Issue Aug 14th 2024 August 14th 2024

Announcements

Robie House Free YouTube Lecture by Kathryn Smith, Available Now

Frank Lloyd Wright Trust has recently made an exclusive 2024 Zoom lecture, "Robie House: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Revolutionary Idea", by Kathryn Smith, public on YouTube. In this lecture, Smith presents extensive new photography of the Trust’s museum-quality, complete restoration of the Robie House to illustrate how Wright created a new revolutionary conception of modern space in 1910, fully twenty years before any European architect.

The lecture introduces Smith’s publication, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, 1908-10, which is an illustrated history and analysis of Wright’s early residential masterpiece and World Heritage Site. It is the Spring 2024 issue of the Journal of Organic Architecture and Design. Presented in four parts: Introductory essay with plans and diagrams; rare album of construction photographs taken by the contractor, Harrison Barnard, reproduced in its entirety; complete publication of every professional photograph taken by Henry Fuermann & Sons, 1910-11; portfolio of color photographs of the restored building on the exterior and interior. The rare historic Fuermann photographs are reproduced from either the original glass negatives owned by the Organic Architecture and Design Archives or first generation prints from local collectors. Annotated Robie Timeline, 1878-1932. Select Bibliography. Finally, a special feature unique to this publication is a three-page color gate fold of the entire major elevation of the restored house. The paperback publication is 84 pages, with over 90 images. It is available on the websites of the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust and the Organic Architecture and Design (OA+D) Archives and at the Robie House in Chicago for $28.

This landmark publication, written by Smith, 2003 Wright Scholar-in-Residence at the Robie House, features important research accompanied by never-before-published photos – including the first time that the Robie House has been published with color photographs of the fully restored building.

Kathryn Smith is an author, lecturer, educator, and historic preservation consultant specializing in Frank Lloyd Wright and his contemporaries R.M. Schindler, Lloyd Wright, and Richard Neutra. She was one of the first scholars to have complete access to the unpublished drawings and letters of Wright at the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives at Taliesin West, Arizona. Her groundbreaking research into the history of Wright's Imperial Hotel (Tokyo, Japan; 1913-23) and his Los Angeles buildings from 1919-1924 were the foundation for a new understanding of Wright's middle period. In 2001, she was awarded the Wright Spirit Award in the Professional category by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy for her scholarship and contributions to preservation of Wright's standing buildings.

She has published books and contributed chapters and essays to a total of thirty-five (35) publications. She has been a Rizzoli International author over a series of books, which include the 3-book series Frank Lloyd Wright: The Houses, The Buildings, The Prairie Houses. Her most recent book is Wright on Exhibit: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Architectural Exhibitions. Several of her books have been translated and appear in foreign editions.

The Headlines

Price Tower Closing

Bartlesville's Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper, is set to close on Sept. 1, according to tenants who spoke with the local 2 News station.

Keith McPhail and his wife Christy have witnessed its history firsthand. In 2017, they moved their magazine operation into the tower as part of a deal that offered the space rent-free.

“It’s good to say ‘hey come to our office, it's at Price Tower,’ you don’t have to give an address,” Keith McPhail said.

In early August, management notified the McPhails they would have to pay rent to maintain their office in the tower. On Aug. 9, by way of local media in Bartlesville, they learned of the tower’s outright closure.

Olivia Allan, a longtime Bartlesville resident, was shocked by the news.

“I’m very upset,” Allan said, “It is full of beautiful art, there’s lots of good activities that happen there that’s good for kids in the community … it’s sad.”

Back in April, moving trucks were seen removing some of the important historic artifacts housed in the Tower that were later revealed to be sold-off to an art dealer in Texas for cash. This sale broke the legal easement held by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy on these historic interior objects. It forced the organization, tasked with preserving Wright's built legacy, to seek legal recourse against any purchaser of items in the Price Tower collection that are covered by the Conservancy’s easement,” according to a press release.

It's unclear with the closure what the next steps are for this iconic work of Wright architecture. Many are upset and disappointed that it has come to this tenuous situation. “We just hope that the tower finds the right person,” Christy McPahil said, “At the end of the day that’s what everybody in Bartlesville wants.”

The owner of the tower declined 2 News’ request for an interview.

A Chance Tour A Private Frank Lloyd Wright Designed Home In Rochester, New York

The Landmark Society of Western New York, in cooperation with the homeowners and Bero Architecture PLLC, is hosting a tour of the privately owned Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Boynton House in Rochester, NY. This one-hour guided tour will bring guests into one of Wright’s most iconic designs on September 28th.

Since this event is overwhelmingly popular, a lottery will be offered to determine who may purchase tickets. The window to enter the lottery opens August 19 and closes August 26th on the Landmark Society website (www.landmarksociety.org). Winners will be notified and receive a code to purchase up to two $60 tickets.

The only home in Rochester designed by America’s most famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright is an unusually fine example of what Wright called his Prairie Style, innovative designs of his early years that influenced twentieth century architecture.

Edward Boynton, a Rochester businessman, commissioned the house on East Boulevard in 1908 as a residence for himself and his daughter Beulah, hence the home is often referred to as the Boynton House.

The Landmark Society of Western New York owns the dining room furniture and has historically partnered with owners to keep the furniture in its original setting.

The Landmark Society of Western New York, Inc. is one of the oldest and most active preservation organizations in America, serving nine Western New York counties.

Formed in 1937, The Landmark Society continues to protect the unique architectural heritage of the region and promote preservation and planning principles that foster healthy and sustainable communities.

For additional information about The Landmark Society, visit www.landmarksociety.org.

Aldon B.Dow Home Offered For Sale

This is a spectacular opportunity to own a crown jewel of Midland's mid-century modern home portfolio. Never before offered for sale, and with limited public exposure, this estate was meticulously crafted by Alden B. Dow for his sister in 1939.

The estate offers significant privacy afforded by the 1-mile private, gated and paved driveway off of Meridian Road just south of the Chippewa River. The home is being offered with almost 90 acres of riverfront property and surrounded by over 500 acres conservation property.

The home is classic Alden B. Dow featuring unit block construction and original built-in details and fixtures. There are incredible views of the river and landscaped grounds throughout the home through massive windows. The incredible estate that renowned mid-century modern architect Alden B. Dow built for his sister, Dorthy Arbury, has remained in the family since its design and construction in 1939. This is the first public offering of this spectacular home and property.

Alden B. Dow was a prominent American architect known for his unique contributions to mid-20th-century architecture. Born in 1904 in Midland, Michigan, he was heavily influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, with whom he studied. Dow's architectural style is characterized by its organic integration with the environment, innovative use of materials, and emphasis on harmony between structure and nature. His designs often feature flat roofs, geometric shapes, large windows, and a seamless flow between indoor and outdoor spaces.

The Arbury Residence is a stunning example of his prominent work. This grand, unique home features a distinctive pinwheel design centered on a welcoming entrance that intersects four spacious wings. One wing hosts four family bedrooms, providing ample private space. The opposite wing encompasses the kitchen, dining room, and screened porch, with the dining room standing out for its elegant tall mirrored walls and a ceiling grid of 36 square mirrors, each corner illuminated by small lights. The third wing is entirely dedicated to a substantial living room, split into two levels. The lower level includes built-in seating around a classic fireplace, while the upper level is bathed in natural light from windows on two sides. A remarkable 80-foot covered walkway leads to the fourth wing, housing a rare three-car garage (expanded to six cars) for its time. The home's lower level boasts a 29 by 52-foot game room, where plain white unit block walls are beautiful.

This single family home located at 745 S Meridian Road Road, Midland, MI 48640 is currently listed for sale with an asking price of $2,400,000. This property was built in 1939 and has 5 bedrooms and 5 full and 1 partial baths with 6400 sq. ft.

How To Get Tickets For Graycliff's Shakespeare On The Lake

This September, Frank Lloyd Wright's historic estate will host Shakespeare on the Lake.

Shakespeare on the Lake returns to Frank Lloyd Wright's Graycliff next month for its second year of performances at the historic property. On September 7, Graycliff will host two performances of Shakespeare's Macbeth in collaboration with Fredonia’s Play on Arts and Main Street Studios.

Each show runs roughly two hours long, starting at 1 p.m. and at 5 p.m. Doors open 30 minutes before showtimes. Ticket rates are $35 for the 1 p.m. matinee show and $50 for the 5 p.m. performance. Graycliff Members will save $10 on all tickets.

Outside snacks are not permitted, but guests will be able to purchase food and drinks at the venue.

Advance registration is recommended as tickets are limited. To learn more about the venue site, visit experiencegraycliff.org/about.

One On One: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City

Three years after the publication of The Disappearing City, Frank Lloyd Wright unveiled a spectacular 12-by-12-foot (3.6-square-meter) relief model of Broadacre City, to illustrate how four square miles (6.4 square kilometers) of “typical” countryside might be settled by 1,400 families. This tour de force has come to stand for a complex and largely impractical project, never to be built. Flowing over the imaginary landscape and laid out in harmony with its natural contours is a patchwork of small-scale homesteads, farms, and factories connected by roads (including one of the earliest schemes for a highway flyover) and linked to embedded parks and community facilities. The model’s diagrammatic, interwoven patterns—reminiscent of a carpet design or a computer motherboard—powerfully communicate the connectivity and horizontal spread of Wright’s new urbanism. The best way to get the full thrill of Broadacre City, suggested the Brooklyn Daily Eagle in 1935, is to stand by the relief model and “imagine yourself motoring, coming upon it by surprise. Your car will be—on the same scale—about as large as a rice grain.... You would slow down, turn off the road and idle through the streets...of this city, at once as practical as the ugliest parking space in Manhattan and as handsome as an architect’s watercolor of a country estate. Before you left you would almost certainly ask how to become a resident.”

Promoted and updated throughout the last phase of Wright’s life, the model toured the country for several years in the 1930s, at the height of the Great Depression, beginning with a display at New York’s Rockefeller Center in 1935. In these exhibitions the maquette and additional models of Broadacre components were accompanied by slogans and didactic wall panels [see below] that helped visitors to identify the project’s core ideas and imagine how the different building types might function in a local neighborhood. In egalitarian Broadacre, every family was to have a radio, a telephone, at least one car, and access to clean solar and electric energy. Technological advances in the development of machinery, transportation, and telecommunications were not to be monopolized by profit-hungry speculators and big businesses in centralized cities, but applied at a local level in support of the productive individual and the common good, balancing “the welfare of one and the welfare of the whole.”

The model’s visually compelling iteration of Broadacre City was lovingly constructed—and later adapted and repaired—by groups of architectural apprentices who came to live and work alongside Wright at the Taliesin estate in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and subsequently at Taliesin West in Arizona. This educational scheme, known as the Taliesin Fellowship, was established in 1932; it ran concurrently with the Broadacre City project, which remained an idée fixe for Wright until his death in 1959. The Taliesin apprentices assisted their master in refining his ideas for Broadacre through a steady flow of experimental models, drawings, publications, and exhibitions.

Broadacre City was not so much a fixed template for a defined location as a polemical demonstration of possibilities that could embrace “all of this country.” It existed, Wright said, “everywhere, or nowhere”—a utopia in the original sense of the ancient Greek word: a “non-place.”3 In the absence of restrictive budgets or interference from actual clients and legislative authorities, Wright gave free rein to his imagination, designing a future in which the architect ruled supreme. Arguably, it took someone of his international stature and notoriously giant ego to attempt to resettle an entire nation.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Broadacre City model is currently on view in Gallery 519: The City May Now Scatter, The Museum of Modern Art, New York.

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