My wife and I will be doing a short driving trip to Michigan at the beginning of August. I was wondering if anyone might provide me with contact info for any of the owners of Wright houses?
It would be wonderful to see the St. Joseph, Galesburg and Kalamazoo houses, if even only from the exterior... Goetsch-Winckler would be a treat. There are really so many wonderful Michigan houses... Where do I begin!
And any tips about which houses are open to the public?
(Contacts could be sent via private message)
Michigan roadtrip
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Roderick Grant
- Posts: 11815
- Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2006 7:48 am
I met the owners of Wall at a dinner at Storer in Jan. 2008. Mrs. (cannot remember their name) is the daughter of Goddard, which may be the only FLW building still in original owners' hands ... provided nothing has changed in the intervening 7 years. Send a letter to Wall, they might be OK with a visit, though the Goddard House, which seems never to have been breached, is probably as unavailable as ever.
Scott Elliott owns/did own the Anthony House. I don't know if he still does, but he might be approachable as well.
The Okemos, Kalamazoo and Galesburg houses are easy to see from the exterior.
The owners of Amberg (Mahony) used to attend FLWBC conferences, and should be approachable.
Scott Elliott owns/did own the Anthony House. I don't know if he still does, but he might be approachable as well.
The Okemos, Kalamazoo and Galesburg houses are easy to see from the exterior.
The owners of Amberg (Mahony) used to attend FLWBC conferences, and should be approachable.
Goesch-Winckler
I remember going to the house during a Domino's Pizza conference and it was viewable from the street. The owner was not at home but we were able to wander around the property. Not that I would suggest that now, at the time-she knew we were coming.
Regularly open to the public: Meyer May in Grand Rapids; Affleck in Bloomfield Hills (seasonal).
All homes in southern Michigan (Grand Rapids to Okemos to Detroit area) are visible from the street except the two in Plymouth. I'm not sure about the Whitehall cottages or properties further north, but it also didn't sound like you were planning to go that far.
All homes in southern Michigan (Grand Rapids to Okemos to Detroit area) are visible from the street except the two in Plymouth. I'm not sure about the Whitehall cottages or properties further north, but it also didn't sound like you were planning to go that far.
Cranbrook Art Museum offers occasional tours of the delightful Melvin Maxwell Smith house in Bloomfield Hills.
http://www.cranbrookart.edu/museum/tours/#smith-tour
If you have an iPhone, I highly recommend the Wright Guide (Storrer) app. We used it to tour around Michigan with great success.
http://www.cranbrookart.edu/museum/tours/#smith-tour
If you have an iPhone, I highly recommend the Wright Guide (Storrer) app. We used it to tour around Michigan with great success.
I live in Michigan and have been to most of the Wright sites one way or another. My rundown (forgive me for redundant information):
Affleck - Worth a look. Occasional tours are given through Lawrence Technological University, who own the house. Lawrence has recently paid more attention to the house and is starting to use it as the asset it is. Even if you can't get on a tour, you can park nearby and get out and move around the house.
Smith - Try to get a tour through Cranbrook. If you can't, do a drive-by. The house is well presented from the street and if you feel bold enough, get out and see it up close. No one lives in the house, but it is meticulously cared for by a foundation set up by the Smiths' son, who owned several TV stations in California. Walking around the back of the house to the glassed-in side is almost as good as being within the walls itself. I may or may not have done this several times. Mr. and Mrs. Smith would surely approve.
(Incidentally, while in the area, you may want to check out the nearby Eliel Saarinen house on Cranbrook's campus, open to the public for tours and an architectural masterpiece)
Turkel - Visible from the street, but it is a very busy street, not well suited for a drive-by. I suggest parking on the street in the nearby Palmer Park neighborhood (also worth a drive through, many great houses) and walking to see it. The gentlemen who own Turkel have been very generous about opening the house for fundraisers and academics, but I am not sure about mere FLW fans. They are both very nice and it can't hurt to request a quick look. They have landscaped the grounds to create a truly magical place. Contact Norm Silk (one of the owners) at Blossoms Florist in Birmingham.
Palmer - Somewhat visible from the road, you only get a view of the driveway and carport and, driving around, a row of windows of the living room. Probably worth a look. Not open for tours, but if you have the time and budget, consider renting it for a two night minimum stay. (http://flwpalmerhouse.co) Ann Arbor is a wonderful college town with excellent restaurants and eclectic shopping so an afternoon spent walking around the town and UM's campus would be time well spent. Do not miss the Law Quad and the Law Reading Room, one of my favorite spaces anywhere.
Wall and Goddard - Neither is visible from the road and not worth your time to check out. I once mistakenly trespassed further than I should have and got a decent quick look at Goddard, but I cannot recommend you do this.
Goetsch-Winkler - Visible from the street, and not far off the highway. The owners have a website, so perhaps you can contact them to arrange a visit.http://thegoetschwincklerhouse.com.
Brauner - Good view from the street. The owner was active in the 2006 FLWBC conference in Michigan, so perhaps you can arrange something. One of the most underrated Usonians I've ever seen.
Edwards- Right across the street from Brauner, but well hidden from view.
Schaberg - Partially visible from the road, but you can't get a good feel for the house from the view.
The Galesburg Houses - I, uh, didn't see the "private drive" sign at the beginning and went down the road and I am glad I did. You can get a pretty good look at all four of the houses from the road. If anything, it can give one a small taste of what Broadacre City might have been like.
The Kalamazoo Houses - All are visible from the street with varying degrees of quality of views. Worth a look.
Meyer May House - Not to be missed. A pristine Prairie House. Open only on Sundays (FREE admission too)
Harper House - Great view on all sides from the street.
Vosburgh - Impossible to see through the trees. Not far from Bagley.
Bagley - Good look from the street, but the house has been so horribly mangled by renovations, it's a Wright structure in historical nature only. By the way, on the same street is the site of the Carr house, which Wright designed and was torn down a few years back. You can see the monstrosity put in it's place by some (presumably) wealthy Chicagoan with no taste whatsoever.
Hopefully that helps.
Affleck - Worth a look. Occasional tours are given through Lawrence Technological University, who own the house. Lawrence has recently paid more attention to the house and is starting to use it as the asset it is. Even if you can't get on a tour, you can park nearby and get out and move around the house.
Smith - Try to get a tour through Cranbrook. If you can't, do a drive-by. The house is well presented from the street and if you feel bold enough, get out and see it up close. No one lives in the house, but it is meticulously cared for by a foundation set up by the Smiths' son, who owned several TV stations in California. Walking around the back of the house to the glassed-in side is almost as good as being within the walls itself. I may or may not have done this several times. Mr. and Mrs. Smith would surely approve.
(Incidentally, while in the area, you may want to check out the nearby Eliel Saarinen house on Cranbrook's campus, open to the public for tours and an architectural masterpiece)
Turkel - Visible from the street, but it is a very busy street, not well suited for a drive-by. I suggest parking on the street in the nearby Palmer Park neighborhood (also worth a drive through, many great houses) and walking to see it. The gentlemen who own Turkel have been very generous about opening the house for fundraisers and academics, but I am not sure about mere FLW fans. They are both very nice and it can't hurt to request a quick look. They have landscaped the grounds to create a truly magical place. Contact Norm Silk (one of the owners) at Blossoms Florist in Birmingham.
Palmer - Somewhat visible from the road, you only get a view of the driveway and carport and, driving around, a row of windows of the living room. Probably worth a look. Not open for tours, but if you have the time and budget, consider renting it for a two night minimum stay. (http://flwpalmerhouse.co) Ann Arbor is a wonderful college town with excellent restaurants and eclectic shopping so an afternoon spent walking around the town and UM's campus would be time well spent. Do not miss the Law Quad and the Law Reading Room, one of my favorite spaces anywhere.
Wall and Goddard - Neither is visible from the road and not worth your time to check out. I once mistakenly trespassed further than I should have and got a decent quick look at Goddard, but I cannot recommend you do this.
Goetsch-Winkler - Visible from the street, and not far off the highway. The owners have a website, so perhaps you can contact them to arrange a visit.http://thegoetschwincklerhouse.com.
Brauner - Good view from the street. The owner was active in the 2006 FLWBC conference in Michigan, so perhaps you can arrange something. One of the most underrated Usonians I've ever seen.
Edwards- Right across the street from Brauner, but well hidden from view.
Schaberg - Partially visible from the road, but you can't get a good feel for the house from the view.
The Galesburg Houses - I, uh, didn't see the "private drive" sign at the beginning and went down the road and I am glad I did. You can get a pretty good look at all four of the houses from the road. If anything, it can give one a small taste of what Broadacre City might have been like.
The Kalamazoo Houses - All are visible from the street with varying degrees of quality of views. Worth a look.
Meyer May House - Not to be missed. A pristine Prairie House. Open only on Sundays (FREE admission too)
Harper House - Great view on all sides from the street.
Vosburgh - Impossible to see through the trees. Not far from Bagley.
Bagley - Good look from the street, but the house has been so horribly mangled by renovations, it's a Wright structure in historical nature only. By the way, on the same street is the site of the Carr house, which Wright designed and was torn down a few years back. You can see the monstrosity put in it's place by some (presumably) wealthy Chicagoan with no taste whatsoever.
Hopefully that helps.
"It all goes to show the danger of entrusting anything spiritual to the clergy" - FLLW, on the Chicago Theological Seminary's plans to tear down the Robie House in 1957
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classic form
- Posts: 182
- Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:44 pm
- Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
We hope to see you.
For what its worth, I drove home from Chicago yesterday and as soon as I crossed the border I was surprised to see a fairly large presence of Michigan state troopers all the way to Benton Harbor.
Speed limit is 70 on the interstate, you can get away with 79 (which I consistently do) but there were still plenty of travelers pulled over presumably driving even faster.
Remember, speed up and save lives:) (just keep it under 80)
For what its worth, I drove home from Chicago yesterday and as soon as I crossed the border I was surprised to see a fairly large presence of Michigan state troopers all the way to Benton Harbor.
Speed limit is 70 on the interstate, you can get away with 79 (which I consistently do) but there were still plenty of travelers pulled over presumably driving even faster.
Remember, speed up and save lives:) (just keep it under 80)
Michigan
In the category of "Not by Wright" I could suggest the new Broad Museum by Zaha Hadid. I have never seen it but, she has not built a lot in the US. At one time the university sold "Affordable Dream"about the Goesch/Winkler house.
In the Detroit area is the Mies Van der Rohe Lafayette Park-an design which has stood the test of time.
In the Detroit area is the Mies Van der Rohe Lafayette Park-an design which has stood the test of time.