Issue Mar 20th 2024  March 20th 2024

Wright's Hickox House In Kankakee For Sale

Wright's historic Kankakee Hickox House in Kankakee, Illinois is up for grabs for the first time since the 1970s. The 3,300-square-foot estate on Harrison Avenue, built in 1900 during the early part of Wright’s career, carries an asking price of $779,000. Victoria Krause Schutte of @properties is the listing agent.

The Kankakee house, about an hour south of Chicago, was one of a pair of neighboring homes commissioned by Warren Hickox and his sister Anna Hickox Bradley. At just 33 years old, Wright was already pushing the boundaries of architectural norms, blending elements of Victorian design with his own vision of simplicity and clarity.

John Waters, preservation programs manager at the Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings Conservancy, emphasized the significance of the project in Wright’s evolution as an architect. He noted that while the house still retains vestiges of Victorian influence, such as steep pitched roofs, it also showcases Wright’s unmistakable style, with broad overhanging roofs and windows adorned with intricate geometric patterns.

The property, which has been owned by the Brown family since 1976, features four bedrooms, two full bathrooms and a spacious basement, sitting atop about 0.6 acres.

One of the most striking aspects of the house is Wright’s innovative use of hexagonal line patterns for the windows, creating a dynamic interplay of light and shadow throughout the interior spaces. Inside, the living room serves as the focal point, with two hexagonal spaces flanking it, each adorned with art glass doors that open onto the surrounding landscape.

Some modifications have been made to the interior over the years, such paint over much of the original woodwork. A few other aspects are due for an upgrade, including a small boxy porch — an uninspired replacement of the original terrace — as well as the kitchen, which was last updated before the Browns bought the house, the outlet said. The utilities are also decades old, although still in good working order.

Nonetheless, the house has maintained much of its vintage charm, like the tall brick fireplace and original wood floors, reflecting what Waters described as “a fertile year” for the legendary architect.

Click for more details: therealdeal.com  

Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, Pioneer Of Organic Modernism, Dies At 89

Kendrick Banks Kellogg, a genre-bending architect who helped pioneer the organic modernism movement, died on February 16 in San Diego at 89. He is survived by his wife, Franeva Kellogg, three children from his former marriage and their mother, and five grandchildren.

Kellogg leaves behind a legacy of bold, biophilic residences, including the Onion House in Kona, Hawaii, the Surfer House and Lotus House in La Jolla, California, and—perhaps most notably—the strikingly otherworldly Kellogg Doolittle Residence in Joshua Tree, California.

His most distinctive works defy neat categorization. They’re deeply responsive to site and ebullient, with layered, curvilinear forms that burst with life. Sinuous shapes, a respect for the landscape, and the application of natural materials are hallmarks of Kellogg’s oeuvre. Although sleek, computer-generated renderings sometimes mirror Kellogg’s work, the trailblazing architect eschewed high tech tools, refusing to design anything with a computer to leave room for improvisation.

He is remembered as both a visionary architect and a talented craftsman who could often be found on site, clad in cargo shorts and a jacket. He frequently worked as an engineer, draftsman, contractor, and carpenter. While in his 70s, Kellogg maintained that he could survey a site in three hours with a tape measure and $20 worth of equipment.

Born in 1939, Kellogg was a lifelong resident of San Diego County. He grew up in Mission Beach, California: "I had free rein from the time I was six or seven years old. I would put my bathing suit on and never see my parents again until that night," Kellogg told the LA Times.

In his college days—he attended multiple universities, and didn’t earn a degree—Kellogg and some fellow students traveled to the Taliesin West studio in Arizona to attend a public lecture conducted by Frank Lloyd Wright. He spoke with the legendary architect, and the meeting inspired him to pivot his studies from math and engineering to architecture. Ultimately his vision didn’t fit with formal architectural education.

"My philosophy is similar to Mr. Wright’s," Kellogg told the San Diego Union-Tribune. "Not in elevation, but as nature as the source … you enhance a site, not create it. The more unusual the site, the more I let it determine the design," he said.

In 1959, at age 23 and without an architectural license, he completed his first project for family friends, the Babcock House in Mission Beach. Wright had drawn up plans for a separate, unbuilt home for the same owners that was envisioned as a copper A-Frame with triangular forms. Kellogg’s resulting design is a spectacular take on Wright’s original concept. Recently sold in 2023, it put Kellogg on the map. The home is clearly reminiscent of Wright’s work, but bears a clarity of vision that would define Kellogg’s portfolio.

Kellogg is often compared with John Lautner, another protégé of Wright who gained international fame for his contributions to the organic modernism movement. While Kellogg may have achieved less widespread fame, design devotees assert that he is an undisputed visionary and champion of the movement in his own right.

Kellogg went on to design and engineer over a dozen residences beginning in the 1960s as a twenty-something and worked into his 80s. Beyond residential projects, his portfolio also includes several Chart House restaurants and an expansive stone and glass structure in Karuizawa, Japan, that has been one of the country’s most popular wedding chapels for almost 30 years.

Perhaps the apex of his work, the Kellogg Doolittle House is an ambitious, otherworldly residence carefully sited amid in situ boulders at the edge of Joshua Tree National Park. Described by the New York Times as "the most unsung great residence in America by one of architecture’s least-known major talents," the 5,000-square-foot home was commissioned in 1984 and took 20 years to complete. Kellogg collaborated with craftsman John Vugrin on the project, who designed and fabricated the interiors. Rather than formal walls, the home is composed of 26 curving cantilevered concrete pillars that fan out into the lunar-esque desert landscape. The rib-like forms are connected by sandblasted glass panels.

In tandem with his work as an architect and engineer, Kellogg was a self-described activist and vocal design advocate. Through countless letters to the media and elected officials, he petitioned for loosened design guidelines and greater architectural freedom across San Diego. One ordinance he helped draft, and pass, stands out. "The single most important victory achieved by Kellogg... was to make the ordinance less specific about design details in favor of dictating a ‘building envelope’—basic size limitations within which architects can create their own visions," wrote the Los Angeles Times.

Click for more details: dwell.com  

Spring Strings: An Intimate Sunset Concert at Graycliff

Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff in Derby, New York is hosting a trio of world-class musicians for an intimate sunset concert event on the evening of Thursday, April 11, 2024. Spring Strings: An Intimate Sunset Concert at Graycliff is sponsored by Schulze Vineyards and Winery.

This event continues the tradition of musical programming at Graycliff begun in 2020, but Spring Strings marks the first time the public will be invited inside the Frank Lloyd Wright interior for the concert.

Led by violist Joshua Lohner, a multifaceted musician who joined the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in 2022, the program will include classics from the string trio repertoire including Mozart and Schubert.

Doors open at 6pm, allowing for time for a self-guided tour of the first floor of Graycliff’s main house (with docents on hand to answer questions), before the concert begins at 6:30pm. Please note that refreshments will be included, though only clear beverages (water, white wine, etc.) and no food in order to protect Graycliff’s restored historic interiors.

There is a strict cap to this event of 40 people. Tickets to this very special and limited engagement are $125/person, with Graycliff Members saving $25 and available at www.experiencegraycliff.org, or by calling Graycliff Staff at 716-947-9217.

Click for more details: ovationtix.com  

Flash Sale: Wright's Burleigh House Lands A Buyer In 4 Days

Listing agent Julie Fleetwood, of Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty, knew a small home with an amazing architectural pedigree in the tony North Shore suburb of Wilmette, Illinois would attract attention—but not this much.

“We did showings last week and a three-hour open house on Saturday, where I would venture there were 100 people,” Fleetwood says.

The Frank Lloyd Wright–designed, 1,458-square-foot home was listed on March 6 for $899,000. It is now pending sale.

“We called for offers on Sunday at noon, my seller reviewed them, and we accepted an offer,” says Fleetwood. “It was absolute insanity.”

Fleetwood represented the seller when she picked up the three-bedroom, 2.5-bath property in 2021 for $635,000.

Completed in 1916, the Lewis E. Burleigh Residence is one of the American System Built Homes that Wright designed with developer Arthur Richards for working-class families.

The seller made many improvements, including rehabbing the kitchen with new countertops and custom cabinetry.

“It enhances the livability of that space,” Fleetwood says about the kitchen, which also boasts an island.

The seller also gutted and renovated a full bath on the main level and transformed a powder room and closet into an en suite bath with a walk-in shower.

“What is now the primary bedroom was not original to the footprint,” she explains.

The driveway, garage floor, and landscaping were updated as well.

Original to the home are the living room’s oversized wood-burning fireplace and built-in bookcases as well as 46 windows throughout.

The finished basement includes a recreation room, office, workout area, laundry room, and third bath.

“It was originally a two-bedroom, one-bath,” Fleetwood says. “The front entryway was an open porch and enclosed at one time. The dining room was an addition. Original exterior windows are still in place. The glass is removed so it gives more of that feel of openness. The additions were built around the exterior of the home.”

Fleetwood had conferred with Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation president/CEO Stuart Graff and John Waters, the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy’s preservation programs manager. Waters was present at the open house to answer questions.

“The whole network has been great. They have been such a tremendous asset,” Fleetwood says.

In marketing the home, Fleetwood sought to reach empty nesters looking to downsize.

“What was surprising to me is how appealing it was to even the young couples and young families,” she says. “That speaks to the lack of inventory and the location. And the price point: under a million (dollars) in Wilmette is pretty rare, especially for a house that has been maintained.”

Click for more details: realtor.com