Issue Mar 13th 2024  March 13th 2024

A Rare $900,000 Frank Lloyd Wright Home Is For Sale In Illinois

For those who have dreamed of living in a Frank Lloyd Wright house, the opportunity has presented itself in Wilmette, Illinois, where a 1,460-square-foot home by the architect is up for grabs with a $899,000 asking price. However, interested buyers should act fast. According to Crain’s Chicago Business, the home has already received offers before hitting the multiple listing service (MLS) and is expected to sell quickly.

The Northern Illinois home was one of a few realized iterations of Wright’s American System-Built Homes, a line of precut houses the architect designed throughout the 1910s. According to the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Wright created over 960 drawings for the project and crafted more than 30 variations of the houses, and he was extremely passionate about offering Americans affordable, well-designed homes. Small units went for $2,750 up to $3,500, while larger ones cost between $5,000 and $100,000. The architect worked with Arthur L. Richards, a Milwaukee manufacturer, whose factory would cut and ship construction materials for builders to assemble. However, World War I saw necessary materials diverted abroad, which effectively stopped the business. The prefab homes were only available for about a year, and only 10 exist, according to the foundation.

The one now up for sale, known as the Lewis E. Burleigh House, was produced from the Model C3 design. The original blueprints show a single-story home with a central front porch, a living room, and kitchen at the front of the house, and two bedrooms and a bathroom at the back. There is also a basement. Since buying the property, Eckroth has remodeled some, adding a full bathroom to the primary as well as updating the kitchen. According to Crain’s, the home was also enlarged at some point, but there aren’t exact records noting when it happened or who was the architect.

“This is such a unique offering. Not only is this a Frank Lloyd Wright design, it has been so well maintained,” Fleetwood tells AD. “Every owner has invested in preserving and updating.”

Click for more details: architecturaldigest.com  

Restoration Plans Return To Bradley House

In an unexpected twist of fate, a North Carolina antique store yielded a treasure trove for Illinois architecture — a set of restoration drawings for Frank Lloyd Wright’s B. Harley Bradley House (Kankakee, Illinois), executed by Chicago architect John Eifler in the 1980s.

After being lost to time for four decades, these documents were serendipitously discovered by Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts, Alex Srisuwan and his wife Sawyer Baker. Recognizing their historical significance, the couple embarked on a journey from Rock Hill, South Carolina, to Kankakee, to hand-deliver the drawings to the Wright in Kankakee organization.

Click for more details: countryherald.com  

Taliesin West Hosts Spring Celebration

This Easter weekend, Frank Lloyd Wright’s winter home and studio in Scottsdale, Arizona, Taliesin West, will host a "Home for the Holidays” half-day event 9 a.m.–noon Saturday, March 30, featuring spring-themed crafts, live music performances, games, and more.

Inspired by the traditions of Wright and his apprentices more than 60 years ago — when the group of artisans would host a spring celebration at Taliesin West commemorating the changing of the seasons before making their annual migration back to Wright’s Taliesin home in Wisconsin for the summer — “Home for the Holidays” offers an opportunity for visitors of all ages, new and returning alike, to experience the World Heritage Site through a fresh lens, while spending quality time with loved ones.

Guests can explore Taliesin West, 12621 N. Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd., at their own pace while participating in various activities such as paper flower making, spring-themed origami, tissue paper egg decorating, block printing, garden games, and an egg search.

Throughout the grounds, team members and tour guides will be located at “Ask Me” stations, ready to share insights into the history of each space, including the “American Icons: Wright & O’Keeffe” photography exhibition that is currently on view in the dining room. Guests can also relax and unwind on the Sunset Terrace, where artisanal beverages by Theorycraft Coffee will be available for purchase and live music by Meg & The Old Man will serenade visitors alongside breathtaking views of the surrounding desert.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for youth (ages 6–12), $22.50 for Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation members and free for ages five and younger.

Click for more details: franklloydwright.org  

Wright Sites x PechaKucha vol. 6 :: Wright In The Path

The Westcott House (Springfield, Ohio), the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, PechaKucha HQ, and selected Frank Lloyd Wright sites are teaming up to present a live virtual global event celebrating Wright's legacy. Wright Sites x PechaKucha vol. 6 will take place Tuesday, April 2, 2024 - 7:00pm to 8:30pm and will feature presentations in the highly visual and dynamic PechaKucha style, which consists of 20 image-based slides that automatically advance after 20 seconds, with each talk lasting only 400 seconds.

The theme for this year’s event is “Wright in the Path.” The speakers will share about selected sites that happen to be located in the path of the 2024 total solar eclipse - a rare and magnificent natural phenomenon. Highlighted sites include Graycliff, Martin House, the Fontana Rowing Boathouse, Frank Lloyd Wright Filling Station, Frank Lloyd Wright’s original San Francisco office (exhibited at the Hagen History Center), Westcott House, and more!

Free registration for up to 1,000 attendees is available via Zoom Webinar. Participants are also able to view this live-stream event online at PechaKucha.com. Recording of the presentations will be available to view within 24 hours after the event.

Be sure to register and reach out to info@westcotthouse.org with questions.

Click for more details: westcotthouse.org