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Saturday, July 13 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Aurora, Illinois Bruce Goff’s work often defies definition and his Ford House is a prime example of a building without precedent: Quonset hut ribs, marbles, rope and a 70-foot wall of coal combine to create three soaring circular spaces. Join the Conservancy on Saturday, July 13 for a tour at this unique house and watch as the sun shines through, making the interior sparkle. Sidney Robinson, longtime owner and professor emeritus of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and University of Illinois at Chicago, will be present to talk about the house and answer questions. Light food and refreshments for the afternoon will be provided. >>REGISTER NOW >>REGISTER NOW (.DOC) Registration for the Ford House Tour is $20 for members / $35 for non-members. Non-members who join at the friend level ($50) will receive a complimentary registration. Proceeds benefit the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. Bruce Goff designed the Ford house in Aurora in the late 1940s for Ruth and Sam Ford, a watercolor painter and a gas utilities engineer. Having recently returned from the engineering corps of the Navy, Goff incorporated materials that referenced nautical images, using rope nailed to the ceilings, lapped cypress boards and green glass chunks that gave an underwater green glow to the interior. He also used steel Quonset hut ribs as the structure and a 70-foot wall of coal. The unusual materials with their strong colors and varied textures are disciplined by the rigor of the circular geometry. The result is an environment that is both stimulating and calming. The dialog between natural and industrial materials, between interior and exterior, between rigor and freedom makes a domestic setting that is endlessly engaging. The unusual vertical axes at the center of three domes culminate in light at the top of the main circular volume as well as the quarter circle bedrooms in the second and third domes. Although Goff never signed on as an apprentice at Taliesin, he had contacted Wright as a young man and the two architects kept track of the other as their careers developed. Goff freely admitted how much he valued Wright's example even though he independently developed his style in a different direction. Street parking for the afternoon is available on South Edgelawn Drive, Kenilworth Place and Southlawn Place immediately bordering the Ford House.
Saturday, June 29, 2013 12:30 to 7:00 p.m. REGISTER NOW (online) REGISTER NOW (.doc) Additional spaces for Destination DC just added. Due to an enthusiastic response, the Conservancy has added an additional bus for Destination DC. Places are limited so register now to ensure you don't miss out on this exciting opportunity. The Conservancy is coming to the nation's capital on June 29 to celebrate and explore Wright's work in the metropolitan DC Area. Participants will tour three Wright-designed houses, starting with the Robert Llewellyn Wright House (1953) in Bethesda, Maryland. Thomas Wright, grandson of Frank Lloyd Wright and the current owner of the house, will personally conduct the tour and answer questions. Participants will then travel to McLean, Virginia, to tour the Luis Marden House (1952). Light refreshments will be served on the terrace with views overlooking the majestic Potomac. The day will conclude at Woodlawn with a tour of the Pope-Leighey House (1939) in Alexandria, Virginia. Like the progression from the First Jacobs House to the Second Jacobs House, the buildings of Destination DC move from the L-shaped plan of Pope-Leighey to the hemicycles of the Marden and Robert Llewelyn Wright Houses. Based on a two-by-four-foot rectangular unit, the Pope-Leighey House was originally built in Falls Church, Virginia, but was relocated to Woodlawn Plantation when the extension of Interstate 66 threatened the property. Today, the house is operated and maintained by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Built a little over a decade after construction was finished on Pope-Leighey, the Robert Llewellyn Wright and Marden Houses share more in common than just shape. Originally, Wright wanted the site of the Marden House to be used for his son, but when an agreement could not be arranged he created two separate designs for their different sites. Although both houses are composed of concrete block and wood, the more compact Robert LlewellynWright House was executed across two floors, with the private spaces on the second story, while the longer Marden House is sited on a steep hillside. Destination DC participants can take advantage of the Conservancy’s group rate ($139/night plus tax) at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, a member of the Historic Hotels of America. Opened in 1930, the eight-story building combines Renaissance architecture with Art Deco style and has hosted an inaugural ball for every president from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Barack Obama. To make your reservation call 1.877.758.8363, and mention the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy room block. The group rate will extend two days before and after Destination DC so come early or stay late to enjoy the many other attractions that the capital has to offer. Please note: reservations made at the Omni Shoreham must be cancelled with 72 hours’ notice to receive a full refund.
Saturday, May 11, 2013 Blossom and McArthur House ToursChicago, Illinois >>REGISTER NOW (Online) >>REGISTER NOW (MS Word) Registration for the open houses is $45 members / $60 for non-members. Non-members who join at the friend level ($50) or higher will receive a complimentary registration. There is limited space so please reserve your place by Monday, May 6 to ensure that you don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity. Proceeds benefit the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. After Wright designed his first seven buildings, he did eight more from home outside his contract with Sullivan in 1891 and 1892. These houses, later called the “bootlegged” houses by Grant Mason, reveal a number of early design concepts and details with which Wright was experimenting. Wright continued trying various designs from 1893 to 1899 with some 33 more “Pre-Prairie” houses, until the first real Prairie Houses appeared in 1900. Of the “bootlegged” houses in Illinois, two are in LaGrange, two are in Oak Park, two were demolished and two were built side-by-side in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood—the George Blossom House and the Warren McArthur House. Serendipitously, both of these houses are on the market at the same time. Join the Conservancy and realtor Louisa McPharlin of Coldwell Banker on Saturday, May 11 for an open house and reception from 2:00 to 4:30 p.m. for the rare chance to tour these private homes. The McArthur House has been in Ms. McPharlin’s family since 1954. The Blossom house’s current owners, the Baum-Shaddle family, will be represented by their grandson, Cain Baum. Both built in 1892 next door to one another, there is no chance of mistaking the Blossom House for the McArthur House. With a floor plan that is essentially a symmetrical Colonial Revival, the Blossom House’s yellow siding and white trim stands in direct contrast to the dark red bands of roman brick of the McArthur House. Once inside, however, Wright uses compressed entryways in both houses to emphasize the spacious interiors, adorned with built-ins and art glass throughout. Both houses also feature fully furnished rental properties that were converted from garages into coach house residences. These two additional structures are included in the afternoon tour. Four Wright structures plus a light reception and a good conversation with Conservancy members; a perfect spring afternoon in Chicago! >>View WOM listing for Blossom House >>View WOM listing for McArthur House Street parking for the afternoon is available on Kenwood between East 48th and East 49th Streets and along 49th Street. >>REGISTER NOW |
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