Part 3

Dana house builds a following

[OCT. 18, 2000]  The Dana-Thomas House in nearby Springfield is the best-preserved and most complete example of acclaimed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s early Prairie-style houses and has gained national attention in past years. The state historic site, located at 301 E. Lawrence Ave., features more than 100 pieces of original Wright-designed white oak furniture; 250 art glass doors, windows and light panels; and 200 original light fixtures and skylights. The house is typical of the Prairie style, characterized by low horizontal roofs, wide overhanging eaves and rows of ribbon art glass windows.

[click here for Part 2]

One of the problems at the Dana house is keeping the visiting hours as they are. "We rely on volunteers as we rely on the donation program to give us the extra money to do the things we need to do and what the public expects," Hallmark said.

"Many of our volunteers are so loyal and so devoted here, that they’ve aged right along with the site. There’s only a finite pool of volunteers in the Springfield area. We find that each year, it gets harder and harder. Many of our volunteers have been around for 10 years or more. Our annual reports show that over several years, volunteer hours are going down 100 to 200 hours each year. If the volunteer pool gives out, the state will have to consider hiring someone," he said.

"We run a good operation here. The volunteers feel like they are a part of what we do here. This is one of the most exciting Frank Lloyd Wright sites you could volunteer at."

The three-year, $5 million restoration project completed in the late 1980s is the biggest accomplishment of the site’s administration, Hallmark said. "My hope was to have the money to have the house restored. It should look like it did in early part of 20th century. Like all of our houses, if you don’t put money into the regular upkeep of a house, you have problems that just keep getting worse every year or two."

The state paid $1 million for the house in 1981 and has since purchased additional property for $500,000, including a parking lot and cottage next door to the site. But at the time the site was purchased by the state, it created a backlash by some, Hallmark said.

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"Governor Thompson always said this was the finest purchase the state made during his 14 years as governor. I would say that still holds true, in terms of value. There’s no question the purchase of the home was the wisest purchase the state made. Some people say it’s a drain on the state budget, and in a sense, that’s true, but the fact is it’s brought in lots of tourism dollars." Thompson raised nearly $2 million for purchases for the site, through the foundation. Hallmark now estimates the market value of the home, including contents, at between $40 and $60 million.

He said the purchase proved to be ahead of its time in terms of public appreciation for Wright’s work. "We were literally in the right place at the right time. The state was having budget problems, and state workers were being laid off. Many criticisms were made. But in the long run, it was a wise move. It has brought in notoriety and many visitors. Many people who might have bypassed this part of Illinois have stopped because of it."

Even though the site has gained national notoriety and attendance has been holding steady for the past decade, Hallmark said one of his goals is to capture a larger percent of the tourist population, and one way to achieve that goal is increased advertising in nearby larger cities.

Hallmark said his long-term dream is to acquire nearby property so the environment of the neighborhood could be returned to its original state with landscaping, an underground auditorium and lecture hall added, and the Sumac Shop expanded.

"I’m going to dream," he said. "We’ve talked about it and kept it alive. Like over at Lincoln’s Home, they’re trying to make the area look like it did in Lincoln’s time. Ultimately, that would be our dream too — to have access to underground expansion and have the aboveground area look like it did in Mrs. Dana’s time."

[Penny Zimmerman-Wills]

Part 2

Dana house builds a following

[OCT. 17, 2000]  The Dana-Thomas House in nearby Springfield is the best-preserved and most complete example of acclaimed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s early Prairie-style houses and has gained national attention in past years. The state historic site, located at 301 E. Lawrence Ave., features more than 100 pieces of original Wright-designed white oak furniture; 250 art glass doors, windows and light panels; and 200 original light fixtures and skylights. The house is typical of the Prairie style, characterized by low horizontal roofs, wide overhanging eaves and rows of ribbon art glass windows.

The increased public fascination and popularity of architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, coupled with the home’s restored state, has sparked increased interest in the Springfield site, which has been the subject of several television programs and national media visits. A television crew from the popular Home and Garden Television station recently filmed at the home for an upcoming television special on Wright-designed homes.

"We do get a fair number of visitors each weekend from Chicago just to see the Dana house. That’s been changing starting in the 1990s. We’ve had more people from St. Louis or Chicago who come just to see the Dana house, and they’re staying overnight. We’re on the I-55 path, and that brings us a number of visitors each weekend," Hallmark said.

The home was built for Springfield socialite and women’s activist Susan Lawrence Dana. Unlike most houses designed by Wright, the Dana house project is unique because it was built around a 30-year-old Italianate brick house built by Dana’s father, Rheuna Lawrence, a local businessman and former mayor of Springfield. Dana lived in the house until about 1928. In 1944 it was purchased by a local couple who used it to house their publishing firm. It was purchased by the state in 1981.

Challenges faced by the historic site’s administration have changed over the years, according to Hallmark. In the beginning, it was a minimal operation. "The staff started growing out of sheer demand of the public. We were more popular than what people thought we were going to be. Then we closed to be restored. Then we had a glorious one and a half years after re-opening, and the site had more visitors than we could have dreamed of," he said. "The staff increased to eight people, and then came the great state budget crash of 1992," during which time the site had difficulty staying afloat. The site was chosen as one of six historic sites to be partially closed, "to show everybody the state was hurting," Hallmark said.

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That’s when the state decided to ask for suggested donations — a decision that’s proven to be successful, Hallmark said. The suggested donation program has brought in half a million dollars in extra money for all the sites. "That has been the difference, because state budgets have never recovered to what they were in 1991 levels," he said. "We have fared. We’re not rich by any means, but we’re faring well right now and are able to restore some of the programs and services we used to have."

Also located at the site is the Dana-Thomas House Foundation Sumac Shop, which sells art glass, books, china, Wright-related gifts and reproductions.

The foundation’s goals are to protect and preserve the site and promote awareness of Wright and Dana though education programs and raising funds. The foundation is a separate entity from the historic site and operates under its own budget, with two full-time employees.

The site operates under an annual budget of $300,000 a year, a third of which is provided through the state budget. Approximately $80,000 to $90,000 is generated from donations, and about $25,000 comes from 10 percent of sales from the Sumac Shop. During the year, another $5,000 to $10,000, generated through fund-raisers and other functions, is also donated by the foundation. The remaining budget money comes from the IHPS budget. The site also is rented out for private functions like weddings, which cost between $750 and $1,200 a night.

As in many businesses, half of the budget is spent for staff salaries. One of the biggest challenges facing the site is keeping volunteers — which make up the majority of the people operating the site.

(To be continued)

[Penny Zimmerman-Wills]

[click here for Part 3]

Part 1

Dana house builds a following

[OCT. 16, 2000]  Although the Dana-Thomas House in nearby Springfield is the best preserved and most complete example of acclaimed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s early Prairie-style houses and has gained national attention in past years, it has failed to garner strong support from several facets of the central Illinois community, according to site officials. The state historic site, located at 301 E. Lawrence Ave., features more than 100 pieces of original Wright-designed white oak furniture; 250 art glass doors, windows and light panels; and 200 original light fixtures and skylights. The house is typical of the Prairie style, characterized by low horizontal roofs, wide overhanging eaves and rows of ribbon art glass windows.

Dana-Thomas House Historic Site

Location: 301 E. Lawrence Ave., Springfield, IL 62703

Phone: general site information, 217-782-6776; Sumac Shop, 217/744-3598

Fax: 217/788-9450

Website: www.springfield.il.us/visit

Owner: state of Illinois, since 1981; administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency

Site manager: Dr. Donald P. Hallmark

Assistant site manager: Richard LaFollette

Designed and built: 1902-1904. Springfield socialite and women’s activist Susan Lawrence Dana commissioned architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design a new house.

Restoration project: A three-year, $5 million restoration project was completed in September 1990.

Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesday-Sunday. Tours are given every 20 minutes and last approximately one hour.

Cost: Suggested donations, $3 for adults and $1 for children

Visitors: 45,000 annually

Number of employees: six full-time; 140 volunteers

Annual operating budget: approximately $300,000

Site manager Dr. Donald Hallmark said even though a few thousand dollars are raised each year through corporate donations, he feels more local support could be given to the site. "Compared to the corporate money raised by the Frank Lloyd Wright home and studio in Chicago, ours is piddling amounts. We’re talking just a few thousand dollars. That’s partly because we don’t have huge corporations that dominate the Springfield market. But also because I think a lot of people take advantage of living in and around Springfield. You can’t imagine the number of people who say they haven’t been in Lincoln’s Home in 10 or 20 years, who haven’t been to the Dana Thomas house or even to the Old State Capitol," he said. "They almost take advantage of it by ignoring it. There’s a certain amount of that."

Besides the lack of local interest, Hallmark said he feels the local architectural firms would benefit from being more involved with the site. "I would like to see the architectural community be stronger supporters of the house and the foundation. The foundation is kind of amazed that there are quite a few well-known architectural and engineering firms that do a lot of state business who kind of ignore one of the premier architectural sites in the country. If I just sat back and wasn’t involved in this, I would have thought almost every architectural firm locally would be a member of the foundation and would be sponsors of fund-raisers. Actually, we get a little better support from the local contractors, because I think they know where their bread is buttered. Some of the architectural construction firms are better supporters than the architectural design firms. I find that kind of surprising."

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Despite that fact, the home has found a strong following and is visited by an average of 45,000 people a year. "It used to be that very few people knew much about the Dana house. Most people would come to see the Lincoln sites, ask what else there was to do, and people would send them over here. Now, we have a following of our own. We’re well enough known in Frank Lloyd Wright circles that a fair amount of people come here to see the Dana house, and we’re proud of the fact that now they ask us what else is there to do," Hallmark said. "It took 10 years for the site to get well-known enough in general national circles."

(To be continued)

[Penny Zimmerman-Wills]

[click here for Part 2]

[SEPT. 27, 2000]  The festivals of fall continue, with New Holland's anniversary celebration this weekend and the Barry Apple Festival. There are many more to come in this area, including scenic drives where thousands of visitors are expected

Parade, entertainment, carnival, antique machinery/autos, combined church service on
Oct. 1.

217/732-8687

Celebrate the apple, as thousands of people do each year at this event. Enjoy the fall fruit, made into cider, dumpling, fritters, pie and a host of other treats. An apple-theme quilt will be raffled, and activities include a parade, entertainment and queen contest.

217/335-2108

The third annual event offers a real treat for music fans, with a line-up of bands and jam sessions, plus arts and crafts, food, pie-eating and cutest pumpkin "baby" contests.

www.tuscola.org

800/441/9111

Events for kids and adults, food, live entertainment, pumpkin-decorating contest and craft show.

217/422-7300

Oct. 7-8

Enjoy the autumn air and beautiful surroundings, while sampling food and listening to live entertainment. Crafts and children’s activities are also on the schedule.

An intertribal powwow where you can test your tomahawk throwing skills, eat some fry bread and pick your own pumpkin. Also featured are Native American dance, arts and crafts, an appearance by "Cody" from the movie "Dances with Wolves," stories about the white buffalo, a corn maze test your skills, pony rides and petting zoo.

Fulton County’s 33rd annual fall festival is along more than 130 scenic miles, through the towns of London Mills, Avon, Middle Grove, Farmington, Bernadotte, Table Grove.

More than 100,000 people are expected to pack the traditional event, so be prepared for lots of traffic. Flea markets, entertainment, historical sites, good food and beautiful fall leaves are all part of the fun. Watch apple butter made, eat butterfly pork chops at Mount Pisgah or a plate of chicken and noodles at Smithfield’s Red Brick School. Re-enactors encamped on the grounds at Dickson Mounds Museum will recreate the life of colonial Illinois in habit, cooking and eating, blanket trading, and demonstrations of black powder shooting and knife throwing.

www.spoonriverdrive.org

www.misslink.net/scenicdrive

309/647-8980

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Get both your face and your pumpkin painted at this event, which includes the Wildlife Prairie Park traveling zoo, a bungee run, a bake sale, magician, puppet shows and plenty of food. Admission is $1.

309/347-YWCA

Pick-your-own pumpkin patch, arts and crafts, pony rides and entertainment.

217/854-3514

Pick your own pumpkins, take a hayrack ride, enjoy live music, play pumpkin games and eat pumpkin treats.

309/ 243-1012

Native American Living History, hot air balloon rides, chili cook-off, flea market, craft fair, old time music, Halloween window-painting contest, car cruise.

217/438-3405

Come and see who wins the apple pie bake-off, and enjoy the crafts, entertainment and food available.

217/245-9917

Pet Clydesdale horses, walk through three-acre corn mazes, take a horse-drawn wagon ride, have your own broom made while you wait or tour the 100-year-old Pike County Courthouse at this event. Hundreds of crafts and antiques are for sale at booths throughout the drive and demonstrations include doll making, basket weaving, chair caning, stained glass and rope making. More than 25,000 visitors attended the popular event last year.

217/335-2670

Take a step back in time and watch villagers prepare for Thanksgiving, by making apple butter and shucking corn. Parade and demonstrations.

217/632-4000

[Penny Zimmerman-Wills]

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