Issue 260  June 30th 2021

Wright-Designed House Among Ashiya Buildings Up For VR Tours

Interactive 3-D virtual reality photographs have been created to promote three historic buildings of modernist architecture in Ashiya city in Japan to the world.

One of the buildings featured in the VR content is the Yodoko Guest House (the former Yamamura family residence). Designed by U.S. architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), it was completed in 1924 and is designated an important cultural property.

The other two buildings, the former Ashiya Post Office Telephone Exchange (Ashiya Monolith) and the former Miyazuka-cho housing complex, are government-registered tangible cultural properties.

Online visitors can see each building in two different programs.

One is through a 3-D panoramic photograph assembled from multiple digital images of the exterior shot by a drone. The other uses an interactive photo that lets viewers virtually stroll inside and around the structure by pressing the screen.

“We hope people will see the images and visit the actual sites when the novel coronavirus pandemic settles down,” an education board official said. More here.

Click for more details: asahi.com  

Take A Walking Tour Of Chicago's Kenwood Neighborhood

Choose Chicago features a series of self-guided Chicago Greeter tours. Each walking tour is created by a knowledgeable local to showcase their favorite hidden gems and fascinating history behind Chicago’s unique neighborhoods.

This tour is based on one created by Kineret Jaffe, who has lived in the area since 1987. Her tour of Kenwood covers the neighborhood’s many architectural gems, along with some must-see stops in the surrounding Hyde Park area. It includes the Chicago home of former President Barack Obama, the Jeanne Gang-designed apartment building, among other noteworthy buildings—including two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed homes.

The McArthur House (4852 S. Kenwood Ave.) and the Blossom House (4858 S. Kenwood Ave.), were designed by Wright in 1892 while he was still working for famed architect Louis Sullivan, so he was not allowed to sign his own name to the architectural plans.

The nearby Heller House at 5132 S. Woodlawn Ave. was built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1896. This early house shows elements of Wright’s signature Prairie Era details, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Click here for the entire tour itinerary. 

Click for more details: choosechicago.com  

A Look At A Ben Dombar-Designed Home

Ben Dombar may be best known for his work as an apprentice under Frank Lloyd Wright, but the Cincinnati architect charted his own path in the Queen City, designing homes that blended seamlessly into the often-tricky-to-work-with Ohio topography. His builds make heavy use of the surrounding nature—see, for instance, this Clifton home, which is currently listed as "sale pending.". Read more about the homes and see additional images here.

Click for more details: cincinnatimagazine.com  

Laurent House Foundation Raising Funds To Bring Original Chair Back

Maggie Polsean, an anchor for 13 News Today, reports that a chair designed by Frank Lloyd Wright may soon be on its way home to the Laurent House in Rockford, IL.

When designing the home for the Laurent family, Wright also designed original furniture for the home. In 2011, the family decided to sell six chairs after falling on hard times. In recent years, the Laurent House Foundation has found three of the chairs and bought them back, but three are still missing.

A Frank Lloyd Wright collector contacted the foundation saying he found one of the chairs and is willing to sell it back for the price he bought it for: $11,700.

It's a large price tag, but Laurent House Foundation Board Vice President Mary Beth Peterson says it's worth it.

"This house is today a public museum and will be for generations to come," says Peterson. "By bringing that chair back, this will nearly complete our collection of original Frank Lloyd Wright designed furnishings." More here.

Click for more details: wrex.com