Issue 472 July 9th 2025

The Headlines

To Dream A House: Frank Lloyd Wright in Knox County

The Gund at Kenyon College is pleased to present To Dream a House: Frank Lloyd Wright in Knox County, Ohio, an exhibition that presents a little-known piece of Knox County history. The house was the dream house for a young couple about to move to Knox County – Joe and Virginia Monroe. At their request, Frank Lloyd Wright designed a house in 1946 specifically for their needs as a family of five and for Joe Monroe’s budding career as one of the nation’s premier agricultural photographers. With the help of a local farm family, the Walkers, Joe and Virginia purchased a parcel of land on a wooded hillside overlooking the Kokosing River near Gambier. But the house was never built. It exists today only in the 24 drawings by Wright and in the imaginations of those who view these drawings.

Exhibition curated by Gregory Spaid, Emeritus Professor of Art at Kenyon College. On view in the Meier / Draudt curatorial classroom of The Gund from May 1 - July 27, 2025.

Tennessee’s Only Wright House Sits On Missionary Ridge

Wright’s only work in Tennessee is located on historic Missionary Ridge in Chattanooga on a site commanding beautiful views of the city and Tennessee River. An excellent example of an all-masonry Usonian design, it is the 1951 dream-turned-reality for Seamour and Gertrude (Gerte) Shavin.

Newlyweds Seamour and Gerte Shavin were typical of Wright’s Usonian clients: young and intellectual, but of modest of means, they were interested in living in a nontraditional house with a stylistically coordinated environment and surrounded by nature. In 1949 the couple visited Taliesin in Wisconsin to discuss the project with Wright himself. They received their plans the following year and finalized them in 1951 when they visited Wright at Taliesin West in Arizona. Construction began soon after, supervised by Wright’s apprentice Marvin Bachman. Although Bachman was killed in a car crash in 1951, construction was completed in 1952.

The Shavin House is perched on a narrow lot on the north end of Missionary Ridge, scene of one of the most famous battles of the Civil War. The house faces west, overlooking the city of Chattanooga below and Lookout Mountain beyond. Huge single-paned windows rising from floor to ceiling in the living room provide a panoramic view. Mature trees on the west side provide some protection from the afternoon sun.

The house is approached from the east along a straight driveway off Crest Terrace Drive. Typical of the Usonians, the Shavin House has a carport rather than a garage. The carport roof not only shelters the cars, it serves as a canopy for the entrance to the house.

The original cedar shingles on the roof were replaced after four decades with asphalt shingles. There are no gutters. The exterior walls are composed of Crab Orchard stone, a type of hard sandstone rich in silica and iron and native to the Cumberland Plateau in northern Tennessee.

The stone continues to the interior where it merges with board-and-batten cypress wood panels. Contributing to the warm, even autumnal, palette of the interior is the brick-red concrete floor, cast in 4 x 4–foot panels. As with most Usonian houses, the floor was radiantly heated, but while Wright typically specified the use of hot water pipes for the heat, in the land of cheap TVA-provided electricity, the Shavins opted for electric cables instead. In the 1960s a conventional central HVAC system was installed with hidden ducts and registers.

Despite these systems modifications, the house retains its original character and most of its original furniture, nearly all of it designed by Wright.

Colorado Home By Frank Lloyd Wright's Granddaughter For Sale

There is a unique history of the Wood-Peterson House in Colorado Springs, Colorado, a midcentury architectural gem designed by Elizabeth Wright Ingraham, granddaughter of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Built in 1951 for photographer Myron Wood, the home is now for sale for the first time in 60 years, priced at $1.2 million. The property is deeply influenced by Wright’s organic architectural style, blending human habitation with nature. The house is nestled among trees, offering both privacy and scenic views, including a direct line of sight to Pikes Peak.

The more than 3,000-square-foot property is for sale for the first time in 60 years. Its $1.2 million price tag scores a midcentury design treasure which has had only two previous owners, a visual and functional tribute to Wright's principles. The original design features include a great room with a striking wedge-shaped design, built-in seating, and a fireplace, all made from natural materials like wood, stone, and concrete. The open space brings the outdoors inside with large windows, and the home’s craftsmanship includes a unique desert masonry style. The home was later expanded in the 1970s with an east wing, which was added by Ingraham's husband, architect Gordon Ingraham.

The property carries an aura of artistic history, with ties to figures like Georgia O’Keeffe, who may have visited the home due to her friendship with Wood. The house's layout and design create intimate spaces, with low ceilings and cozy rooms that promote conversation. The children's wing, with its retro ‘70s decor, feels like a time capsule.

Ingraham, like her grandfather, embraced organic architecture, aiming for a harmonious relationship between the structure and its surroundings. This home, along with others she designed, reflects her commitment to merging human space with nature. While its unique design may not suit everyone—particularly those who are taller—the home remains a treasured piece of midcentury architectural history.

One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Original Apprentices Designed This ~$1M Home North Of NYC

Designed by renowned architect Edgar Tafel, the Bookstaber House is a luminous, architecturally significant midcentury-modern residence. Tafel started as an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright, and worked on Fallingwater before he devised the 1949 Bookstaber House.

Floor-to-ceiling windows throughout invite natural light and offer uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape, with mature trees giving a sense of serene seclusion. The home has been thoughtfully updated by the current owners, who purchased it directly from the Bookstaber family. The house sits on a serene, secluded lot with more than an acre of woods, abutting Pascack Brook and parkland.

Located in Pearl River, New York, the home is currently listed for $975,000 by Marjorie Galen of Ellis Sotheby’s International Realty. Whether you're seeking a full-time residence, a stylish weekend retreat, or a truly livable piece of architectural history, the Bookstaber House is a rare opportunity to live with intention, just outside the city.

"Broad Minded City" Documentary, Reexamining Frank Lloyd Wright’s Urban Legacy

A new documentary film, Broad Minded City, will screen on Tuesday, July 15 at 5:30 PM at the AIA Los Angeles Center for Communities in California, presented by Quasimotor Productions.

The film investigates Frank Lloyd Wright’s radical Broadacre City concept as a provocative lens through which to view today’s urban sprawl, using Los Angeles as a case study. The feature-length documentary includes interviews with architect Michael Maltzan, landscape architect Mia Lehrer, geographer Edward Soja, and Eric Lloyd Wright, among others.

A panel discussion will follow the screening, with registration required for attendance. Attendees who arrive by bike will receive free admission in support of sustainable transit.

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