Preservation Magazine Article about the Grant house in Iowa

DRN · Post by **DRN** » Thu May 31, 2012 1:10 pm

http://www.preservationnation.org/magaz ... right.html

JPB_1971 · Post by **JPB_1971** » Thu May 31, 2012 5:20 pm

Thanks for the link to this article. I've always liked this house. The interplay between the massiveness of the roof form and the lightness of the fenestration has always been interesting. The stonework must have taken forever to complete given the size of the raw material!

I wonder just what exactly is meant by "massive restoration"? It is different from the Walter house - this will need a subsequent sympathetic owner to maintain it as a private residence.

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Thu May 31, 2012 5:46 pm

This house has always intrigued me as it seems to be somewhat of an anomaly in Wright's Usonian period. It's too bad about the cold. Maybe this house would be a candidate for double or triple pane glass? The stonework is handled in an unusual way. Was that Wright's decision or the Grant's?

Rood · Post by **Rood** » Thu May 31, 2012 5:59 pm

peterm wrote:This house has always intrigued me as it seems to be somewhat of an anomaly in Wright's Usonian period. It's too bad about the cold. Maybe this house would be a candidate for double or triple pane glass? The stonework is handled in an unusual way. Was that Wright's decision or the Grant's?

The plan of the Grant House ... the 'idea' of the house ... was based on the slightly earlier Pauson House. As for the stone walls and other questions ... you can find most of the answers here:

http://www.flwrightgranthouse.com/

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 8:38 pm

The quantity and quality of the masonry in this building is simply amazing and wonderful.

It is too bad that to make this house livable year-round will require a complete re-thinking of the living room glazing to incorporate some 21st century technology.

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 8:54 am

We are going to Cedar Rapids sometime next week, and were wondering whether anyone had contact info for the residents or owners of the Grant house. Any tips would be helpful. Let me know and I will give you my email address...

Thanks.

hypnoraygun · Post by **hypnoraygun** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:04 am

EDIT: relayed info to PeterM

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Thu Jun 28, 2012 10:27 am

Yes, I still have the sbc... Thanks so much! I got your email and sent one off to the address you gave me. Hopefully it is still working. I'll keep you posted...

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 9:12 am

We will get to meet David Grant (son of the original owners who, as a child, helped to build the house...) on Monday for a tour. Thanks for the leads, David and Craig, they worked like a charm!

Hopefully, he won't mind if I snap a few pics.

hypnoraygun · Post by **hypnoraygun** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 8:07 am

We will get to meet David Grant (son of the original owners who, as a child, helped to build the house...) on Monday for a tour. Thanks for the leads, David and Craig, they worked like a charm!

Hopefully, he won't mind if I snap a few pics

I'm glad to see someone is having some luck getting in there, I don't know what the magic word is, but if anyone can share it, it would be appreciated!

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Sun Jul 01, 2012 6:23 pm

This house is also included in the tours for this year's Conservancy Conference in Mason City on October 10-14.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:14 pm

Peter's photos, taken yesterday:

peterm · Post by **peterm** » Wed Jul 04, 2012 10:12 pm

This is truly an amazing house! First of all, the site is remarkable, sitting on 60 acres of verdant rolling hills. The stonework is unique to Wright, with thousands and thousands of small, thin pieces of limestone held together with deeply recessed mortar, creating the impression that the stone is just precariously stacked. The steel t mullions, painted Cherokee Red, are the same as those used at the Walter house (Cedar Rock) and create a crisp and thin skeleton for the expansive glazing. The interior woods are cypress, contrasting with much lighter birch in key spots. The house retains much of its original furniture.

Thanks for posting, SDR..

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 1:02 pm

Lucky for Grant that Cedar Rapids is not exactly the place to be, so it's less likely that the property will ever become more valuable without the house, as happened to Gordon. It was possible to save Gordon by moving it miles away, but hauling Grant anywhere would be impossible.

Peter, I've always wondered about one little oddity at Grant, and didn't find out its purpose when I saw the house years ago. There's a space open to the grand hallway between the two fireplaces in the living room and dining room; did you find out what that was about? If not, I hope someone who goes through the house this year asks about it.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 1:31 pm