The SAVEWRIGHT: Notable Women Homeowners Project tells the stories of the remarkable women who have stewarded Wright’s houses. The project traverses the years from the early 20th century to the present, creating a wonderful interconnectedness of women’s history and architecture.

Interested in the topic? Four Notable Women Homeowners will be speaking on Saturday, September 30, 2023 in Minneapolis. See the line-up here.

Conference: Women’s Roles in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Architecture

Finding a Connection with Lucille Christie While Bringing the Christie House Back to Life

Current owner Genevieve Castelino finds that history can repeat itself.

Read Genevieve’s essay on connecting with the original owner of the Christie House.

Clockwise from left: 1944 letter from Lucille Christie to Frank Lloyd Wright. © 2023 Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ.; Original homeowner Lucille Christie. Courtesy Genevieve Castelino; current Christie House owner Genevieve Castelino. Courtesy Genevieve Castelino.

Video: An Enriched Life

The persistence of original owner Lucille Christie enabled the construction of the Christie House.

This video, produced by current Christie House owner Genevieve Castelino, delves into the correspondence between Lucille and Wright in the 1940s and illustrates the results of Lucille’s efforts with contemporary footage of the house.

Christie House exterior. Courtesy Genevieve Castelino and Kiran Merchant.

A Childhood in Nature Leads to a Passion for the Environment

Toward Net Zero at the Balch House, 120+ Years Old

Read about homeowner Samantha Lotti’s efforts to reduce the house’s carbon footprint while maintaining its historic integrity.

Homeowner Samantha Lotti stands in front of the Balch House. Courtesy Samantha Lotti.

My Friend Mimi

Brandes House benefited greatly from master gardener Mimi Brandes’ surrounding landscape plan. Current homeowner Marsha Shyer set out to discover more.

Follow along as Marsha uncovers the impact the original owner had—and continues to have—on the experience of the house and its surroundings.

Mimi Brandes at Brandes House desk (L). Courtesy Marsha Shyer. Marsha Shyer at Brandes House desk (R). Courtesy Marsha Shyer. Marilyn Black, photographer.

Setting the Standard for Historic Restoration

At the Tomek House, Maya Moran Manny raised the bar for Prairie home stewardship.

Hear from Maya about restoring the house, raising a family there, and finding inspiration in Wright’s design.

Maya Moran Manny. Courtesy Tom Moran.

Bringing Two Innovative Disciplines Together

Mary Adams, at the age of 70, commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design her a home with the purpose of bringing Christian Science to the community.

Learn how Mary’s education and religion influenced the design of the Mary Adams House.

Mary Adams portrait (L). Courtesy the Mayflower Society. Mary Adams House exterior (R). Courtesy Bill Levy and Patrick Schwarz. Russell Grace, Photographer.

Artists Bringing the Modern Age to Life

Alma Goetsch and Kathrine Winckler provided a model for modern living with the help and understanding of Frank Lloyd Wright at their idiosyncratic home.

Read the story of two remarkable women who commissioned a house by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1939.

Black and white photo of two women in a meadow.

Alma Goetsch and Kathrine Winckler enjoyed the natural world surrounding their Frank Lloyd Wright House. Courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, Scottsdale, AZ. The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archives (The Museum of Modern Art | Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York).

A Sleep Researcher Stewards a Natural House

The current owner of the Goetsch-Winckler House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, brings the house back to its roots.

Hear from this remarkable woman about living in tune with nature and restoring the house’s original woodwork.

Family photo with trees, grass, and house in the background

Life at the natural house that Frank Lloyd Wright created for Alma Goetsch and Kathrine Winckler works well for the current natural lifestyle that sleep researcher Elle Wernette has found for her growing family. While the term that Elle uses for it, calling herself a crunchy mom, may be new, the roots of her thinking go back to the modern lifestyle that was fostered by Goetsch and Winckler with Frank Lloyd Wright. Courtesy Elle Wernette.

Video: What It's Like to Live in the Goetsch-Winckler House

Living the natural house lifestyle with Frank Lloyd Wright’s original clients and a current homeowner.

Watch this video to see the house through the eyes of its homeowners, past and present.

A basset hound sits inside a house with stone walls and built-in bookshelves with light streaming in.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Goetsch-Winckler House catches the sun through its large windows and clerestory windows. Interior view with Adonis, the Wernette Family dog. Courtesy Elle Wernette.

Keeping Frank Lloyd Wright in the Family

A founder and mom passes the Bogk House to her daughter, a leader and president.

Read the story of the influence these two remarkable women have had on the Bogk House, and how it has influenced their family.

Two women, a mother and daughter, sit on a couch inside a home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Barbara Elsner and Margaret Howland in the Bogk House, enjoying each other’s company. Courtesy Margaret Howland.

How Frank Lloyd Wright Influenced an Influencer

A major historic renovation from Sue Major, a successful lifelong Girl Scout and owner of the Fred B. Jones Estate, known as Penwern.

Read about this remarkable woman’s appreciation for how Frank Lloyd Wright designed this lake house for bringing people together.

Portrait of a woman next to an image of a house during a party.

Left: Sue Major, Courtesy Sue Major. Right: Penwern Fourth of July Party, © Mark Hertzberg.

Posted April 14, 2023