Issue 89 March 21st 2018

The Headlines

Frank Lloyd Wright Trust Seeks Volunteers for Oak Park Sites

Frank Lloyd Wright Trust volunteers present world-class historic sites and their neighborhoods to an international audience, cultivate long-lasting relationships and receive ongoing education and training on topics related to history, design and Frank Lloyd Wright.

Enrollment for volunteer training sessions in April is now underway for interpreters to lead tours at the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, Wright’s design laboratory, and the newly restored Unity Temple in Oak Park, Ill.

Training for Unity Temple volunteer guides takes place Thursday evenings and one Saturday, April 5-19 at Unity Temple, 875 Lake St., Oak Park. Training for Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio volunteer guides takes place Tuesday, Thursday evenings and two Saturdays, April 10-26 at the Home and Studio, 951 Chicago Ave., Oak Park.

Interpreter training is a concentrated program that involves online study, class lectures and workshops leading to certification. Interested individuals must attend an informational orientation and qualify for enrollment. More than 450 volunteer interpreters give tours at the Trust’s five tour sites in Chicago and Oak Park.

More information and the volunteer application are available here.

The Lost Works: The Larkin Administration Building

Most of us have seen the historic photos of one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s modern masterpieces, the Larkin Administration Building, but we never had a chance to see the building in person, because it was demolished in 1950, before most of us were born. That means that we have had to use our imaginations to get a sense of the inner workings of the building… until now.

Now you can experience a virtual tour of this iconic Wright structure. A tour that is both exhilarating and heartbreaking, it’s about as close as we will ever get to walking through the structure. “Frank Lloyd Wright: The Lost Works is an ongoing educational series of digital animations exploring some of Wright’s most important demolished and unrealized structures. The project brings these lost buildings to life through immersive digital animations reconstructed from Wright’s original plans and drawings, along with archival photographs.” – Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.

Lloyd Wright’s Bollman Residence On The Market For $3M

A home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright’s oldest son, Lloyd Wright, has come up for sale for $2.995 million.

The Henry Bollman Residence—Los Angeles Cultural Historic Monument No. 235—was commissioned by a contractor who worked with Wright. Completed in 1923, the Hollywood home is the earliest example of the architect’s use of the “knit-block” construction system.

Situated on an 8,102-square-foot lot in the Sunset Square, the two-story home features four bedrooms, two baths, an updated kitchen, hardwood and concrete slab floors, a stone fireplace, and a tropically landscaped garden. The house, which was formerly owned by designer Mimi London, has “earned two covers of Architectural Digest.” Read more.

New Book Secures Michigan’s Role in Modernism Movement

Michigan’s State Historic Preservation Officer Brian Conway and photographer Jim Haefner spent two summers capturing images for a book on some of the state’s most iconic modern homes, businesses, and churches. Their new book is titled “Michigan Modern: An Architectural Legacy” (Visual Profile Books, $60), and it profiles 34 examples of incredible modern architecture across the state, again making the case that Michigan was a “cradle for modernism,” writes Conway.

More than a third of the projects are located in southeast Michigan, designed by some of the biggest names in architecture including Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Alden B. Dow. More than half of the 34 projects, all built between 1929 and 2012, are homes. Read more.

Discover The Wright Hotel In Oklahoma

Originally planned as a design for a 1929 apartment tower for the vestry of St. Mark's in New York City that never got built, the design idea was repurposed decades later for an office building in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Credit for luring the architectural gem to Bartlesville goes to H.C. Price, a Bartlesville businessman who made his fortune building oil and gas pipelines.

The H.C. Price Company sold Price Tower to Phillips Petroleum (now Conoco Phillips) in 1981, and Phillips used the high-rise structure as an office building before donating it in 2001 to the newly formed Price Tower Arts Center. The center, a “traditional” museum, is dedicated to the study of art, architecture, and design.

In 2003, the top eight floors of Wright’s building opened as the Inn at Price Tower, a 21-room boutique hotel. Angelina Boungou, a spokesperson at Price Tower, says “the majority of our visitors are indeed Frank Lloyd Wright enthusiasts, who look forward to being able to stay in our unique hotel accommodations and take advantage of an included guided tour with one of our docents.” Read more.

Fallingwater Announces New Director

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation's Whirling Arrow tells us that the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy has announced the appointment of Justin W. Gunther as the new director of Fallingwater and vice president of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy later this spring. Gunther will succeed Lynda Waggoner, who recently announced her retirement from the position after more than 40 years at Fallingwater. Read more.

Frank Lloyd Wright In Indiana

Frank Lloyd Wright's career spanned seven decades, during which he produced 1,114 architectural designs, 532 of which were built. Seven Wright-designed houses remain in Indiana. Five of Indiana’s Wright-designed houses are Usonians, from the 1939 tri-level Andrew Armstrong House in Ogden Dunes, to the John and Catherine Christian House in West Lafayette, completed in 1956. Read about Indiana's Frank Lloyd Wright legacy here.

Usonian Survey Reveals Common Concerns

Last fall the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy partnered with Emily Butler, a graduate student in the preservation studies program at Tulane University, to create a survey for Usonian house owners and stewards. One of the primary goals of the survey was to gather information on this group’s experiences in maintaining these unique structures.

The survey’s questions ranged from basic data, such as building materials, to more in-depth questions about maintenance practices and ongoing preservation issues. Many of those who responded looked to the Conservancy for restoration and maintenance information, particularly assistance on locating skilled craftspeople and appropriate building products.

Butler is now in the process of interpreting data from the survey as a part of her Master’s thesis focusing on the preservation of Wright’s Usonian-era houses. When complete, Emily’s thesis will be available as an additional tool for the preservation of Wright’s Usonian houses. Read more.

Willey House Stories Part 4 – A Bridge Too Far

Every house has stories to tell, particularly if the house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Some stories are familiar. Some are even true. Some, true or not, have been lost to time, while others are yet to be told. Steve Sikora, owner of the Malcom Willey House in Minneapolis, MN, continues his exploration of the home and its influence on architecture and society. Read it here.

Get Ready For Wright And Like 2018

On Saturday, June 2, 2018 the annual Wright and Like house tour is “coming home” to Frank Lloyd Wright’s beloved Wisconsin River Valley and the communities of Spring Green and Richland Center.

The Wright and Like™ 2018 – Coming Home tour offers nine unique sites that together link the master architect’s life, work and legacy.

This self-drive tour opens six exceptional private homes designed by Wright apprentices Arthur Dyson, Herb Fritz, Charles Montooth, William Wesley Peters and James Pfefferkorn. This carefully curated selection of homes range in date from 1958 – 2015 and showcase organic, modern living at its finest. Of the homes, only one has ever been on tour before – in 2012 when it was the Spring Green Chamber of Commerce. Since then new owners have repurposed this structure as a tiny house retreat.

The two Wright designed buildings on tour are the Wyoming Valley School and, for the first time, the A.D. German Warehouse! These structures share the distinction of being the only examples of an elementary school and a warehouse that Wright ever designed. The Little Brown Church and Cemetery, where Wright’s father is buried, rounds out the tour.

Docent led interior tours of each building are available from 9 am to 5 pm. Advance tickets are $60 for Wright in Wisconsin members; $70 nonmembers. In early May participants are mailed tickets and a driving map, allowing guests to visit the sites in any order and plan the day according to their priorities. We recommend allowing the entire day for this tour.

Tickets can also be purchased on June 2 at the Wyoming Valley School, 6303 State Highway 23, Spring Green WI beginning at 8 a.m. for $70 WIW members and $80 nonmembers. Along with ticket sales the WVS will host vendors, a furniture exhibit and a photography exhibit.

On Friday, June 1 there is a special, limited admission event on the Taliesin estate. Guests will enjoy local, organic fare in the newly restored Tan-y-deri and an original dance theater show in the Hillside Theater. Cost is $150 for WIW members; $175 for nonmembers. Taliesin is NOT part of the Saturday tour so this is your chance to visit as part of the Wright and Like weekend.

All proceeds benefit Wright in Wisconsin, a nonprofit preservation and educational organization working to promote, protect and preserve the heritage and legacy of Frank Lloyd Wright in his home state of Wisconsin. For more information about the 2018 Wright and Like™ tour call 608-287-0339 or visit here.

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