Issue 305 May 11th 2022

The Headlines

Teater's Knoll Tour Offered

A rare opportunity to tour the only Idaho building designed by world-renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright will be held on June 11. That day the Hagerman Valley Historical Society will sponsor a tour of Teater’s Knoll, which sits on a cliff above the Snake River near Bliss.

Those who were able to tour the facility several years ago will find that there is even more to see this year, thanks to a lovely Japanese-style garden that the studio’s owner Henry Whiting created below the prow of the studio.

The tour is a fundraiser for the Hagerman Valley Historical Society’s new building fund. The museum, billed as “the biggest little museum in Idaho,” is a repository for artifacts from the valley’s past.

Tours will begin at the Hagerman Senior Center, 140 East Lake Street in Hagerman at four different times: 11 a.m. and 12:30, 2 and 3:15 p.m. Transportation will be provided to and from Teater’s Knoll and an Idaho home style dinner will be provided to all participants at the Hagerman Senior Center.

Tickets go on sale Sunday, May 1. Tickets are $80 for the general public and $65 for members of the Hagerman Valley Historical Society. Tickets may be purchased at here.

Wright's Samara To Undergo Restoration

Work begins on the restoration of a Frank Lloyd-Wright-designed home in West Lafayette, IN. The $1.6 million renovation of Samara is scheduled to last through the end of 2022, and will be closed to public tours.

The project is funded in part by a $500,000 Save America’s Treasures grant from the National Park Service, the John E. Christian Family Memorial Trust, Inc., and private donations.

Indiana Landmarks says it took a concerted effort to get the building designated a National Historic Landmark, which made it eligible for federal grants like this one.

“We are excited to celebrate Samara’s national significance through this comprehensive project,” said Marsh Davis, president of Indiana Landmarks. “As might be expected with any 66-year-old home, Samara is ready for some structural restoration.”

Indiana Landmarks says Dr. John and Catherine Christian commissioned Wright to design the house, working with him over a period of five years to develop the design and construction details.

Davis says exterior and interior repairs will be conducted on the house that was built between 1951 to 1956. The house sustained structural damage due to erosion and tree roots. On the inside, the aging heating and air condition systems will be repaired ensure a proper environment for furnishings. More here.

Commission Recommends Local Home Built By Rudolph Schindler As Monument

The Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission voted to recommend a hillside Silver Lake house built by architect Rudolph Schindler for inclusion on the city's Historic-Cultural Monument List.

The monument application for the ``Oliver House'' -- at 2236 N. Micheltorena St. -- was filed by Noel Oliver Osheroff, who grew up in the home and restored the house as an adult. She told commissioners during a February meeting that her parents moved to Los Angeles in 1920, the same time Schindler moved to the city to work on the Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Art Park.

On Thursday, before the commission voted to recommend the Los Angeles City Council designate the home a monument, Osheroff told commissioners:

``Because it was built in 1933 and 1934, at the depth of the depression, it was a shift in Schindler's building to extremely economical means that people could afford at that time. It's one of the early examples of his so-called plaster skin houses. It used inexpensive, built-in plywood furniture.''

Schindler built the Oliver House in the Moreno Highlands area of Silver Lake, overlooking the Silver Lake Reservoir. Osheroff said she was 5 years old when the family moved into the home, which she lived in until she was 22. According to the Cultural Heritage Commission's agenda, the property is owned by the Osheroff Family Trust.

Commissioners unanimously voted to recommend the property for the Historic-Cultural Monument list, and they praised Osheroff for preserving it. More here.

Call For Submissions: Camp Taliesin West

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation announced its Camp Taliesin West program will return this summer with an expanded lineup of architecture, science, engineering, art and photography camps, available for K-12 students both in-person at Taliesin West, the World Heritage Site in Scottsdale, as well as virtually through Zoom.

Combining academic relevance with Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed principles of organic architecture and solutions-based design, each summer camp features its own unique variation of hands-on projects and activities designed to encourage participants to think critically, creatively and sustainably, just as Wright himself once did. Strongly geared toward students with an interest in architecture and STEAM disciplines, camp curriculums include a range of collaborative design experiments and model-building activities, tours of the site customized to each camp’s focus, exclusive access to subject-matter experts and more, with this year’s revamped program now encompassing urban planning and interior design lessons as well.

Nestled in the desert foothills of the McDowell Mountains, the iconic location of Taliesin West, that once served as Wright’s winter home and desert laboratory, doubles as both an intimate, camp-like setting and a real-world demonstration of the prolific architect’s principles. For architecture aficionados who reside beyond the southwest, however, the Foundation has re-tooled its popular camp program to fit a virtual albeit equally immersive format.

Beginning in early June with sessions extending through July, Camp Taliesin West will feature the full- and half-day camps. Click here for information on the currant offerings.

Eric Lloyd Wright’s Wystrach-Adams Residence Lists For $2.9M In La Crescenta, CA

This 4,554 square feet, five bedrooms, five baths La Crescenta home by Eric Lloyd Wright, son of architect Frank Lloyd Wright Jr. and grandson of the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright, is characterized by curved surfaces and interiors faced in organic materials such as raw concrete, tile, and teak and it can be yours for $2,895,000.

From the agent: "The American modernist movement during the 1990s is generally overlooked, architecturally speaking. But with the Wystrach-Adams Residence, a magical combination of surface, structure and transparency comes to the forefront of this incredibly rare, avant-garde natural compound in the lush hills of La Crescenta. While the curved roofline and exterior play on light deconstructivism, the interior seamlessly weaves the surroundings into the home with organic materials, natural light, and flow. Building remains original and meticulously maintained. Recent upgrades over the past five years include 13 Velux replacement skylights with automatic solar blinds, waterproofing to the main and ADU roofs, fully owned permitted solar, EV charger, LED lighting throughout, and more." See it here.

Wright's Cooke House In Virginia Hits The Market For $3 Million

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Cooke House — one of his three houses in Virginia — hits the market for $3 million. Completed in 1960, this residence is one of Wright’s last works, commissioned by Andrew B. & Maude Cooke who, after attending one of his talks at the Chrysler Museum, asked the architect, "Dear Mr. Wright, Will you please help us get the beautiful house we have dreamed of for so long?"

Wright interchanged correspondence with the couple, trying to understand what their dream home meant. In 1953 Wright sent an initial proposal which was finalized in 1957 with the floor plans. Construction began in 1959 — two weeks before Wright’s death — and was completed in 1960. The Cookes inhabited their four-bedroom, 3,000-square-foot dream home for 23 years.

Located along Crystal Lake in Virginia Beach, Va, the Cooke House is characterized by its bold angles and overhangs that create geometric skylights. The hemicycle structure makes sure the living area overlooks the lake through its vast windows.

Today, the house is being sold by Robin West at Rose & Womble and still features Wright’s original designs like the brick and cypress walls, and a 40-foot-long couch. Moore here.

Biomimicry & Biophilia: Architectural Well Being

The Unity Temple Restoration Foundation (UTRF) presents “Architectural Well Being: How the Built Environment Can Enable Healthier Lifestyles,” featuring Amy Coffman Phillips of Biomimicry Chicago and The Conservation Foundation, Rachel Hahs of Biomimicry 3.8, and Susan Heinking, Vice President of High Performance and Sustainable Construction at Pepper Construction Co. This lecture is part of the annual Break::the::Box series at Unity Temple with the theme of “Healthy Architecture: the Impact of Design on Well-Being” focusing on a holistic approach to architecture in concert with Frank Lloyd Wright’s design methods. This program will include time for audience Q & A.

Thursday, May 12, 2022, 7-8 pm

This event is free – advanced registration is recommended. No assigned seating for this event.

● Unity Temple is located at 875 Lake St., Oak Park, IL. There is street parking available and parking garages nearby. ● A recorded version of the event will be made available to UTRF members for free. ● Masks are optional for this event. These precautions may be updated as needed.

Get more info and register for this engaging event here.

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