George Blossom House Kenwood, Chicago 1892

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Sun Aug 12, 2018 11:54 pm

We had dinner last night with some friends in Kenwood who live around the corner from the Blossom House, so I snapped a few photographs. The last time we were there a year ago it wasnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t in nearly as good shape. As I remember they were working on the front porch.

The house is as close to Andrea Palladio as Wright ever got.

https://chicago.curbed.com/2015/7/30/99 ... ssom-house

I just discovered that the house next door with the gambrel roof is the Warren McArthur house, also by Wright. I wish I would have photographed it, too...

https://flwright.org/researchexplore/wr ... rthurhouse

(Pics coming shortly)

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 11:26 am

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Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 12:10 pm

Looks good. Although the Palladian lunettes over the first-floor windows were never glazed, I would be tempted to install them, had I had the chance.

I hope the garage is in good shape; that's the real architectural treasure on the lot.

The interiors of the McArthur House next door have always seemed stuffy to me, not nearly as advanced as Blossom. But the garage with servants' apartment overhead is quite nice.

DRN · Post by **DRN** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 12:14 pm

Cecil Corwin...a true master

I like the 1907 FLLW garage at Blossom; here's hoping it gets some attention as well.

outside in · Post by **outside in** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 12:44 pm

DRN · Post by **DRN** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 2:08 pm

John:
I take it the Lunette is a fretwork panel to be set in the coves?

PrairieMod · Post by **PrairieMod** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 2:17 pm

Those down spouts are very unfortunate...

outside in · Post by **outside in** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:41 pm

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:04 pm

IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m assuming you were involved in the recent resptoratiin, John? Beautiful work!

Do the owners intend to eventually add the lunettes?

outside in · Post by **outside in** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 4:07 pm

I'm afraid my involvement ended when they got the bids from the contractor. I really have no idea what happened on the inside of the house. They used our drawings for the building permit, but beyond that we were not involved.

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 6:00 pm

I didnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t think you would have approved those downspouts!

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Mon Aug 13, 2018 6:36 pm

outside in posts a photo of the house as originally constructed (the photo can be found in Taschen I). Peter's photos give us a close enough look at
the house to uncover an uncomfortable moment: the enclosure of the balcony on the southwest corner of the house, and its flat rather than radiused
sash; compare to the windows of the conservatory immediately below.

Storrer points to this enclosure, which he states can be seen sketched on the original elevation drawing. Sure enough, there it is, published in Monograph 1.
(The enclosure, albeit suggested by Wright, destroys the carefully-contrived symmetry of this elevation of the house.)

He also notes that the rear porch, at the northwest corner of the house, was sketched as a semicircular form. The old photo above also shows the lack of
a south dormer, a later addition according to Storrer. It's absence in the photo reveals the roof-peak skylight, seen on the elevations.

outside in · Post by **outside in** » Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:17 am

I'm afraid that the addition to the second floor was much more than a suggestion - there were also interior alterations, such as tiling the bathrooms, that were made at the same time

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Tue Aug 14, 2018 9:27 am

Heh. What's an architect to do, when the client insists on an improvement ? Most houses suffer enclosures of exterior space well after the fact, if at all. Do we have a date for this sheet ?

(A lesson for the young Wright: symmetry has its drawbacks . . .)

The plan drawing clearly shows flat sash, so even that can be laid at Wright's feet. The alternate single and double-hung sash is of course more evident in the flesh than on paper ?

SDR

PrairieMod · Post by **PrairieMod** » Tue Aug 14, 2018 12:00 pm

The lettering on that alteration plan is much, much different (more indicative of the high-Prairie period) than the other drawings. Early to mid 1900s?