PrairieMod

FSC Funds update

Florida Southern College, home to several Frank Lloyd Wright designed buildings, recently received $1.6 million dollars from the state to repair its esplanade system (also known as covered walkways.) The college also received a matching $350,000 for restoring its water dome as well.

This is good news for helping to secure the future for these important Wright structures. When the PrairieMod team was last at Florida Southern College, the grandeur of the site was still prevalent, but time and lagging repairs had visibly taken their toll. It will be exciting to see the esplanades returned to their former glory (as glimpsed in the above photo from 1961.)

Photo courtesy of the St. Petersburg Times

Wright's Stormy Legacy

A storm has been brewing around Lake Mahopac, located 50 miles north of New York City, and it's not your typical spring thunderstorm. The uproar surrounds a rocky, ten-acre island in the lake appropriately named "Petra" (from the Greek word for stone) and the house that is being built there. Normally, building a house is no big news story, but this house comes with built-in controversy for many people.

In the 1950s, Ahmed K. Chahroudi, then owner of Petra Island asked Frank Lloyd Wright to design him a "masterpiece" for the site. Wright took him literally and designed a house that Mr. Chahroudi could not afford to build, and thus the design languished. 47 years after Frank Lloyd Wright's death, the house designed for Petra Island has a new lease on life and is in the process of being completed by current island owner, Joseph Massaro. He was intrigued by the Wright drawings for the house and decided to undertake building the house as close as possible to the original designs, including the dramatic 78-foot cantilever suspended over the lake, a huge interior skylight, and a massive island boulder (12 foot high, 40 foot long and 10 foot wide) which acts as the living room's focal point. Thomas A. Heinz, prolific author and architect was asked to help supervise the execution of the design and oversee its implementation. Petra Productions, a film company, is even shooting a PBS special about the house. All of this attention to Wright's detail and the quest to build the house as close to Wright's drawn plans are where most of the problems arise for some people.

There is a very vocal section of the Wright world that absolutely abhors projects of this nature. They see it as a tremendous waste of energy and an act of sacrilege to build anything in the modern age from Wright's lexicon of unbuilt projects. You only need to go on the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy's message board to read the volumes of angry protests against the Petra Island house and other projects of this nature. It all brings up an interesting point: What's Wright, and What's Wrong.

The Wright world is a fascinating gaggle of fans, scholars, collectors, acolytes and critics. They travel the globe to see and experience first hand the architectural wonders that have sprung from the mind of Frank Lloyd Wright. They also spend a lot of money on books, magazines and assorted Frank Lloyd Wright relics (where available) and merchandise (another sore subject for many, and a whole separate discussion.) Frank Lloyd Wright's name is a phenomenon and some in this specialized world take offense when the perceived purity of the past designs are tainted by trying to execute them today and linking that famous name to them. Many of the naysayers are actual owners of original Wright houses, and one wonders if it isn't elitism masquerading as scholarly concern.

I see this whole argument as ultimately moot, since both sides are partially right and wrong. Wright himself was a big proponent for mining his own portfolio of past designs for new commissions in an attempt to have them built. It's true that the process of building one of his designs with him often meant modifications through every step of the project, but he wanted his ideas built...it does nothing for an architect to draw and write about buildings and never have them executed. Good ideas should be experienced by all; no matter who designed them, when they were executed and by whom. The caveat to this process of legacy building Wright designs is that they should be undertaken in the spirit of Wright, using a sensitivity to what the last known original designs called for and the knowledge of his system of "organic design."

It comes down to intent. If a design is bastardized for the sake of making a dollar off of it's pedigree, then there's a big problem. But, if the idea is sound and the building is built for the sake of using it for it's original intent and with an eye for being respectful towards its execution, then build away. I would rather have a legacy "Wright" home built with sensitivity and thoughfulness, than a thousand McMansions any day.

Who's right? That's for you to decide.

Rendering by Thomas A. Heinz,AIA

Summer Issue Preview: Arts & Crafts Homes and the Revival

We've got highlights from the upcoming summer issue of Arts & Crafts Homes and the Revival, coming out early June 2006:

• The Trends section talks about A&C-related blogs

• The Expo section, which is 6 pages of hot product sources, focuses on tiles, pots and ceramics

• Various articles cover: an A&C kitchen in California, an A&C home in Illinois, A&C hotels, an A&C garden in Maine, Foursquares, plus a profile on an Art Nouveau house in the UK

• There is a story on a bungalow restoration

• A feature on exterior A&C paint colors

Pick up a copy at you local bookseller soon or subscribe today!

Wright Plus 2006

For some, WP 2006 was a rehash of the same old thing. For others, it was a gorgeous day out on the town. And still, for many countless others, it was an opportunity to see inside private residences of historical significance and intrigue.

The PrairieMod Squad made it out to the O.P. for the festivities...and what a wonderful spring day it was! At the FLW Home & Studio, the contents of the Gingko Tree Bookshop were pushed outside and visitors were perusing the many books and home accessory items for sale. There were new Frank Lloyd Wright items by Haeger Pottery, Copeland Furniture and Prairie Arts. In fact, Haegar was demonstrating how their pottery is made, Copeland previewed some of their fine furniture items and Prairie Arts had a display of their new decorative wood screens (which were mentioned as "coming soon").

A particularly wonderful highlight for the event, was the Isabel Roberts House in River Forest, IL. This home is a splendid blend of Prairie School elegance with Usonian practicality and simplicity! Additionally, the Hills-DeCaro House was a wonderful treat, showing off it's meticulous interior restoration.

If you missed out, there is always the Wright and Like 2006 event on June 10 and the Walter Burley Griffin Society event on June 17. And if you can't make it out for either of those, start making plans for Wright Plus 2007!

Arts & Crafts Show: Chicago Style

Well, from the buzz we've been hearing on the street, the 1st Annual Arts & Crafts Show in Chicago was a success! A lot of folks have said that they enjoyed themselves and were impressed with the strong showing of artisans, dealers and retailers who were all exhibiting.

A couple of Prairie Mod Squad members were able to make it out to the event last weekend and can confirm this feedback. In fact, some of us left with our wallets a little lighter! Event favorites included Dard Hunter Studios, Ephraim Pottery and John Toomey Gallery. However, there were so many others that had a wonderful presence....making the show a big success!

We look forward to the 2nd Annual Arts & Crafts Show in Chicago next spring! Also, a big thank you to Eastwood Gallery for putting the whole show together. These guys made it happen!

Photo courtesy of www.artsandcraftschicago.com

Walter Burley Griffin Society Lecture/Tour

Don't miss this event....

Walter Burley Griffin Society Annual Meeting - Lectures and Tour Evanston, IL June 17, 2006

Lectures on the Griffin/Mahony collections at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Architectural Club of the early 1900s, the restoration of the Moulton House, Griffins' planning projects for Evanston, background info on the tour houses and more!

Interior tours of WBG's Moulton, Carter & Schwartz houses, FLLW's Bach house and several of houses by Myron Hunt. Exterior tours of three other WBG houses. Evening reception at WBG's completely restored Emery House.

Registration required prior to event. $35 per person.

Send check to:
Walter Burley Griffin Society
1152 Center Drive
St. Louis, MO 63117

Email questions: wbgsociety@aol.com

Photo of Carter House by WBG in Evanston, IL from the Digital Archive of American Architecture

Prefabs, Post Frank Lloyd Wright

A few weeks back I recorded a show on the DVR about Amazing Vacation Homes from The Travel Channel. In this particular episode, they featured two prefab homes. The second of the two, was the Desert Hot Springs, CA prefab weekend home of Leo Marmol, Managing Principal of Marmol Radziner and Associates. It's the prototype for the prefabricated, custom steel frame residences that Marmol Radziner and Associates began designing in 2002 when Dwell magazine launched a competition to produce a prototype for a contemporary prefab home. There is a whole website dedicated to this particular architectural option at www.marmolradzinerprefab.com.

I'll avoid spewing philosophy for one evening, but it's interesting to note that many of the elements that comprise this particular prefab are rooted in Wright's Usonian architectural works.

Marmol Radziner and Associates are also noted with the restoration of the Palm Springs Kaufmann House that Richard Neutra (FLW apprentice) designed for the Kaufmann's a decade after Wright built them Fallingwater.

Photo credit: Benny Chan

Arts & Crafts Revival: Gen X & Gen Y Consumers?

"There is a big group of Gen X and Gen Y consumers coming into the market. They like the traditional styles of the past for their lifestyle." - Nathan Cressman, vice president of merchandising and international operations for Magnussen Furniture

"Hooker Furniture's Simply American Collection is betting on the hunch that Gen X and Gen Y consumers, who demand quality in everything from their cars to their cocktails, won't mind paying extra for craftsmanship such as quarter-sawn white oak, cedar-lined drawers, hand-rubbed finishes and exposed mortise and tenon pegs." - Kim Shaver, vice president of marketing and communications for Hooker Furniture

"Seventeen years ago no one had a clue what Arts & Crafts meant. They thought it had something to do with candle making. Now you are going to see that Arts & Crafts isn't going to go away. It is going to become a part of American style." - Michael Danial, corporate historian for Stickley Furniture

The excerpts above are all from an article in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about the 2006 International Home Furnishings Market Show in High Point, NC. It shows that many furniture manufacturers have discovered through market research, that Arts & Crafts styling is becoming highly desirable to a younger generation. Many Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers are seeking simplicity in their lives at home. They also seek out things of finer taste in every aspect of their lives and  "mission" furniture is one way of filling that place in their choice of furnishings.

As a member of the Gen X and Gen Y crowd, I concur. Our generation is in fact realizing the significance of how beautiful and useful home furnishings impact our daily lives. In fact, reporting on and detailing this realization is what PrairieMod is all about.

Now, there are different categories of Gen X and Gen Y consumers that should be recognized and identified. Some folks are purists: original Stickley from the 20th century. Some are enthusiasts: reproduction pieces of Frank Lloyd Wright's furniture. Others are appreciators: new designs based on the spirit and principles of Arts & Crafts ideologies. Most importantly, there seems to be another group that doesn't know much about any of this. They just know they like the way the stuff looks. Their interest is all at once exciting and dangerous. Skateboarders call them posers. The Hip Hop crowd calls them biters. I believe Baby Boomers call them followers or copycats.

I'm aware of the fact that through the 1980's and 1990's, many Arts & Crafts revivalists were deeply concerned with an increased popularity of the aesthetic style of the movement, without enthusiasts understanding the fundamentals of what it was all about. I feel that they did a wonderful job of educating people on understanding the deeper aspects and not just focusing on the superficial looks of Arts & Crafts (which is very easy to get caught up in). Through publications like Style 1900 and American Bungalow, the message was conveyed and people began to learn why this kind of furniture and home decor is so attractive. They planted the seeds, which allowed the revival to continue into the 21st century. In fact, it's the very thing that has impacted the younger generation...the Gen X-er and Gen Y-er. We've taken notice and now the majority of us need to understand the deeper meaning. Otherwise, we'll be onto the next fad...quicker than you can type the word "download".

Photo courtesy of www.stickley.com

Unity Temple Restoration Foundation Fellowship Award Recipient

Congratulations to Jack Lesniak, recipient of the 2006 UTRF Fellowship Award! In recognition of his efforts, the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation (UTRF) will honor Mr. Lesniak at its 4th annual gala this Saturday for his work in restoring Unity Temple. The gala takes place at 6 p.m. at Unity Temple, 875 Lake St.

Lesniak serves on UTRF’s board, and is currently a member of the Restoration Committee for the Wright Preservation Trust’s other property, the Robie House. He is also chair of the Architectural Advisory Committee, which advises Unity Temple’s board of directors on restoration efforts. Since 2000, Lesniak has been a commissioner on the Oak Park Historic Preservation Committee as well.

Jack Lesniak is the fourth individual to receive the honor for his work in preserving the temple. You may read an in-depth article by Oak Park's Wednesday Journal Online here.

Photo courtesy of www.wednesdayjournalonline.com

Wright & Like 2006

It's spring and a marvelous time of year to start making plans for weekend road trips to visit Frank Lloyd Wright homes across the Midwest!

Wright & Like 2006 takes place in Wausau, WI and looks to be an incredible weekend. The big event is Saturday, June 10th and will feature homes such as the Manson House and the Duey-Wright House. Additionally, there will be other homes open to the public by another remarkable Prairie School Architect...George Maher. Tickets are $40 per person.

If you're looking to get a bit more out of the weekend, make plans to attend the Dinner & Dialog event on Friday, June 9th. Tickets will be $50. Also, there will be a Post Tour Wine & Cheese Reception on Saturday evening at 4:30pm. If this wasn't enough, the Schwartz House is offering a free Open House for Dinner & Dialog ticket holders on Sunday, June 10th!

Photo Courtesy of The Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin Heritage Tourism Program, Inc.

At Nature's Edge

Frank Lloyd Wright designed several artists studios in the course of his 70 year career, but one of the few that were actually built in Idaho’s Hagerman Valley is a little known gem affectionately called "Teater's Knoll."

Designed and built in the 50s, the studio for Archie and Patricia Teater was a labor of love built on a cliff in the remote Idaho desert. It's an excellent example of Wright's mastery at using stone, wood and glass in complete harmony and in one of his most elegant and simplest designs. From its soaring, triangular roof line, to the wonderful expanses of glass windows and rough hewn stone walls, this small, rustic studio is perfectly suited to complement its environment.

One of the aspects of this particular Wright project that we at PrairieMod find most intriguing is that at the time of the Teater's commission, Wright was an architect of huge stature, designing projects like the Guggenheim Museum. Yet he took on one of the smallest building commissions of his career (he was paid only $1500 for it) and put just as much thought and consideration into its creation. It's hard to think of today's architects and architectural firms of a similar stature spending the time on such small commissions the way Frank Lloyd Wright would do on a regular basis. As current Teater's Knoll owner, Henry Whiting II points out in an article for JetSet Modern.com:

"it could be argued that designing small, inexpensive, dwellings was more important to him than creating larger, more elaborate projects like the Guggenheim Museum."

Unfortunately to date, there has been little written about Teater's Knoll. The long out-of-print book on the house's history and construction, written by current owner, Henry Whiting II is rare and expensive to own. PrairieMod has learned that the University of Utah Press will be publishing Mr. Whiting's new book, At Nature's Edge: Frank Lloyd Wright's Artist Studio in October, 2006. In the meantime, read the article written by Henry Whiting for JetSet Modern.com about the Teater's Studio to learn more about this amazing house in the wilds of America's West.

Photo Credit: © 2006 Henry Whiting II