Abbie Alexander shares the works of Frank Lloyd Wright at October LCG&HS meeting

 

[October 23, 2024] 

At the October 21 Logan County Genealogical and Historical Society meeting, former Lincoln resident Abbie Alexander did a presentation about the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. One focus was Illinois homes designed by Wright.

When Alexander was a college student on a Wright plus tour, she visited the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park, Illinois. Wright completed the construction of this home in 1889. At his home and studio, there is an inglenook, which Alexander said is a cozy setting with chairs around the fireplace.

Wright’s home and studio had an inscription over the rounded fireplace with the quote, “truth is life, good friend, around these hearthstones speak no evil word of any creature.” Alexander said it essentially means “no gossip.”

Wright’s home and studio had a barreled vaulted ceiling in the playroom. Alexander said the ceiling was shaped like a barrel and was a style Wright used quite a bit. The grille ceilings have natural colors. The backyard has a Gingko tree courtyard.

In the home and studio, Alexander said Wright had drafting tables he used when designing.

Another house in Oak Park designed by Wright is the Harem House. Alexander said on the Wright tours, there are long lines of people waiting to see the house.

In River Forest, Illinois is the Chauncey Williams house, which has a small rounded doorway. Alexander said Wright made people look around for the front door often putting shrubbery in front of it so they had no idea where to go in.

Peoria, Illinois has two houses designed by Wright. One is the Francis Little house, which also has a rounded front door. In the living room is a large sconce and the dining room ceiling has indirect light. Alexander said the stable and garage was added in 1909. One of the more recent owner’s daughters lived in an apartment above the stable.

Many furnishings in this house were sold by a couple who later lived in the Francis Little House. Alexander said some furnishings went to Christies’ Auction house including oak chairs, the secretary that was ripped out from the wall, door windows, a Teco (terra cotta) vase and sconces.

Nearby Springfield, Illinois has the Dana Thomas House Wright designed in 1902. Alexander said Wright had an open checkbook to finish the house and spent every dime making the house beautiful. It is the largest house Wright ever designed. Wright and his wife Oglivana visited the house to admire his work.

Susan Lawrence Dana originally owned the prairie style house. Alexander said Dana was married multiple times and had several last names. Sometimes during seances, Dana would use all her last names.

Charles Thomas, owner of the Thomas Publishing House, bought the house with all its furnishing from Dana in 1944. Alexander said people working at the house would find something out of place, put a tag on the item and put the item in a drawer. They saved everything from the house including doorknobs and soiled area rugs. The Thomases paid $17,500 for the house.

In 1981, the state of Illinois purchased the Dana Thomas House. Alexander said the house was well intact. The house was then preserved restored. The name Dana Thomas refers to its two owners.

Long narrow Roman brick was used to build the house. Alexander said Wright had the contractors dig out the grout to measure how deep they would need to dig. The vertical parts of the brick were filled in with grout.

Most of the frieze, which were decorative elements in the house were tossed in the dumpster. Alexander said it was made out of plaster and horsehair made to look like copper. She has a small piece of frieze. Some of the pieces are in a New York museum.

Along the front of the Dana Thomas House is a walkway. Guided tours of the house (done by Alexander and other interpreters) start with the carriage house.

The house staff uncovered a lily pond. It was restored to make a reflective pool.

The lobby on the first level has a sculpture Wright had Richard Bock design. The back of the sculpture is inscribed with a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson titled “Flowers in the crannies wall.”

Tennyson’s poem says:

Flower in the crannied wall,
I pluck you out of the crannies,
I hold you here, root and all, in my hand,
Little flower—but if I could understand
What you are, root and all, all in all,
I should know what God and man is.

The front entryway has an inglenook and a fireplace. Another fireplace is in the living room.

Behind the dining room table is a breakfast nook in an outcropping.

Inside the house, Wright specified that sumac, goldenrod and purple aster be part of the decorative design. Dana wanted a butterfly theme, so butterflies are another part of the décor.

Wright designed various stained glass features including windows, doors and light panels for the house, too.

A skylight is over the house’s billiard room.

The gallery leads to the playroom. Alexander said kids would present plays in the gallery. They would get into their costumes upstairs.

There is a library, and its bookcases were once full. Alexander said on Saturdays, Susan Lawrence Dana would let neighborhood children come get books from her library.

Downstairs is a bowling alley that used duckpins, which are smaller than normal bowling pins.

In an auction years ago then Illinois Governor James Thompson bought one of the lamps and a music cabinet to be given back to the Dana Thomas House.

After showing many photos of the Dana Thomas House, Alexander then showed some photos of the Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois. She walked into the temple one day and saw Wright’s son, who had been in a meeting there.

In River Forest, Illinois is architect Robert Spencer’s House. Spencer shared offices with Wright. Alexander said Spencer copied many of Wright’s designs. Spencer also owned a window factory where he experimented with casement windows. Wright’s secretary Isabell Roberts lived in another house in River Forest.

Thirty-seven states have homes designed by Wright. One house Alexander showed a photo of is the G.C. Stockman House in Mason City, Iowa. Another photo was of the Meyer May House in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Alexander said this house is owned by Steelcase Office Furniture and is open to the public.

Alexander said many of the homes designed by Wright have plaques in front of them that tell the history of the house.

Some of the homes Wright designed no longer stand. For example, Alexander said the Northome in Minnesota was demolished in 1972. Fortunately, a New York museum reconstructed the living room of the home for an exhibit.

In Tokyo, Japan, Wright designed the Imperial Motel, but it is gone now too. Alexander said some of the China designed by Wright and used in the hotel is still being made and sold.

Another design by Wright is the “Romeo and Juliet” windmill in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Alexander said the windmill was built in 1896, rebuilt in 1938 and restored in 1992.

Someone asked Alexander how she became interested in the work of Frank Lloyd Wright.

In response, Alexander said she has a degree in Interior Design and used to live in Springfield. Riding her bike around the area also helped Alexander develop interest in Wright’s work.

Wright’s ashes are sprinkled around the grounds of Taliesin West, which was his home and studio in Wisconsin. Alexander said Wright had been buried near there with a wrought iron gravestone, but Olgivana Wright later had him dug up and cremated.

As Alexander ended her presentation, she shared Wright’s quote “God save us from architectural historians.”

The annual Logan County and Genealogical Historical Society dinner and meeting will be held Monday, November 18 at Daphnes’ Restaurant at 6:30 p.m. Chuck Fricke will be the speaker.

For those wanting to attend the dinner, reservation forms can be picked up at the LCGHS building and must be turned in by November 8.

[Angela Reiners]