The Homeowner Committee of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy has announced an exciting line-up of four speakers for a Notable Women Homeowners Project panelas part of this year’s conference talks.
“Anne Kinney has already had a significant discovery, a video that she will reveal at the conference, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there are other pieces of history coming to light at these panels that will surprise us all,” said Marsha Shyer, chair of the committee. She continued: “I really think every homeowner is unique, and has something interesting to say. If you look at the stories and videos that we have produced for the SAVEWRIGHT: Notable Women Homeowners Project, you can see how fascinating and diverse the homeowners are, and how closely they relate to the experience of living in an incredible work of art.
The panelists will be speaking on Saturday morning, September 30, 2023.
The lineup will consist of the following presentations.
Conference details & registration
Architecture and Astronomy: My Favorite Things
Anne L. Kinney, owner of the Margaret and Patrick Kinney House and Retired Deputy Center Director at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center will discuss her care and stewardship of the 1951-designed Frank Lloyd Wright house, as well as discussing how growing up in the house as the daughter of original owners Margaret and Patrick Kinney had a strong effect on her future at NASA. She will also discuss how her mother Margaret, who is related to the Wright family, came to know Frank Lloyd Wright and his sister as a teenager and later commissioned him to design the house.
An exciting find will be revealed exclusively to those attending this talk in person. Anne Kinney will play a recently-found video of the first party held at the Kinney House. The videographer was Julia Arnold, who was there with her husband Clark Arnold and their family. Their house, the E. Clark and Julia Arnold House, which was in the process of being built, makes a brief and playful appearance in the film. Also in the film is noted Wright apprentice Jack Howe, and of course the entire Kinney family. This film will not be recorded or shared, so sign up now to see this amazing treasure!
Case Study: Rebuilding Frank Lloyd Wright’s Carroll Alsop House - A Local Hub for Creative Economic Growth and Preservation
Economic advisor and preservationist Mia Reed will demonstrate the economic growth premise she is using in restoring Frank Lloyd Wright’s Carroll Alsop House. She will demonstrate how this creative and whole-brain approach leads to positive economic results for the local community and also discuss her use of the house as an educational resource. While doing this, she also came upon the original windows one day, right in her backyard. They are now restored to their original glory!
Passing On
Safina Uberoi, the current owner of the Wright-designed Gerald and Beverly Tonkens House (Cincinnati, Ohio), tells the story of Beverly Tonkens, the longest steward of the building. Gerald Tonkens commissioned the house from Frank Lloyd Wright in 1954 and married Beverly in 1971. Over the next 40 years, Beverly Tonkens deployed grit, sensitivity and good taste in the stewardship of the house. Beverly’s commitment made the Tonkens House one of the best-maintained and most original of Wright’s Usonian Automatic designs. Finally, in 2015, Beverly sold the Tonkens House, but only after making absolutely sure that the new owners shared her passion for the preservation of Wright’s legacy.
From its Origin to an Educational Base: How Three Homeowners Have Shaped the Sutton House
Wright Spirit Award winner Janet Korell will discuss the three women behind the existence of Wright’s Sutton House: Mrs. Eliza Sutton, who commissioned the house in 1905; Mrs. Mary Poore, who saved the house from demolition in the 1970s; and Jan herself, who with her husband Van purchased the house in 1992 and, with the help of architect John Thorpe completed a total restoration in 2001. An interesting and storied history of the only Frank Lloyd Wright building ever built in Nebraska.
Panel Moderator: Kristin Anderson, Professor of Art and Design, Augsburg University, Minneapolis
Kristen teaches courses in both art history and architectural history. She received the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2005. A graduate of Oberlin College, Kristin has master’s degrees in art history (University of Minnesota) and church history (Luther Seminary) as well as a PhD in American Art, Architecture, and Popular Culture from the University of Minnesota.
Posted August 4, 2023
