The Headlines
UTRF Hosts Final Public Performance With "The Coming of Light"
Unity Temple Restoration Foundation will present its final public performance at the end of October, days before the 50-year-old organization sunsets.
The performance, called “The Coming of Light,” is a composition for oboe, baritone and a string quartet, and will feature the Avalon String Quartet and singer Dorian McCall, oboist Andrew Nogal.
The piece was commissioned in 2009 to honor the centennial of Unity Temple’s dedication by UTRF and The Chicago Chamber Musicians along with Winsor Music, Inc. The score and concert were underwritten by Sidney K. Robinson of Oak Park.
A second modern composition by Igor Santos called “as light becomes form,” will be performed by Duo Diorama. The composer describes it as a “musical response to Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple, the building which inspired the work, and where the first performance took place.”
The performance will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday Oct. 27 at Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece Unity Temple, part of a UNESCO World Heritage site.
UTRF is sunsetting as of October 31, and to thank those who have supported it over the decades, it is offering the performance for free. Pre-registration is requested.
Click for more details: flwunitytemple.org
Pope-Leighey Fall Open House
On Saturday, November 4, from 10 AM to 3 PM, there will be free, self-guided tours of the Pope-Leighey House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in Alexandria, VA. Join in the games and family friendly activities throughout the day as well as light concessions.
The event is free but registration is encouraged.
Click for more details: alexandrialivingmagazine.com
John Lautner’s Alexander House Hits The Market For $3.4M
Set in Long Beach, California, the ranch-style home is crafted from brick, glass, and wood and wrapped with lush landscaping.
From the Agent: "Nestled within the heart of the highly sought after neighborhood of Park Estates lies the Alexander House, an unparalleled midcentury masterpiece. Crafted by the illustrious John Lautner, FAIA in 1951, this historic ranch-style abode marries organic design with modern luxury. Stretched over an expansive lot surrounded by lush landscape, the home embodies Lautner’s signature: innovation, natural materials, and a seamless blend of indoor/outdoor living. A tastefully secluded facade beckons you in, revealing an intimate shade garden and inviting glass wall near the front entrance. As you step inside, the vaulted, beamed ceilings, authentic brick and concrete floors, and bespoke built-ins capture your gaze. The grandeur of its interiors, illuminated by cascades of natural light through floor-to-ceiling windows, renders an authentic midcentury ambiance. The spacious living area draws your sight to embrace the indoor/outdoor experience, a hallmark of Lautner’s inspiration from his mentorship underneath Frank Lloyd Wright."
The home is currently listed for $3,400,000 by Keegan Cin of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services.
Click for more details: dwell.com
Fallingwater: Everything To Know About Wright's Masterpiece
Considered a masterwork of the organic architecture style, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater embodies a harmony between site and design that the architect championed. Designed in 1935, the house is defined by a series of stucco-covered concrete cantilevered terraces that are fixed to the natural rock of the fall, and the façade is constructed of local sandstone slabs that create a visual kinship with its environment. Critics raved after Fallingwater opened three years later, with Time magazine calling it Wright’s “most beautiful job” in a January 1938 cover story on the architect.
The clients, Pittsburgh department store magnate Edgar J. Kaufmann and his family, agreed. Their desire to be close to nature in this isolated weekend abode drove the design choices. Aside from the incredible beauty of its natural site, what makes Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater an architectural icon worthy of being designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2019? In this in-depth guide from AD, rediscover the importance and magic of Wright’s most famous private residence.
Click for more details: architecturaldigest.com
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