Issue 43 May 3rd 2017

Weekly Note

May is here and it seems more like rainy April still in Chicago. But we're not going to let the grey clouds bring us down—since we know house walk season is right around the corner. This year is a special one for Wright enthusiasts and the coming spring events are sure to be extra special! In the meantime, enjoy this week's Wright-related news and as always...

Keep Calm and Wright On!

Announcements

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Our limited bonus gift for the newly launched Wright Society Supporter Program expires tonight at 11:59pm Eastern (May 3, 2017). The gift is a set of three originally illustrated 2.5” square micro prints numbered and signed by the artist—Eric O’Malley.

Your support will allow us to continue curating and creating the Wright-related content you've come to enjoy through this weekly email newsletter and the annual Wright Society Virtual Summit.

Click here to learn more and don't miss these unique micro prints that you won't find anywhere else.

The Headlines

Wright On Saturday Evening Post!

Not only is our favorite American architect featured in the May/June 2017 issue of the Saturday Evening Post, but the cover features an illustration of Fallingwater by Wright Society's own Eric M. O'Malley! Check out an excerpt of the article by following the link and be sure to subscribe to the SEP to get your own copy. Read more.

10 Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings In and Around NYC

Untapped Cities highlights 10 Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings in and around NYC featured in Wright Sites: A Guide to Frank Lloyd Wright Public Places. The list includes Wright buildings in and very near NYC, Buffalo (not really that close to NYC), and, inexplicably, the Park Avenue Auto Showroom, which was demolished in April of 2013. Read more.

Samara: Wright's "Winged Seeds of Indiana"

The Herald-Times has a story about Frank Lloyd Wright's Samara, described as the most complete Wright design you will ever see. Wright designed the home for John and Kay Christian in West Lafayette, Indiana, and for the next 59 years the family maintained the integrity of Wright’s plans in every aspect of the home- right down to the TV trays. Read more

SC Johnson Buildings: Wright's Last Functioning Corporate Headquarters

SC Johnson owns the last operational corporate headquarters that Frank Lloyd Wright designed. SC Johnson's 2017 tour schedule runs March through December and provides different views of their inspired architecture. The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings are also the first stops on Wisconsin's new Frank Lloyd Wright Trail. The trail connects nine of Wright's architectural sites across the state to make it easier for visitors around the globe to experience and enjoy Wright's legacy in his home state. Read more.

Signs of Wright

Mark Hertzberg's Wright in Racine blog features the new signs guiding people to Frank Lloyd Wright public sites in Wisconsin. The signs are being placed in communities to guide motorists once they leave the Interstate highways which were marked with “Frank Lloyd Wright Trail” signs last fall. The signs resulted from a bipartisan bill signed by Gov. Scott Walker at Taliesin a year ago. Read/see more.

Neutra's VDL House Celebrates National Historic Landmark Status

Built in 1932 and rebuilt after the original burnt down in 1963, the VDL Research House designed by Richard Neutra is one of Southern California’s modernist gems. Now that it has been named a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior, the VDL House will have assistance in securing grants, tax credits, and other opportunities to assist in its preservation. Read more.

Price Chop For Wright’s Ingalls House

Curbed informs us that Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ingalls House has had another price reduction from its initial asking price of $1.325 million to $899,000. Built in 1909 and crafted in the architect’s signature Prairie style, the home features many quintessential Wright features such as low-hanging gables and art glass windows. Hopefully this gem will find a new steward soon. Read more.

CNN to Feature Mason City in Travel Segment

An upcoming CNN Travel segment focusing on the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright will highlight Mason City, Iowa, with a trip to The Historic Park Inn, which is the last remaining hotel designed by Wright. Then they will continue with a stop at the Stockman House, also designed by Wright, before heading off to other cities with ties to the famous architect. The show is being done in commemoration of 150th anniversary of Wright's birth on June 8. Read more.

Building a Frank Lloyd Wright Prefab on Staten Island

Curbed New York has a story of "Crimson Beech," a prefab home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for builder Marshall Erdman, and built for William and Catherine Cass. Though the new owners have changed some things that are probably not what Wright had intended, the house looks as lovely as it did when it was first erected in 1959, thanks to the home's Landmark designation. Read more.

Wright In New York

Author and Wright historian, Dr. Anthony Alofsin, has created a new website that follows the trail of Frank Lloyd Wright in New York, the subject of his forthcoming book. It also provides a forum to discuss issues that don’t have a regular home. And it will feature unpublished material and documents that Dr. Alofsin has uncovered while researching his book over the last ten years. Read more.

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