Frank Lloyd Wright

[richard poitras]

I recently went to a Frank Lloyd Wright presentation at the Alden B. Dow Museum of Science and Art here in Midland Michigan. It is a display of a lot of his works and was a really good show. At the show they have a lot of his drawing, furniture and a lot of leaded glass.
If any of you get a chance to go and if it comes to your area I would highly recommend it to any and all, anyway the reason I am posting is I am trying to find a copy of a book called .. Woodworking plans for a Mile High Usonian Lamp by John Loeffelholz does any body have one they would be intered in selling or know were I can get a copy or even get a photo copy of the pages? It is only 37 pages long. It is a book on building the Usonian lamp, in the show he they had two of his lamps one was a floor model of the Hillside lamp and one of the Oak Park lamp. I am thinking about building the Usonian lamp if I can get this book with the plans, any input or help on this would be greatly apresheated …..Thanks ….if you need to me contact me direct my e-mail is richard.poitras@morleynet.com (richard.poitras@morleynet.com)

[John Schreiber]

Richard, I sent you an email with a lead on the book.

Wright's stuff is amazing. Some of his furniture is horrible though, but I do hope to make one of his lamps some day.

[Howard Rosenberg]

What does the FLW Usonian Lamp look like?

A quick Google-ing of the term produced nothing definitive.

Would you mind posting a link to a photo?

Thank you.

Howard

[Mario Lucchesi]

Thank you for the heads up. I will try to get over there to see it.

[richard poitras]

This is the book I was talking about and what the lamp looks like ...

http://www.amazon.com/Woodworking-Plans-Mile-High-Usonian/dp/0962278351

Mario, Iam not sure how long it is still going to be there and if all three of the venues will be there. I know it said some of them are only there for a shorter period of time .

[Brian Boru]

Howard,

Not the lamp but I believe it was inspired by the Illinois - a mile high tower conceived by Wright but never built.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/42/Theillinois.jpg

[Jim Shaver, Oakville Ont]

Not to be different, but I used to consider FLW to be a great designer, he might well be.

Last fall while on a business trip to Phoenix I paid a trip to Taliesn AZ.
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/jimshaver50/IMG_6472.jpg


The one lasting memory of my visit is how the place is falling apart, his selection of materials for the site were poorly chosen. There was water damage in many rooms and wood falling apart in the roof structures all over the place, it was built in the 1930's.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/jimshaver50/IMG_6527.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/jimshaver50/IMG_6491.jpg

I was also very dissapointed in the furniture that was on display there, it was lame.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/jimshaver50/IMG_6528.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/jimshaver50/IMG_6516.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/jimshaver50/IMG_6484.jpg

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b55/jimshaver50/IMG_6503.jpg

FLW was a remarkable man, but some of his legacies have not stood the test of time.

[Brad Townsend]

FLW was a remarkable man, but some of his legacies have not stood the test of time.
He was a remarkable architect, but many would take issue with the "remarkable man" part of your statement. Most biographers suggest that on a personal level, he was a big jerk.:D

[John Schreiber]

He was a remarkable architect, but many would take issue with the "remarkable man" part of your statement. Most biographers suggest that on a personal level, he was a big jerk.:D
There was a great PBS series about him a couple of years ago. My impression is that he was a genius as an architect and a designer. But, (my opinion) that he did not feel that the rules which applied to normal people applied to him. I love to look at his work, but I don't think I'd want to be in the same room as him.

I think the problem with his furniture may be that he designed it purely as accessories to his buildings, not thinking about how it would be used by people.

[richard poitras]

In looking at his work at the show I was surprised by how some of his furniture was so uncomfortable, chairs were straight up and very stout. A lot of the pieces have applied molding that were just nailed on and looked some what cheesy, but then again some were done pretty good, in his later works he started to work a lot with ply wood, the reason was to make pieces that were affordable for the masses. As fare are the show on PBS I saw it and also found it quite interesting, anyway does anybody have any info on the book I was looking for?

[Alfred Clem]

I am 80 and grew up in Oak Park, IL. I delivered newspapers to the section of Oak Park where FLW had his home/studio and where many FLW-designed homes stood. In fact, most still stand there in what is now designated as a historical district, a shrine for FLW devotees.

His home/studio was such a confusing place that I never could find the front door! So I threw the paper over the wall, hoping for the best. Apparently, that was OK with the family who lived there because I never received any squawks.

A good friend's family lived in a FLW home in that district. It was a genuine money pit in constant need of repair because the flat roof leaked something awful. He said it was impossible to heat, too. It was dark and dreary inside, damp and uncomfortable. He said one of the happiest days of his life came when he was able to say goodbye to that awful house!

He said some Wright-designed furniture was in the house when they bought it in the 1930s. But it was so uncomfortable that his mother practically gave it away! Think what it would become worth some day!

[Tim Malyszko]

Around our house, there are a few Frank Lloyd Wright inspired homes mixed among the hundred year old Victorian Style Homes (similar to the Cambridge, MA This Old House Episode) and just about every one has problems similar to the ones Jim described - leaky roofs, water damage, poor Materials of Construction. We looked at a few before purchasing our Craftsman style home.

However, these flaws weren't necessarily flaws of the architect, but the original construction crew's installation. The few that have been restored look great and don't have the leak issues since they are now flashed properly and modern vapor barriers were used.

Either way, I still prefer the big, victorian style homes that make up the majority around the area.

[Belinda Barfield]

Just thought I'd throw this out there in case anyone in or around South Carolina is interested.


Frank Lloyd Wright's Southern Plantation will be open for a small tour 2-4 p.m. April 28. Cost: $50 donation per person, to benefit the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservatory. Plantation is located in Yemassee, SC and is rarely open to the public. Space is limited; reservations requested by April 22. Call 236-3841.

[Mark Singer]

He was a genius as an Architect and that is not even questionable! As a man he was a character.....A close friend of mine here in Laguna is Jas Mas, a Belgium glass artist. He lived in near Taliesen when Wright was still alive. Jas had a studio there and the little "man in the black cape" would come to the studio often and take objects from Jas without feeling he needed to pay for them! He just took them!
I must say though, I must have been only 11 years old when I read this book about his life as a child and his decision to be an Architect......I was so excited , I felt I found my calling......48 years latter the excitment is even stronger! The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand, depicts this man who will not let anything stand in the way of his building being built as he intended...all the carefull details in place. After all my years of practice , I fight this same battle. Design review Boards, Associations, the General Contractor and often the owner themselves is quick to modify a detail, or given the chance, the entire design! I keep that first sketch well in mind and ight the battles to keep it alive. FLW has remained an inspiration to many architects , and Taliesen, aside from its superficial state of neglect, is a masterpiece.....built with local materials ,a zero budget and the backs of future Masters that came to learn there, like Lautner, E Fay Jones and Utzon..three of the greatest Architects of the Twentieth Century.....I would like to know which stones these men placed....and touch the stones and think about what followed....."The Sydney Opera House" and all of Lautners' great buildings......

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f5/Thorncrown.jpg E Faye Jones Thorne Crown chapel

http://www.speicher.com/pictures/LautnerArango.jpg Lautner's Arango House

http://merger8.tripod.com/images/Sydney%20opera%20house.jpg Utzon's Sydney Opera house

[jeremy levine]

I grew up and live very near to Usonia. There was a time when FLW structures where not prized and many fell into disrepair. As for HVAC, they were designed at a time of cheap oil (coal) , single pain glass and no insulation.

Many of them are dark on the inside, I think that was a style choice , you must think about the world at the time they were designed and built, people did not have a lot of glass. I think the original owners would not have found them that much darker then any other homes .

He most certainly design passed the materials ( beams , concrete , sealants , moisture protection ) of his time. He had countless issues with builders slightly changing his designs because they had no faith in them ( this lead the many problems).

Things fall apart, particularly homes and building that were built then neglected.

I'm no expert , just some thoughts