Franky speaking

The first Frank Lloyd Wright building that I remember seeing was the Guggenheim when I was 15. We were living in Connecticut and my Dad took us on a tour of New York City. Having grown up in the South, where buildings were very conventional and conservative on the whole, the Guggenheim was an amazing sight to behold. A few years later I learned a bit more about Wright when I took an Art History class in college. There was quite a lot of discussion on his contribution to 20Th century architecture. The gem that was talked about the most was Falling Water - perhaps because it was in Pennsylvania and so was my University. I found my way to Falling Water years later. I was going to visit my parents in central Pennsylvania - I had some of my children with me - and as often happens with my children, we ventured off of the main path to look for some interesting diversion. We found it in the woods of western Pennsylvania. What a wonderful retreat to come to from big, noisy, industrial Pittsburgh! Time marches on and my husband took our two oldest daughters to Arizona for a graduation present. They came back in love with the desert and raving about Taliesin West. They shared their adventure and photos and once again I was hooked by Wright. I wasn't able to go to Arizona, but I did pack the kids up in the car and off we went to explore Taliesin East in Spring Green Wisconsin. What an interesting place. Here in this bucolic setting, the family complex is filled with stories and ghosts of Wright and his family, lovers and friends. If you live in the Midwest, this is definitely a place worth visiting. They have wonderful guides who can talk about both the architect and his architecture. And they have a nice little cafe with good desserts and of course a gift shop. Last year we took our youngest daughter to Arizona to look at possible schools and to explore. And finally I had the good fortune to be able to visit Taliesin West. I really understand the allure of the desert having lived in the Midwest for the past 30 years. There is something so awe inspiring about the colors and textures and vegetation and the natural warmth of the place. The Taliesin complex is so interesting and organic. I think the fact that both of the Taliesin complexes are working architectural studios is a real tribute to Wright and his ideas. And so this brings me to my latest "new" trip. After exploring Frank and his architecture all over the country I realized that the beginnings of his craft were right here in my own back yard. The town of Oak Park is only about a 40 minute drive from my home. Oak Park is a lovely town filled with some truly beautiful examples of Victorian architecture and many Wright homes. The Frank Lloyd Wright house and studio is located at 951 Chicago Avenue. This is about 10 miles west of the Chicago Loop. For $15 a person, you can receive a guided tour of the house and studio. Our guide was a gentleman named Gary, who did a very thorough job explaining the history of the house and studio. I have to say that he didn't go into any of the gossip issues that our guide of Taliesin East provided. Too bad! He did a great job at explaining the architectural details and history of the home and also briefly of the neighborhood. I don't think that I would like to live in one of Wright's homes. I like more light and higher ceilings than many of his homes seem to have. He created a room for his wife that wasn't very practical - she was a tall woman and the ceiling height was so low that I am sure that she had to stoop to go into the the prettiest part of the room near the window. But I did fall in love with the children's playroom - their is a fantastic mural - and his studio. The studio is very interesting. It has ball and chains holding up the ceiling! It has good light and high ceilings and beautiful poured, colored floors that are made out of a material similar to concrete. It has some drama that I don't think the house has. It has columns with capitals that don't touch the ceiling. Was he thinking of floating space or displays or what exactly? A little theater in the round for his clients to partake in? Who knows. All in all, though, considering the age of the building, certainly interesting for its time. If you are looking for a nice little historical adventure, I would recommend it.