils.)

When the Freemans moved out, more than 60 years later, they entrusted the home to the University of Southern California School of Architecture. The school’s preservationists had their work cut out for them. In addition to existing wear and tear, the home sustained earthquake damage in 1994. Progress toward repairing it and insulating the structure against future rumbles has been somewhat fitful, and the home is currently closed to the public. More here.

Beth Sholom Congregation Celebrates 100th Anniversary

With its glass triangular top, Beth Sholom Congregation’s building — designed by the late fabled architect Frank Lloyd Wright six decades ago in Elkins Park, PA — is a sight to behold. The building will commemorate its 60th anniversary this year at the same time the congregation marks its 100th anniversary. Beth Sholom will hold seven events to celebrate.

As a child, Elliot Miller, now chairman of the ways and means committee at Beth Sholom, thought the building looked like a spaceship.

When member Carol Kershbaum, who was 15 when the building was completed, first saw it, she thought it looked like Mount Sinai. “We had never seen anything like that in this area,” she recalled.

Thomas Hine had yet another take. Writing for The Philadelphia Inquirer, the design and art critic described it as a “building that fuses 1950s highway-strip elements with a timeless spirituality.”

“[Then-Beth Sholom Congregation] Rabbi Mortimer Cohen, who worked closely with Wright, and even had the temerity to send him his own drawings as suggestions, was determined that this glass-and-concrete mountain be an expression of faith,” Hine wrote. “But it was also a celebration of an exodus from immigrant city neighborhoods to leafy suburbia and visible evidence of the success of its members." Read more.

Modern By Design: Chicago Streamlines America

Art Design Chicago informs us about a new exhibit, Modern by Design: Chicago Streamlines America at the Chicago History Museum October 27, 2018–December 2, 2019.

"Modern by Design: Chicago Streamlines America" is curated by Olivia Mahoney, Senior Curator at the Chicago History Museum and it reveals how Chicago brought cutting-edge modern design to the American marketplace on a scale unmatched by any other city. The exhibition focuses on 1930s–50s, a critical period in American history. It presents issues of design and aesthetics within the larger social, economic and cultural context of the time and explores how the city’s hosting of the 1933-34 World’s Fair, its industries, advertising firms and mail order companies advanced modern design on local, regional and national levels. Innovative designs coupled with the might of Chicago’s manufacturing and distribution infrastructure led to mass production of affordable state-of-the-art products featuring a new urban-inspired aesthetic that furnished public and private spaces across the country.

The exhibition includes more than 200 objects, photographs, and documents—many on view for the first time. The works of many celebrated designers, such as Alfonso Iannelli, Otis Shephard, and Wolfgang Hoffmann will be featured. Read about it here.

Progressive American Mosaics: Assembling The Pieces Of A Forgotten Story

Don't miss the opening reception on November 9th of "Progressive American Mosaics: Assembling the Pieces of a Forgotten Story" at the historic Blinn House of the Women’s City Club of Pasadena. The event will include an illustrated talk by Craftsman Weekend exhibitor and master artisan Theodore Ellison. He will trace the introduction of mosaic in the buildings of progressive American architects at the turn of the twentieth century and will include the work of Giannini & Hilgart, the Chicago firm responsible for the leaded glass and mosaic fireplace at the Women’s City Club. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served at 5:00 pm with the lecture beginning at 6:00 pm. More info here.

Annual Frank Lloyd Wright Races In Oak Park

The scenic streets of Oak Park on a chilly fall morning provided the perfect backdrop at the annual Frank Lloyd Wright Races, which navigated through the village Oct. 21.

In all, 2,151 runners took part in either the 10K run, 5K run/walk or the youth mile, according to race officials. Each race began just outside the main entrance of Oak Park and River Forest High School, and runners who participated in the 10K course were able to pass by eight Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings, including his home and studio at 951 Chicago Ave. Read more.

Help Celebrate The Release Of "The Iowa Angle"

Mark H. let's us know about Wright on the Park's event for the book release and signing party for Paul Juhl's "The Iowa Angle" on Saturday, October 27th from 3:00 - 5:00 PM at the Wright on the Park office, 17 S. Federal Ave., Mason City.

The book signing event is free and open to the public. The Iowa Angle will be available for purchase for $20. The book focuses not only on Frank Lloyd Wright’s buildings but also on the relationships he built while working in the state of Iowa. The publication was made possible by grant from the State Historical Society, Inc. Proceeds from the book sales are being generously donated by Mr. Juhl to Wright on the Park.

Paul C. Juhl, of Iowa City, has been writing about Iowa history for the past twenty years. The topics for his spiral bound books are diverse and include artists; Grant Wood and Vinnie Ream; country schools; Pulitzer Prize recipient, MacKinlay Kantor; actress, Sarah Bernhardt; and Abraham Lincoln’s grandchildren. North Iowa residents may remember his two books on Clear Lake: Clear Lake: The Earliest Images and also Grant Wood’s Clear Lake Summer.

For more information call Wright on the Park at 641-23-0689, or visit here.

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