One might, it seems, be almost anyÂwhere in the U.S. and only a few hours driÂve from a Frank Lloyd Wright house. The “WisÂconÂsin-born Wright’s portÂfoÂlio,” writes Jess HofÂfert at MidÂwest LivÂing, conÂsists “of about 500 strucÂtures, a good porÂtion of which still stand in the MidÂwest.” Wright housÂes span the West Coast and nesÂtle in the subÂurbs of WashÂingÂton, DC. As milÂlions of visÂiÂtors see up close every year at the MetÂroÂpolÂiÂtan MuseÂum of Art’s Frank Lloyd Wright Room, Wright’s style perÂmeÂatÂed every part of his designs, inside and out.
But there’s no talk of travÂel these days. The Wright-designed homes and museÂum exhiÂbiÂtions that were open to the pubÂlic have closed their doors to visÂiÂtors “just when they were gearÂing up for the spring tourÂing seaÂson to begin,” announced the Frank Lloyd Wright BuildÂing ConÂserÂvanÂcy. To make sure the pubÂlic still has access to twelve of those famous works, the Conservancy—along with the Frank Lloyd Wright FounÂdaÂtion and the UniÂty TemÂple RestoraÂtion FounÂdaÂtion—have launched #WrightVirÂtuÂalVisÂits, which offers virÂtuÂal tours of 12 iconÂic housÂes.
The delivÂery method is “a touch conÂfusÂing,” Matt HickÂman comÂments at The Architect’s NewsÂpaÂper. Tours kick off at 12:00 CenÂtral every ThursÂday “for six weeks (and maybe more). Each week, the conÂserÂvaÂtors of a speÂcifÂic Wright site will share a short yet intiÂmate video tour on its webÂsite and assoÂciÂatÂed media pages of anothÂer Wright site…. Each week, two fresh Wright propÂerÂties will parÂtake in this virÂtuÂal tour swap.” This does require a close readÂing of the instrucÂtions, and requires one to keep a date, as it were, for a Wright tour.
GivÂen the housÂes on disÂplay, you might not find this too trouÂbleÂsome.
BuildÂings that have been feaÂtured already or are up to bat in the comÂing weeks include the UniÂty TemÂple in Oak Park, IlliÂnois; the HolÂlyÂhock House, recentÂly named as the first UNESCO World HerÂitage Site in Los AngeÂles; Chicago’s Prairie School stunÂner, the Emil Bach House; TalÂiesin West, home of the (posÂsiÂbly) defunct School of ArchiÂtecÂture at TalÂiesin, in ScottsÂdale, AriÂzona; the stunÂning yet often-overÂlooked GrayÂcliff estate outÂside of BufÂfaÂlo, New York; SamaÂra, a prisÂtine UsonÂian design in West Lafayette, IndiÂana; the GorÂdon House, the only Wright buildÂing in OreÂgon, and, of course, FallingÂwaÂter.
That last house must sureÂly be Wright’s most famous, an exemÂplar of his “UsonÂian” style. But no matÂter what parÂticÂuÂlar idiom he chose, the MidÂwestÂern aesÂthetÂic valÂues that shaped his earÂly Prairie Style carÂried through into all of his latÂer work. In her short guide to ten of the most well-known Prairie HousÂes, Wright expert CarÂla Lind describes his visuÂal phiÂlosÂoÂphy as repÂreÂsenÂtaÂtive of “ideals in which midÂwestÂernÂers believed.”
The seeds of the Prairie Style were rootÂed in an appreÂciÂaÂtion for nature and a dedÂiÂcaÂtion to the freeÂdom and indiÂvidÂuÂalÂiÂty inherÂent in democÂraÂcy. To that Wright added his own expeÂriÂences and influÂences: his mother’s teachÂing via the Froebel gifts, that natÂurÂal law could be underÂstood through geoÂmetÂric abstracÂtions; his father’s pasÂsion for music, which introÂduced him to comÂpoÂsiÂtion and harÂmoÂny; the litÂerÂaÂture of the day that informed him about the AesÂthetÂic and Arts and Crafts moveÂments and tranÂscenÂdenÂtal writÂers such as WhitÂman, EmerÂson, and ThoreÂau… the JapanÂese art and archiÂtecÂture at the World’s Columbian ExpoÂsiÂtion….
The price of admission—free for as long as it lasts—makes this opporÂtuÂniÂty to see, from a safe social disÂtance, how Wright balÂanced these influÂences well worth the virÂtuÂal trip.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
Frank Lloyd Wright Reflects on CreÂativÂiÂty, Nature and ReliÂgion in Rare 1957 Audio
Josh Jones is a writer and musiÂcian based in Durham, NC. FolÂlow him at @jdmagness
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