Wright Chat

dkottum wrote:Would an unbuilt FLLW prairie house constructed among its contemporaries in Oak Park or Mason City be unfit?

Clearly the answer is yes it would be unfit. Actually it would be outrageous. It implies a Disneyland approach to architecture and historic preservation. Frank Lloyd Wright's Legacy needs to be "preserved" and not "improved" by building unbuilt designs so that the foundation can make a few bucks.

Building of an old FLLW design is most surely out of place relative to good architecture in its present time. But I sense a bit of fantasy in suburbs such as Oak Park or Riverside. The real world of freeways, poverty, and urban decay are not far away.



The legacy of FLLW is not only in old buildings. It is also in ideas. Some of these ideas remain dormant in writings, drawings, and plans at Taliesin. We may be able to learn from these ideas only if they are finally built. Only then can we sense the beautiful proportions and scale that FLLW was so masterful with. Yes, building an old design can be seen as a fantasy. But it can also instruct and improve architecture, and is not altogether out of place in many neighborhoods.



After the recent demonstration of failure of the big city concept in a catastrophic situation, we would do well to take a fresh look at the Broadacre City concept, another element of the FLLW legacy that has not been built.

Sorry, I forgot to log in before making this last post. Doug Kottum, Battle lake, MN

My husband and I own a large piece of land in southern wisconsin that we are interested in building a second home on. We are big FLW fans, and agree that the feeling you get walking into a FLW designed home is special. However, existing designs might not fit our needs or the contour of the land we intend to build on. How might we find architects that could design what we need?

I am not an architect, but I do think that the unbuilt designs should be built, when possible. Obviously there needs to be supervision and adherence to original plans. I also agree that Mr. Wright would probably relish the idea of his unbuilt designs still being constructed 40+ years after his death. And, there are plenty of homes built while Mr. Wright was alive that didn't receive proper supervision and were subsequently "disowned" by him - Ennis being a major example.

["we would do well to take a fresh look at the Broadacre City concept, another element of the FLLW legacy that has not been built."]



Though I admire the architecture of FLLW and the buildings proposed for Broadacre City, I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Kottum. Broadacre City was a concept featuring a decentralized built environment. In many ways it was a foreshadowing of the zoned suburban spawl that has drained our cities, driven our thirst for fuel, and left the very young and very old absolutely dependent on those who can drive for their survival.



Look beyond the neat buildings in the renderings and models; think about how you would live there...where would you shop...how would you get to work...where would you work...if you could not drive, how would you do these things? Yes, the elderly could live in the Price Tower-esque buildings where all is under one roof....not unlike a suburban retirement village.



My grandparents lived in towns toward the end of their lives and thrived there because of the activity and the independence they had. I, as a child thrived there when I visited, because of the independence I had, it was much more empowering to a child to walk to the pool than to be driven 8 miles to it.



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It is interesting that a search for a home design should lead to a discussion on location and siting. Perfect. Many of FLLW's best houses started with spectacular and difficult sites. The challenge to the client is not to force the architect ruin them with oversized, inappropriate buildings. The challenge to the architect is to sense and create a truly organic design.



As for Broadacre City, I don't believe there was any intention by FLLW that this concept would exist outside of the city. Rather, that the conjested city as we know it would disappear, be nowhere and everywhere. The country would be virtually decentralized.



The Idea is working even today, in small villages across the country where people work, shop, and have all services right at hand. The ridiculous SUV, unhealthy centralization of our food supply, and ills and threats of the city are unnecessary. The suburbs outside of cities have no relationship to the concept, as they are entirely dependent on the nearby metropolis. Broadacre City, designed regionally to be built in a humble but beautiful manner, and nearly self-sufficient, would serve America well today. It would be good to explore this concept, recognize that it may be relevant, and approach it with a determination of how it may be done, rather than why it cannot.



Doug Kottum, dreamer and architect and builder of the first Usonian type home in Battle Lake, MN