Issue 200 May 6th 2020

The Headlines

Some Wrights For Sale In Illinois

A couple of amazing Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes are currently for sale in Illinois.

The Avery Coonley Playhouse at 350 Fairbank Road in Riverside, IL was built in 1912. This home has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms with 3,503 square feet of living space. It can be yours for $650,000.

Next is the Kier House,1031 Meadow Road; Glencoe, IL. The 4 bedroom home, built in 1914, has 2.5 bathrooms and 2,207 square feet of living space. The owners are asking $724,000.

The other two mentioned in the article have sold or are under contract. So if you're interested in the others, make sure you check 'em out before they sell too!

Not on the market for anything at this time? You can still see them all in these informational photos here.

Chicago Architecture Foundation Offers At-Home Family Activities

The Chicago Architecture Center has joined the many museum and cultural institutions that are putting their offerings online, including family- and youth-oriented programs that help fill the void caused by school closures and stay-at-home orders.

“Schools may be out of session and museums are closed, but the CAC is working to keep children, parents and teachers learning about architecture and design, including the buildings around them, while practicing spatial distancing at home in their own neighborhoods,” said CAC Vice President of Education and Audience Engagement Nicole Kowrach.

The CAC's programs include the educational online activities "Storytime with the CAC," "CAC for the Family: Architecture Essentials" and "Neighborhood Strollers." They're detailed in the CAC@home newsletter, a free publication that arrives weekly on Thursdays via email to subscribers. CAC For the Family draws from the center's curricula designed to support teachers and STEM education in the classroom.

Visit architecture.org/caclive to view upcoming events, including the CAC for Family schedule through June, and visit architecture.org/athome to access the free CAC@Home archive. More here.

Philip Johnson: 100 Years, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Us

In 1957, architect Philip Johnson delivered a speech to the Washington State Chapter of the American Institute of Architects: “100 Years, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Us.” The Whirling Arrow has reproduced the text from architect Philip Johnson’s speech with permission from The Glass House, a site of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

"This talk was delivered before the Washington State Chapter of the American Institute of Architects as part of its celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Institute’s founding and was published by the Chapter in its own publication, Pacific Architect and Builder. It is Johnson’s most affectionate, most complete, and most candid discussion of Wright’s work, presented in Wright’s eighty-eighth year while he was very much alive and actively involved in the construction of the Guggenheim Museum in New York. Given the usual proscription of the A.I.A. concerning one architect’s criticizing another, the publication of Johnson’s remarks-which are in effect no more salty than the casual commentary about contemporary issues that Wright so regularly dispensed in numerous articles and interviews – was preceded by a disclaimer to the effect that the talk “is probably as provocative as any heard at centennial celebrations across the land . . ."

Read this interesting and provocative speech here.

Inside Lloyd Wright's Samuel-Novarro House

In Los Feliz, California sits an architectural ode to the Roaring ’20s, the Lloyd Wright Samuel-Novarro House, originally built for Ramón Novarro. This breathtaking home was designed by Lloyd Wright, Frank Lloyd Wright's oldest son. The house is an eccentric design with a fascinating story, ending up in the hands if one of the biggest stars of the silent film era — Ramón Novarro. Now you can get a glimpse of the interior and read more about it here.

Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings You Can Tour Virtually

Architectural Digest wants to remind architecture lovers who have always wanted to make the pilgrimage to Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece buildings but haven’t yet had the chance, now is the opportunity. As millions around the globe continue to quarantine at home and find themselves with more time on their hands, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, in partnership with the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy and the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation, have introduced their new joint initiative, #WrightVirtualVisits, which presents video and 3D tours of 20 of Wright’s most treasured buildings, including Hollyhock, Fallingwater, Taliesin, and more. “It is precisely at this time, when so many are shut inside, that we need to experience beauty and inspiration,” says Barbara Gordon, Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy executive director. “Wright’s works bring people together in harmony with the natural world, reminding us that we are all connected, even when we’re apart.”

The project, which launched earlier this month, is spread across the social media channels of the various participating sites, in an effort to cross-promote all of Wright’s architectural gems. Every Thursday at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT through July 9, each site shares a video tour of another site. The tours are remarkably in-depth and informative, as they’re often given by the directors of each house. The foundations in charge of the project hope the virtual tours will encourage viewers to support the different structures so that they can continue to welcome visitors in person once again in the future. All of the public Wright sites have been impacted by the pandemic, between budget cuts and furloughed staff, and are relying on donations from supporters to continue their preservation efforts. “We hope that taking a virtual visit to any of these Wright designs around the country will bring a little joy to their day and bring them into our community that remains connected around our shared passion for beauty, architecture, nature, and design,” says Jeff Goodman, vice president of communication and partnerships at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Ahead, discover some of Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpieces from your home. More information here.

About

This weekly Wright Society update is brought to you by Eric O'Malley with Bryan and Lisa Kelly from PrairieMod. If you enjoy these free, curated updates—please forward our sign-up page and/or share on Social Media.

If you’d like to submit content to be featured here, please reach out by emailing us at mail[at]wrightsociety.com.