Dana to close October 1st

[Wrighter]

The information I heard from Dana employees in June turns out to be even worse than I thought. The house will close as of October 1st.

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com ... iveth.html

The sight on this decision seems very short, indeed.

[Wrightgeek]

How ridiculous! Hopefully this will not happen, but if in fact it does, maybe it will only be a temporary situation.

But before the State of Illinois, in their infinite wisdom, proceeds with the closing of this treasure, which by the way was bought and paid for by the citizens of Illinois, maybe they should consider the following.

How about increasing the current suggested donation of $3.00/person to tour the property to a required donation of $6.00 per person, which is still a bargain and should not deter very many visitors at all, I wouldn't think. This could potentially increase revenue by 100% almost immediately, with no corresponding increase in overhead.

They might also try some innovative marketing plans, sarcasm intended, like offering bundled ticket packages to the lesser known Dana House in combination with some of the wildly successful Abraham Lincoln sites in Springfield, like the new Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library. Wow, what a concept. DUH!

While the Lincoln sites are heavily advertised and promoted, I'm sure that many visitors to Springfield do not even know that the Dana House even exists, although it is only a few blocks away. But then again, the knee-jerk reaction is always easier to implement and justify than a well thought out strategic plan that just might work over the long haul.

[hypnoraygun]

Okay I just got an email from my Dana Thomas House contact. It isn't good.

Here is an article from the Chicago Tribune that explains some of this mess:
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com ... iveth.html


Here are some ways we can help.. First write and call. See the web address below for online forms, and then there is a number to call as well.

http://www.illinois.gov/helpdesk/contact.cfm


Here is some contact information for the Illinois Governor's Office

a.. Contact the Governor

Office of the Governor
207 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: 217-782-0244 or 312-814-2121
TTY: 888-261-3336
Governor's Online Contact Form
Governor's Website

b.. Contact the Lt. Governor

Springfield
Office of Lt. Governor
214 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Phone: 217-782-7884
Fax: 217-524-6262

Chicago
Office of Lt. Governor
James R. Thompson Center
100 W. Randolph, 15-200
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 312-814-5220
Fax: 312-814-4862
Lt. Governor's Online Contact Form
Lt. Governor's Website


ALSO: Email and write newspapers and TVstations to hopefully get some more media around this.

Okay next step, who has Obama's phone number?

The worst thing to me, besides the obvious, is that this doesn't have to happen. The DTH CAN be successful and CAN make more money than it currently is making. This place can work. If Falling water can make it (no offense there) in the middle of no where, the DTH can certainly make it.

[Frankie-Oh]

Thanks Wrighter for confirming this closing and Hypnoray for sharing the addresses. I will definitely write letters to the state officials. Obama, methinks, may be a little preooccupied.

I've had the pleasure of visiting Dana-Thomas at least half a dozen times. Every time I've seen something new: the subtle detail of the Niedecken mural in the dining room (his first, if I'm not mistaken???), the butterfly shadows cast on the walls by the enormous light fixtures in that same room in late afternoon, the drama of the entry hall, how Wright forces you to spiral through his architecture, seeing it from every angle, as you climb from floor to floor. What a shame that this significant home will no longer be available to the public. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend touring it before it closes.

What astonishes me is how little the state charges to tour Dana Thomas. As I said in another thread, one of the docents told me that they are not allowed to raise the ticket price. Or, to be more precise, if they raised the price, the state would reduce their funding by an equivalent amount. What a false economy this is; charge a pittance, presumably to promote a democratic availability of this great space, with the result that it is forced to close, so no one can see the space. With the new Lincoln museum in Springfield, you would think that there is a large, untapped pool of potential visitors. Everyone I've taken to this home has been awed, including those who had little knowledge of FLW. For them, their visits have opened up a whole new world. They came to Springfield for Lincoln, but they left with Wright on their minds. All of them would have been happy to pay more than $3.

I also wonder how much it costs to run the house as a museum. It would seem to me that much of the cost of a site like Dana-Thomas is in the maintenance, which will continue regardless of whether or not the house closes. (One hopes. To imagine otherwise would be too horrible to contemplate.) My assumption has always been that many of the employees are volunteers. Could someone affiliated with this or another museum home weigh in on this?

[Wrightgeek]

From my understanding, there is a relatively small paid staff at the Dana House, while the majority of people on site at any given time are indeed volunteers. This type of staffing arrangement is not uncommon at house museums and other such historical sites.

[KevinW]

It was former Governor James Thompson who sparked some of the "modern" interest in Wright, and if memory serves, the purchase of Dana......perhaps he is still around and can work his magic again.

[hypnoraygun]

Here is a link to a page, that has an email address?.. I sent former Governor James Thompson an email. We will see..


http://www.winston.com/index.cfm?conten ... emID=10873

[Paul Ringstrom]

Knowing that the DTH will close from Oct 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009 many people made a specific trip to Springfield this holiday weekend. Attendance exceeded 500, which was a lot for them. They also reported that sales at the bookstore (Sumac Shop) were very, very brisk.

Four of the five paid staff have been given their notices. A caretaker will stay on.

All of the state-run historic sites in Illinois (except the Lincoln sites) will also be closing for the same time frame.

[Frankie-Oh]

I just received the following email from someone associated with the Dana House. Apologies in advance for the length of this post.

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT DESIGNED DANA-THOMAS HOUSE SCHEDULED TO CLOSE OCTOBER 1, 2008

We thought this would never happen again, but it has.

On August 28 it was announced, as a result of cuts to the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Budget, made by Governor Rod Blagojevich, that the Dana-Thomas House will close to the public beginning October 1, 2008. The following are just a few reasons why we think this is an unfortunate political decision:

* We do not believe that there will be any savings to the state as a result of closing the Dana-Thomas House, once lost revenues are considered.

* Tourism is one of the top economic industries in the State of Illinois.

* The extremely valuable collection of the site will be at risk and the volunteer program will be destroyed.

* The citizens of the State of Illinois should have access to and enjoyment of the properties purchased with their tax dollars.

If you feel as we do, that the house should remain open to the public, we urge you to contact state legislators in Illinois as soon as possible. Contact information has been attached for your convenience. We hope that you will express your feelings about this decision and appreciate your ongoing support.

Here are the addresses they provided. I cut those listed in a previous post.)

To find contact information for the legislators from your area, visit http://www.ilga.gov/

Governor Rod Blagojevich (D)
(800) 642-3112
Email: [email protected]

Michael J. Madigan (D-22nd District)
Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives
300 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
District Phone: (773) 581-8000
Capitol Phone: (217) 782-5350
Email: [email protected]

Senator Emil Jones Jr. (D-14th District)
President of the Illinois Senate
327 Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
District Office: (773) 995-7748
Capitol Phone: (217) 782-2728
Email: [email protected]

Frank Watson (R-51st District)
Illinois Senate Minority Leader
309A Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
District Office Phone: (618) 664-9108
Capitol Phone: (217) 782-5755
Email: [email protected]

Tom Cross (R-84th District)
Illinois House Minority Leader
316 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
District Office Phone: 815-254-0000
Capitol Phone: (217) 782-1331
Email: [email protected]

IHPA Director Jan Grimes
313 South Sixth Street
Springfield, IL 62701
E-mail: [email protected]

[hypnoraygun]

Well I sent my rant letter, but I already got a undeliverable email from the Governor. Anyone else write?

This seriously is a mess, please please write and think of any way you can to alert the media to gain momentum.

[Paul Ringstrom]

In all frankness, the Illinois budget mess will not be solved to any of our satisfactions until the next gubernatorial election in 2010. Nobody trusts the current governor to do what he agrees to in their budget negotiating sessions because he has repeatedly double-crossed them in the past. He routinely uses his line-item veto authority to cut appropriations from legislators who disagree with him and conversely rewards his few friends. His friend and longtime chief fund raiser, Tony Rezko, convicted on several counts of fraud and bribery in 2008 is being sentenced to jail next month. It is a REAL mess. Yes, the current governor can run for re-election and since a half-dozen potential challengers are lined up to run against him in the next primary he stands a good chance of winning with 20-30 percent of the vote.

[JimM]

I also sent what was probably a useless letter; but Hillary always appears at Martin events (as did Patrick Moynihan who was a huge supporter from the start). Maybe she could have a talk with Obama....

[hypnoraygun]

I did get an email from State Senator Frank Watson, for what it's worth.. ?. It was nice to hear something.


Dear Craig,

Thank you for sharing your concerns about our state parks and historic sites
in Illinois the Dana Thomas House and the Fiscal 2009 budget.

I believe what the Governor is doing is outrageous. These state facilities
are important parts of our local and state tourism industry. Tourism drives
the Illinois economy, second only to agriculture, yet the governor plans to
close tourism sites. It makes no sense. It is particularly troubling when
the costs of gas and travel are keeping Illinoisans closer to home.

The Governor clearly has misplaced priorities. Instead of focusing on
priority programs that we have in place, including our tourism industry, the
Governor chose to expand programs and start new programs that the state
cannot afford. He also left intact more than $25 million in pork projects
that could have been used to spare the cuts made at our key state parks and
historic sites.

Unfortunately, this is a continuation of the fiscal mismanagement we've seen
from the Blagojevich Administration and Chicago Democrat legislative leaders
over the last six years.

Thank you for taking the time to share your views on this important matter.
I also encourage you to express your concerns to Governor Rod Blagojevich,
207 State House, Springfield, Illinois 62706 or (217) 782-6830.


Sincerely,

Frank Watson

State Senator

[Paul Ringstrom]

Here is a petition that you might want to sign to protest the closing of the Dana-Thomas House. Please share this URL with other FLW fans who don't frequent this Chat Board.

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/ihpa

[pharding]

Governor Rod Blagojevich is an absolutely horrible governor. In Illinois if an architect is to do state work, one has to pay to play. Governor Rod Blagojevich passes out money to religious organizations in the inner city in order to get the support of the pastors and their congregations. He loves to pass out financial favors even to the extent of giving them to groups that didn't even ask for or want the financial gift before it was given. He, the state legislators, and their predecessor have borrowed $38.6 billion dollars from the state teachers and public employees pension funds. Illinois ranks 50th out of 50 states in the solvency of the state public employees pensions funds. Of all of the irresponsible public officials for the state of Illinois, and there have been many, Governor Rod Blagojevich been the most fiscally irresponsible. His wife has made a lot of money as Realtor to people doing business with the State of Illinois. On top of all of that he is a petty and vindicative individual in his relationships with legislators that dare to cross his path. Governor Rod Blagojevich's chief fundraiser, Tony Rezko, was recently convicted and awaits sentencing. According to a good lawyer friend, Tony is cutting a plea bargain in exchange for ratting out the governor. This will bring him to trial. This will break in October. His predecessor, Governor George Ryan, was convicted of corruption and currently is a guest of the federal government. Maybe Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) and Governor George Ryan (R) can get cells next to each other. The State of Illinois leads the nation in corruption and fiscal irresponsibility.