Issue 446  January 15th 2025

Wright’s Weisblat House Just Hit The Market For $2.2M

The David and Christine Weisblat House is an extraordinary Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Usonian home that captures the essence of his organic architecture philosophy. Located in the serene surroundings of the Acres, this stunning residence offers an unrivaled opportunity to own a piece of architectural history.

The Weisblat House features bold horizontal lines, expansive cantilevered rooflines, and floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors that create a seamless flow between the indoor and outdoor spaces. The living room, centered around a striking hearth, features expansive windows that frame views of the surrounding landscape.

As with many of Wright’s designs, the Weisblat House is filled with custom-built furniture, shelving, and cabinetry. The home has been thoughtfully maintained and restored, preserving its architectural integrity while incorporating modern systems and amenities.

Situated in the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed the Acres subdivision, the Weisblat House is surrounded by other Wright homes and nature while remaining within reach of Kalamazoo and Western Michigan University. Whether you enjoy the peace of the home’s tranquil setting or the convenience of nearby cultural and recreational opportunities, this home offers the best of both worlds.

Click for more details: dwell.com  

Connections Between Frank Lloyd Wright And L. Frank Baum

Frank Lloyd Wright, the famous architect, and L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, had a unique connection that goes beyond just being contemporaries. Both men were creative visionaries who lived in the same area of the Midwest during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Wright and Baum's paths crossed in surprising ways. L. Frank Baum worked with Wright’s sister Maginel Wright Barney and her first husband, Walter Enright, on multiple books, although none were part of the Oz series. Baum even incorporating ideas inspired by Wright’s architectural designs into his work.

These two influential figures shared a passion for innovation and amazlingly their personal and professional lives intersected, even though their fields were so different.

Their connection is a fascinating glimpse into how the worlds of architecture and literature sometimes collide in unexpected ways. From Baum’s dreamlike, imaginative stories to Wright’s groundbreaking buildings, both men left lasting legacies that continue to inspire people today.

Click for more details: franklloydwright.org  

A Look At Wright's "Crimson Beech"

New York State has several Wright-designed dwellings. The Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue is Manhattan’s lone Wright building, ever since an auto showroom on Park Avenue and 56th Street designed by Wright in the 1950s was demolished in 2013.

But only one Wright residence was ever built in New York City. That would be a low, long house with cream walls and a crimson roof built into a dramatic hillside in the Lighthouse Hill neighborhood of Staten Island.

The story of The Crimson Beech begins in September 1957. That’s when a Corona, Queens couple, William and Catherine Cass, turned on their TV and saw Mike Wallace interviewing Wright.

The couple owned property on Staten Island, and they decided to compose a letter to Wright asking if he would design a house on the site for them for $35,000.

The Casses were not strangers to Wright’s style.

“Mr. Cass, who worked for an employment agency, had been a fan of Wright’s work, and the Casses had visited a number of Wright’s buildings during their travels,” states the Landmark Preservation Commission (LPC) report on the house from 1990—the year The Crimson Beech earned official landmark status.

Wright replied, referring the couple to his colleague, Marshall Erdman, who suggested the Casses go with one of Wright’s prefabricated houses.

Living in a prefab house doesn’t sound particularly appealing. But Wright and Erdman came up with a system that made them affordable and beautiful, with no two prefabs appearing exactly alike.

“The Erdman prefabs were Wright’s last major attempt in his long career to address the problem of well-designed moderate-cost houses, and despite the lesser cost, he achieved a design quality consistent with his previous residential work,” states the LPC report.

The Casses went with Wright’s “Prefab Number One” house. Once the components of the home were trucked to Staten Island, it took four months to complete. They held an open house for the public, and Erdman attended an opening ceremony in 1958.

Wright (above) never visited; he died a year later. An associate, Morton H. Delson, remained an advisor for the couple.

The original copper beech tree that inspired the house’s name is long gone, as are the Casses. Mrs. Cass did talk to the New York Times in 1988 about the house, branding Wright a “tyrant” who chose the furnishings, fabric, and paint colors. She eventually forgave him because “the house required almost no repairs,” as the Times wrote.

Click for more details: wordpress.com  

A Detroit Landscaper Takes A Look At The State’s Architectural Gems

Peter Forguson says he first developed his passion for architecture as a child, when he saw photos of iconic skyscrapers like New York City’s Chrysler Building in books. As an adult, the Oak Park native began to travel the country with a Frank Lloyd Wright field guide in hand.

From his day job owning and operating a Detroit-area landscape company, he realized he was working among many such treasures right here in Michigan — sleek, innovative designs from the style known as mid-century modern that stand up with the best in the nation, some even owned by his friends and his clients. “It just turns out that, unbeknownst to me, my backyard was a literal Mecca of this,” Forguson tells Metro Times.

“After years of paying admission to tour architecture, I thought, you know, I work on the grounds of so many amazing houses all the time,” he says. That’s when he decided to try his hand at publishing a coffee table book with a focus on local homes. “I was cold-calling people with the idea, essentially,” he says of his search for homeowners who would agree to open their doors to photographers.

Five and a half years later, in 2022, he released his debut book Detroit Modern: 1935-1985. The first edition sold out within months, and Forguson decided to keep going. “I began writing another book almost immediately,” he says.

The sequel, Contemporary Michigan: Iconic Houses at the Epicenter of Modernism, will be celebrated with a release party from 6-8 p.m. on Thursday at Keego Harbor’s Le Shoppe Modern, where Forguson will share stories behind the project alongside some of the notable architects featured in the book.

The latest book clocks in at 300 pages, with more than 500 color photos. It also covers a wider span of time and styles, ranging from the David and Hattie Amberg House — a Prairie style home with a unique pinwheel shape built in 1910 in Grand Rapids by Wright’s former draftswoman Marion Mahony — to the the more recent Eric and Lauren Bean House in Franklin, designed by local firm McIntosh Paris Architects.

Click for more details: metrotimes.com