PrairieMod

Bach House for Sale

It wasn't all that long ago that the Emil Bach House (1915), located in the Chicago neighborhood of Rogers Park, was on the market. Some people were worried that its unconventional and compact Frank Lloyd Wright design might place it in danger of becoming a target for teardown. Luckily, a preservation-minded angel swooped in, saved it and completely restored the house.

Well, the Bach House is now back on the market and ready for someone else to come take care of and enjoy living in this amazing home. If you've got the means, then I would highly suggest a close look at this architectural marvel. Follow the link to learn more.

Photo copyright Architecture For Sale.com

Celebrating 75 Years In Style

The PrairieMod Squad thought Michelle Kaufmann's new Smart Home was so nice, we just had to see it twice! Actually, our second tour of the Smart Home exhibit was in conjunction with a fabulous party thrown in honor of the 75th anniversary of Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. Here's a special peek at the event and some of the cool stuff we saw...

A Garden Party at Samara

We received word today that The John Christian Family Trust and the Wabash Valley Youth Symphony will host a Garden Party June 1 from 1-5pm. Guests will receive a guided tour of the home while hearing several Beethoven pieces performed by the Wabash Valley Youth Symphony. There will also be refreshments and children's activities.

Sounds like a great way to spend a summer afternoon! Check out the site for more information.

Image copyright John E. Christian Family Memorial Trust, Inc.

Nau Clothing Closing

This sucks! After a week of insane craziness at the PrairieMod office, I decided to catch up on some items of personal interest. While skimming news headings, I found out this morning that a truly inspirational retail company is closing their doors!

A month or two ago I discovered Nau Clothing, bought a couple shirts online, went to their super fresh retail store in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood and was planning to do a feature for PrairieMod about the amazing innovation this apparel group was trying to pursue. Now I find out they can't keep it going because lame investors are afraid of the uncertain financial times we're in, even after they have been exceeding sales goals. Total bummer! 

PrairieMod Podcast #24: Michelle Kaufmann's Smart Home Exhibit

In this edition: An interview with Michelle Kaufmann during a preview of her Smart Home exhibit opening May 8th, 2008 at Chicago's Museum of Science & Industry. Michelle talks about the 5 Eco-principles behind every project her architectural firm designs, plus we get some insight into how this project came into existence.

The purpose of this unique showcase home (the first museum exhibit home of its kind) is to inspire people to make eco-friendly living part of their lives. After a short afternoon visit today, we can say that the Smart Home's innovative plan and cutting-edge technology surely got us excited about the future prospects of thoughtful home design!

Download PMod_Podcast_24.mp3

What's Wrong With River Forest?

So you're one of the few towns in the entire country with a hugely significant cache of historically and architecturally significant buildings from the Prairie School. How do you manage this amazing cultural resource? How about tear them down or place them in danger of being torn down? Sound crazy?

May I introduce you to River Forest, IL.

Bright Idea

We received news today about a new online store featuring environmentally sustainable, well-designed lighting called EekoWire Lighting. EekoWire Lighting was formed by Bryan Burgess because he saw a lack of social consciousness in the art and design world and the absence of art and design in the social justice world.

About Eeko Wire Lighting:

EekoWire Lighting is a San Francisco-based online store specializing in modern lighting fixtures and accessories that are design savvy, environmentally sustainable and supportive of independent design. Featured designers include Propellor Design, Jefdesigns and Trixie and Radar. Products range in price from $15 hand-crafted light plate covers to made-to-order chandeliers starting at $1,500. The The store is located on line at www.eekowire.com.

Pictured above is the Galiano Pendant by Propellor. It is a bio-degradable light shad that is made from reclaimed Douglas Fir with a twig that works as the pull switch.

Image copyright Propellor 

Make Some Room For The Inn

The Park Inn Hotel in Mason City, Iowa needs your help! This architecturally important Wright-designed hotel (the last of its kind) recently received a grant challenge to help in restoring the endangered building back to its former grandeur.

However, the grant came with a catch. According the the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy's website:

The Vision Iowa grant is double-edged: while providing a great financial boost, it carries a 180-day deadline. Counting from the day after the grant announcement (March 12), a match of $4,300,000 must be raised for this grant. This will be a daunting task for a town of 28,000, without outside help. For $2,000,000 of this match, WOTP must seek help from the wider Frank Lloyd Wright Community.

So, this is the moment of truth. Help make a difference and consider a donation to help save the Inn. Follow the link to learn more or make a contribution directly to Wright on the Park, Inc. by credit card through the WOTP web site: www.wrightonthepark.org, or by mail to P.O. Box 792, Mason City, Iowa 50402-0792.

Photo courtesy of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy

Smoke But No Fire

It's an upsetting sight to see fire trucks pull up to a Frank Lloyd Wright building—it usually doesn't bode well.

Luckily, the fire crew that pulled up to the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio in Oak Park on Monday just had a smokey chair to deal with. Someone careless with a cigarette had started a chair smoldering and that prompted fire crews to the scene. Luckily, no one was hurt, the building is safe and the chair was not an artifact. Read more on the story by following the link and remember--it's never too late to quit!

Photo copyright the FLW Preservation Trust

Mass Meets Class: Target & Barneys NYC

This was a surprising find that a good friend passed along to me yesterday. The WSJ recently ran a story about Target introducing a new line of eco-clothing that will first appear in Barneys New York. Uh, what?

The Minneapolis-based retailer commissioned 60 exclusive pieces from Rogan Gregory, a designer at the forefront of the eco-fashion movement. The new line will debut at Barneys New York May 9th-11th, then from May 16-18th it will move to the Barneys location in Los Angeles, after which the clothes will begin appearing at Target stores. Interesting.

See the story details here.

Images copyright Target and Barneys

The Story Of Stuff

Have you ever wondered where our stuff comes from or, more importantly, where it goes once we're through with it? After reading my post on recycling via antiquing, one of our PrairieMod readers sent us a link to a really engaging video called "The Story of Stuff." So what's it all about?

Wa$ted! on Discovery Home & Planet Green

I've heard about the coming Planet Green Network, but just caught one of its shows this evening on Discovery Home. Wa$ted! is a show from New Zealand that attacks a spectrum of environmentally unfriendly households auditing their waste, energy, water and transportation consumption. Not surprisingly, each episode unearths dozens of eco-horrors that are killing both the environment and the homeowner's bank account.

The show seems a bit campy, but I'm sure that is me just being a Yankee snob. However, when Planet Green officially launches on June 4th, 2008, you'll be able to catch a new Americanized version of the show. Check it out after the jump!

Postscript: I do have to admit that it was unusual watching Discovery Home and seeing several Treehugger commercials. 

Image copyright Discover Networks

PrairieMod Monday

As I write this, I'm pretty much tired and sore all over. Today represented an important milestone for the little red house: we planted the first part of what I'm calling our "victory garden." Why call it that?

Hot Shot

David Kennedy takes some amazing architectural photos! I recently stumbled across his website, where he has several fantastic shots of Frank Lloyd Wright's S.C. Johnson Wax campus, Tower and the Johnson family house, Wingspread.

He also has taken some breath-stealing photos of the Louis Sullivan designed Merchants National Bank in Grinnell, Iowa (which can be admired in the most recent book on the bank by Pomegranate Press.)

Check out the site and if you fall in love with any of the photos, you can order them for your PrairieMod pad!

All photos copyright David Kennedy

PrairieMod Readers Get Special Treatment!

I recently posted on one of my favorite Mid-century modern galleries in the Chicago suburbs, Arte Moderne. Well, I got word that the gallery owners are wanting to extend a 10% discount to any PrairieMod readers who mention the write-up. So check out the gallery and tell them PrairieMod sent you!

Photo copyright Arte Moderne

A Winning Pair

John Lautner was one of those rare examples of an apprentice that escaped Frank Lloyd Wright's shadow. An Organic Architectural virtuoso in his own right, Lautner's designs have often been compared to frozen jazz music--and man, do they sing! Case in point: two Lautner houses that are currently for sale and recently featured in the Los Angeles Times.

Usonian-Style Lamp

From Cherry Tree Design's Solstice Collection, this Usonian-style lamp is made of environmentally Taeni wood. It comes with a white pearl vellum shade and runs $223 bucks.

Image copyright Cherry Tree Design

About Arcosanti

A recent article in the Salt Lake Tribune sheds some light on architect Paolo Soleri's futuristic eco-city experiment known as Arcosanti. Once a pupil of Frank Lloyd Wright, Soleri has been laboring to bring his dream of ecologically-minded architecture (which he calles "Arcology") to life in the desert. But how green is this ideal?  

The Willey House, Wright Done Right

Last week in Minneapolis, we got a personal tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Willey House (check out our post Some Cool Things to See in Minneapolis). It was amazing to see the meticulous and careful attention that owners Steve & Lynette Sikora have paid to such a fantastic treasure.

As a result, I wanted to share you with an article from MSP Mag that ran last fall about the homes restoration. Enjoy!

Image Matt Coppersmith

Heath Ceramics: The Owners of a Tile Company Live Here

The San Francisco Chronicle has a great little ditty about Heath Ceramics owners Robin Petravic & Catherine Bailey. The article talks about their home in Sausalito and how its decor mirrors the ideas found in the ceramics at Heath (it even uses some of the Heath tile).  I thought the except below was a bit humorous...

The pair was cautious about tiling projects in their house. They considered an installation for the kitchen floor but opted instead to continue with the fir flooring from the neighboring rooms. "We didn't want people to walk in and immediately think, 'The owners of a tile company live here,' " Petravic said.

Image Chronicle/Eric Luse