Wright Chat

outside in · Joined: 29 Jul 2006 Posts: 1201

If Lustron is a viable topic, then so is the Stran Steel house, built for the Century of Progress Exhibition (World's Fair) of 1933. The House was moved to Wilmette, IL after the fair, and sat undisturbed until 2018, when a developer bought the house and planned to demolish and subdivide the property. Landmarks Illinois has been working with the developer, and the house has been disassembled and put inside a shipping container. If anyone has the interest in rebuilding this wonderful house, contact LPCI at 312.922.1742 or contact me directly through this chat room.

outside in · Joined: 29 Jul 2006 Posts: 1201

I should add that it was made entirely of steel, and the exterior panels are porcelain coated iron which has held up well over time.

Roderick Grant · Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 9267

I guess it was a combination of poorly finished panels and salty sea water that caused the Walker roof panels to rust out so fast?

DRN · Joined: 10 Jul 2006 Posts: 3763 Location: Cherry Hill, NJ

A house truly worthy of preservation! It has an Art Deco air about it.

The Lustron home grew out of Lustron president Carl Strandlund's work with Chicago Vitreous Enamel Corporation, selling panels for gas stations, storefronts, appliance cabinets, and White Tower/White Castle hamburger stands. This linked article has a link to the 1933 Stran-Steel house brochure in which the house is noted as being developed by the Stran-Steel Company, Carl A. Strand, President; affiliated with Kelsey-Hayes Wheel Company. I found it hard to believe that Carl A. Strand (1883-1970) was not a shortened or Anglicized version of Strandlund (1899-1974), but indeed they were two people with similar names and similar pursuits.

article:
https://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20171219/CRED0701/171219874/historic-steel-house-in-wilmette-is-original-world-s-fair-model

brochure:
https://www.scribd.com/document/367007559/Century-0114#from_embed

The baked on porcelain enamel finish on the Lustrons and the Stran-Steel house are far superior to the Walker house first roof, which I believe was terne coated steel? The porcelain enamel finish is scratch resistant and tends to fail when the metal is sharply creased or breached following baking...ie; sharp blows or drilling or nailing.

Roderick Grant · Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 9267

As I recall, the manufacturer of the Walker House roof panels was in the utility business, manufacturing washers and driers, and such. He had hoped to expand his market with the roof panels.

SDR · Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 17740 Location: San Francisco

DRN wrote: "The porcelain enamel finish is scratch resistant and tends to fail when the metal is sharply creased or breached following baking...ie; sharp blows or drilling or nailing."

The ideal procedure would be for all fastening holes or slots, and any forming of edges, etc, be accomplished before enameling. But that would seem to go without saying.

I believe we were told, by someone who must have been there, that Mr Wright was offered three different shades of green to the enamel for the Walker roof panels
---and his response was to ask for all three, presumably in equal portions. Some photos, in black and white unfortunately, seem to show these variations . . .

Tom · Posted: Tue Apr 30, 2019 10:54 pm Post subject:

mmm, never considered the Walker roof panels before
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pmahoney · Moderator Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 187

One of the original enameled panels survives as a furnishing in Wright's / Aaron Green's San Francisco office (now disassembled). I believe the surviving panel was there as a submittal for approval.

JimM · Joined: 06 Jan 2005 Posts: 1463

How nice to see an early photo without that "sculpture" center stage within the prow! The discreet placement of the large shell (shell-like?) is how it should be done.

Tom · Posted: Wed May 01, 2019 11:34 am Post subject:

wjsaia · Joined: 26 Aug 2006 Posts: 227

Roderick Grant · Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 9267

While I have to agree that the sculpture at Walker is unfortunate in both quality and location, the idea of a smooth stone piece of art set against rough stone walls works. Guerin, second owner of Gillen, installed a Henry Moore sculpture on his lawn, set against the backdrop of the rough stone walls. Very handsome. Brancusi would work as well.

Tom · Posted: Sat May 04, 2019 10:22 am Post subject:

Nice point.
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