It was a gorgeous late fall day. Leaves still clung to the trees, shaking as the wind swept through the urban but cloistered beauty of Columbia University’s Upper West Side campus. My husband John and I breathed in the snap of autumn cool as we walked quickly toward the Butler Library, where we were to pick up our credentials, which would allow us to enter the inner sanctum of the…

Not all Wright houses can survive as house museums for “architourists.” To survive into the future, many must remain desirable places in which to live for people of the present day. Owners Dan Nichols and Christine Denario have been making limited subtle alterations to the modest Sweeton House (1950) in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, to accommodate the stuff and mechanics of present day life with a goal of keeping Wright’s…

When John and Kathleen Leigh purchased the Robert G. Emmond House in La Grange, Illinois, in 1994, they did not envision the colorful transformation that would unfold. A kitchen remodeling in the late 1990s grew into a full-blown restoration, complete with replication of original finishes. Theirs is a story of discovery and dedication to the commitment and vision of detail-oriented owners as well as one that sheds light on Frank…