Scott T. sent word that contractor Brian Letarski is nearing completion on a home of his own design/construction that emulates Organic principles. The home was designed as a spec "Parade" house in a new neighborhood in Weston, WI, near Wausau. Follow the link to see the house at the Wausau Parade of Homes June 5-10, 2012.
Image via Brian Letarski
This weekend's Wright Plus 2012 housewalk in Oak Park, IL features a little known Frank Lloyd Wright-designed jewel, the Oscar B. Balch House, that shines extra bright thanks to the meticulous restoration efforts of its owner, Tim Pearson. Read about this Wright-designed beauty here and make sure to see it inside and out this weekend! Get tickets while they last here.
Image via riverforest.suntimes.com
What is it like to Interview an American genius? Find out June 14, 2012 at 12 noon at the Arizona Capitol Museum when Lloyd Clark, former Daily News-Sun columnist will discuss his experiences interviewing Frank Lloyd Wright in 1957. The event launches a long-term exhibit at the museum titled OASIS RETURNS: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Vision for an Arizona State Capitol. Learn more here—and if any PrairieMod readers go, send some pics and a summary (or transcript) of what Mr. Clark says so we can share with everyone!
Image via Daily News-Sun files
Preservation, the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, recently featured an interview with Donna Grant Riley, whose parents built the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Grant House near Cedar Rapids, IA. She discusses what it was like for her parents to collaborate with Mr. Wright and her experience growing up in a work of art. Read the article here and make sure to get a copy of Donna's book on the Grant House here.
Image credit: Alan Weintraub
The First Christian Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is no more. Tim Samuelson, Cultural Historian for the City of Chicago, offers up what can be expected from the building's destruction: "Wait until they start slamming the masonry and the indescribable smell of building death fills the air. The haunting odor of wet crushed plaster, masonry & wood. I walk blocks out of my way to avoid it." Read more of the sad news here and see photos of the devestation here.
Image via Save CR Heritage
To commemorate the building and flourishing of the E. Fay Jones-designed Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, a celebration and reunion will be held on Tuesday, June 12, 2012. The public event will be from 2-5 p.m. and visitors will be able to meet Maurice Jennings, the architect who worked with E. Fay Jones to design the chapel; Jerry LaBounty, the original builder; the Reed family, and the Thorncrown staff. Read more about this amazing building here and get details on visiting here.
Image via lovelycitizen.com
The Chicago Tribune recently ran a preview of the architectural goodies visitors to Oak Park can expect for Wright Plus 2012 this weekend. Read it here.
Image via chicagotribune.com
Triblive.com reports that RR Auction in Amherst, N.H., is auctioning a 2-page letter and an original blueprint associated with Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Fallingwater on June 20, 2012. The letter is from Wright to his second contractor on the project, Walter Hall, and reveals the difficult relationship between the Architect and the contractor.
The blueprint features a profile view of the back of the main house and the sloping hill to the guesthouse, with handwritten notes that are thought to be written by Wright. It's estimated the bidding may exceed $25,000.
Read more about the items here and see the auction listing here.
Image via RR Auction
Photographer, author and blogger, Mark Hertzberg, was also at The SC Johnson Gallery: Frank Lloyd Wright at Home preview yesterday and posted his experience and more photos over at his blog, Wright in Racine. Check it out here.
Image copyright Mark Hertzberg
Now in the Features section: a virtual sneak peek at The SC Johnson Gallery: At Home with Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit located at the magnificent SC Johnson campus in Racine, WI. Read it here.
To stay on top of new PrairieMod features as they roll out, subscribe here.
Image via SC Johnson public affairs
There's a new architecture blog on the block that PrairieMod readers will want to check out. It's called Modern Illinois and as the name suggests, it will feature the Mod side of the Land of Lincoln. The weblog recently featured a virtual tour of a Long Grove, IL home designed by architect Richard J. Stromberg and built in 1955. Check it out here.
Image via Modern Illinois
The Los Angeles Review of Books recently featured a piece on the new book, Julius Shulman Los Angeles: The Birth of a Modern Metropolis, by Sam Lubell and Douglas Woods. Julius was the incomparable documentor of Southern California's Modernism, and the passion he has for the city and its architecture shines through every photo taken. Read the review here.
Image via amazon.com
George W. Maher's Magerstadt House in Kenwood, IL (aka "Poppy" House, due to its art glass window design motif) recently sold for the princely sum of $2.05 million. Take a look at more photos and details of the sale here.
Image via Curbed Chicago
Curbed Chicago reports that the flat George Fred and William Keck lived in their famous Hyde Park, IL Keck-Gottschalk-Keck Apartment building is on the market for $449,000. Check out the details here and listing here.
Image via redfin.com
If you have not gotten your tickets for Wright in Wisconsin's June 8-9, 2012 Wright & Like Tour yet, then get in gear! This year's event takes place in Spring Green, WI and will feature some very special building and private home tours that are sure to delight lovers of Organic Architecture. Get info and order your tickets here.
Image via Wright in Wisconsin website
Jack Lesniak, Chair of the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation Architectural Restoration Committee, sent good news that Unity Temple's epigram letters, which were stolen from the east and west entries of Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic building, have been restored. The new letters were made using the few of the original in hand as a pattern and permanently applied back to where they belong. Congrats UTRF! Make sure to visit Unity Temple yourself to check out all the good restoration work happening there.
Image via Jack Lesniak
PrairieMod reader George J. sent a link to a rare "Tree of Life" art glass window from the Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, NY that is being auctioned-off at Heritage Auctions. The starting bids seem low for this quintessential Wright art glass design, so I expect the price to soar as the June 12, 2012 auction date nears. Ideally, this window should go back in the home it was designed for. See the listing here.
Image via Heritage Auctions
Bloomberg.com offers a photo tour of some of Frank Lloyd Wright's most important and stunning buildings, helping to underscore his moniker "America's Greatest Architect". See it here.
Image via bloomberg.com
Architect, historian, and author, Alan Hess, recently reviewed a trio of books on the topic of California Modernism for the Los Angeles Review of Books. The books reviewed include, Architecture of the Sun : Los Angeles Modernism 1900-1970 by Thomas S. Hines, Sympathetic Seeing: Esther McCoy and the Heart of America by Kimberli Meyer and Susan Morgan, and Living in a Modern Way : California Design 1930-1965 by Wendy Kaplan. Read the reviews here.
Image via LA Review of Books
Just a reminder: Tickets are still available for the 38th annual Wright Plus housewalk which takes place June 2, 2012 in Oak Park, IL. It's your chance to tour nine private homes in Oak Park, IL, several of which are by Frank Lloyd Wright. Get tickets and more info here.
And if you go, don't forget to wear your official Wright Plus 2012 t-shirt (designed by PrairieMod!) Get yours here.
Image via GoWright.org
PrairieMod pal, John Clouse, sent some recent photos of his visit to the new Lakewood Garden Mausoleum and Reception Center at Lakewood Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN by Joan Sorrano and John Cook of HGA Architects. Check out more photos after the jump...
The work on the "Usonian House," the new educational and visitor center for Florida Southern College that is based on a previously unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Usonian home is coming along nicely. Take a virtual walk through of the progress so far and get ready to visit the finished product in Fall 2012. See and learn more here.
Image via buildingtheusonianhouse.com
The Robert D. and Winifred L. Winn House (1950) in Kalamazoo, MI, designed as part of Frank Lloyd Wright's Parkwyn Village community, is on the market for the approachable price of $200,000.
That said, a look at the listing photos reveals that much would need to be undone to bring this Usonian gem back to its former glory. Hopefully someone out there is willing to take up the restoration challenge to make things "Wright" at the Winn House. See the listing here.
Then check out a series of photos from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Digital Collections that show the house back in its Mid-century Modern glory. See them here.
Image copyright UNL Digital Collections
Eric S. sends word that a phenomenal-looking 1941 Usonian home by noted Twin Cities architect, Robert Cerny, is on the market in St. Paul for $370,000. Get ready to drool at more photos here.
Image via 375pelham.com
The careful dismantling of the Frank Lloyd Wright/Rudolph Schindler-designed cottage in Wilmette, IL is underway as part of the plan to move it to its new home in Wauconda and fully restore it. The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, many preservationists, Joe Catrambone, and George Hausen should all be commended for working together to help save this important little architectural gem. See photos and more here.
Image via triblocal.com
The Erskine House (aka"Trilogy") is a beautiful John Randal MacDonald design located in Racine, WI and is currently on the market for $485,000.
This amazing work of Organic architecture has 3900 sf, with 4 bedrooms, 7 baths, and an adjoining two car garage with a small apartment located below.The property is situated on 1.17 acres and enjoys a beautiful view of the Root river valley and the Racine Country Club.
If you're interested in living "PrairieMod," then contact Daniel Plebanek at 262-412-0601.
Photo copyright ChicagoGeek Flickr user
The Wall Street Journal showcases the million dollar renovation of John Lautner's swooping 1962 Garcia House, an iconic Modern home featured in "Lethal Weapon 2." Check out the article and more photos here.
The eyes of the world will be on London this summer, thanks to the Olympics. LEGO is getting in the Anglo spirit with the release of their newest set from their popular architecture series. More after the jump...
Frank Lloyd Wright's beautiful Clinton Walker House (1948) in Carmel, CA is the subject of a recent USAToday "Loyalty Traveler BoardingArea" blog post. Check out the rest of the photos here.
Image via Loyalty Traveler BoardingArea blog
Scott T. sends a link to a house designed by Taliesin apprentice, Sanford M. Goldman, for sale in Saint Petersburg, FL. Check out the listing and photos here.
Image via hotpads.com
The blog, io9.com, provides a sneak peek at some pages from the new Batman graphic novel by publishing design guru and Bat-fan, Chip Kidd.
Taking artistic cues from Metropolis by Fritz Lang and renderings by architect Hugh Ferriss, Kidd spins his yarn around the architectural side of Gotham City and features classic and new villains, plus Bruce Wayne as chairman of the Gotham Landmarks Commission. Read and see more here.
Image via io9.com
Scott T. sends a link to a new Taliesin-designed residence (created as part of the collaborative effort between Taliesin and Seattle-based, Lindal Cedar Homes) for Fontana, WI. While the exploration with their ModFab™ design intrigued many as a way to inject Usonian ideals into a 21st Century package, this particular offering seems more Dwell than Wright. Is this the new direction for Organic Architecture? See the listing here and tell us what you think in the comments.
Image via firstweber.com
By now everyone is full-up of stories about the recent NATO summit held last Sunday and Monday here in Chicago. Even though the protests and diplomatic wrangling took most of the headlines, one aspect of the event that may not of gotten as much news was how impressed the foreign visitors were with the city itself.
As quoted in a recent Chicago Tribune article, first time visitor Michelle Stockman, a video journalist for French news agency AFP stated:
"I saw this gleaming city on the lake that was full of amazing architecture — I would say even better than New York City — and that was really impressive to me," said Stockman. "For the show that they're putting on for NATO, Chicago officials have done themselves well."
+1, Chicago. Read more about it here.
Image via northwestern.edu
High-profile pieces of Frank Lloyd Wright furniture design continue to appear on the auction block. This time, it's two reclining armchairs originally designed for the first Francis W. Little House in Peoria, IL that are being offered for sale at Christies for the not-so-little price of $90,000-$120,000 each. Click the link to see the listings.
Image via Christies
Scott T. sends a link to a sweet-looking home in West Vancouver, British Columbia for sale designed by architect Russell Hollingsworth that has all the Usonian bells and whistles. Check it out here.
Image via soprovich.com
Mark Hertzberg's Wright In Racine blog has posted an exciting preview of the new "At Home with Frank Lloyd Wright" permanent exhibition in Fortaleza Hall located at the SC Johnson Company campus in Racine, Wisconsin. The show is opening at the end of next week, but this is your chance to catch a sneak peek! Read and see all the photos here.
Images copyright Mark Hertzberg
While the Chicago Loop was filled with protestors and dignitaries this weekend, The Forest Leaves reports that 40 spouses of NATO officials toured the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, IL on Sunday, May 20, 2012.
The idea for the tour came from the wife of U.S. Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder, Elisa D. Harris, who apparently is a big Frank Lloyd Wright fan. Read more about it here.
Image via GoWright.org
Brightwater Falls, in a forest near Asheville, NC, is for sale--and it turns out to be the perfect spot for someone wanting to build their own take on "Fallingwater," Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic house cantilevered over a waterfall.
Conrad Brown, the architect-owner, is offering this 6.92 acre forested parcel, at the end of a private, paved access road for $575,000. In addition to the year-round flowing falls, the property includes a brick house with full basement near the falls, a deep well, and all utilities. The site for this century's Fallingwater lies above the existing home, which can be used as is, kept for guests or as a caretaker cottage.
Information and photographs here.
Image via Conrad Brown
Radioiowa.com reports that the efforts to save the First Christian Church in Cedar Rapids, IA has failed and demolition by the hospital that owns it to make way for a parking lot will proceed this week. The church was significant because Louis Sullivan had a consulting hand in its design and it featured Louis Millet windows. No word yet where the windows will end-up. Ironically, May 22, 1912 was the Church's original dedication and groundbreaking. Read the sad news here and here.
Image via The Gazette
Sacramento Modern (SacMod) will be celebrating the Roush Residence (designed by Taliesin Fellow and friend/colleague of architect John Lautner, Terry Waters) with a tour on June 2, 2012 from 1pm - 6pm. There will be food, drink, music, and docents on hand to discuss this amazing Mid-century Modern home. Details here.
Image via SacMod
The Wright auction house in Chicago is offering two Frank Lloyd Wright-designed redwood plywood tables originally made for the J.A. Sweeton House in Cherry Hill, NJ. Estimated at a steep $10-$15,000, it's unlikely they will ever be reunited with their intended environment. Perhaps they could at least be recreated...it would be interesting to see if plans for these simple, yet elegantly geometric tables either exist or could be drawn up. Any woodworkers with Usonian flair out there? See the auction listing here.
Image via Wright20.com
The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation began an initiative last fall with Big Green Zero, a team of energy engineers and planners, called Energizing Taliesin West™. This launch is an unprecedented effort to increase the energy efficiency of Taliesin West while maintaining the architectural integrity of the campus. More after the jump...
Rochestercitynewspaper.com recently posted an interview with the current owners of the Edward E. Boynton House, the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence in Rochester, NY about its painstaking 2-year restoration. Read it and see more photos here.
Image via Rochester CIty Newspaper
A lecture by Charles Birnbaum, an authority on landscape architecture of the 20th and 21st centuries will take place on Wednesday, May 23, 2012 at 7 pm. This is the second in a series of lectures on the American Spirit of Landscape organized by the Graycliff Conservancy. It will take place in the auditorium of the Burchfield-Penney Art Center at 1300 Elmwood Ave in Buffalo, NY. Details after the jump...
Continue reading "The American Spirit Of Landscape, Part II" »
Heads-up Madison, WI! The well-traveled Frank Lloyd Wright-designed dog house will be on display June 4-10, 2012 at Monona Terrace. Read more here.
Image via host.madison.com
The Hinsdale Trib Local reports that About 100 architectural items salvaged from (mostly demolished) Zook homes will be for sale this Saturday, May 19, 2012 to raise money to restore the architect’s home and studio overseen by the Hinsdale Historical Society, which moved the structure in 2005 from the 327 S. Oak Street to Katherine Legge Memorial Park. Read more here.
Image via hinsdalehistory.org
Blair Kamin reports that Tim Samuelson, the Cultural Historian for the City of Chicago, has a new Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit opening June 22, 2012 in Chicago called "Wright's Roots" that anyone who loves Organic Architecture will not want to miss! Read more about it here.
Image via Wikipedia
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