Frank Lloyd Wright Archives

June 13, 2017

Happy 150th, Frank Lloyd Wright! His legacy endures in St. Louis | William Bernoudy | ST LOUIS STYLE

Post-Dispatch file photo of Ted's Home — Post-Dispatch file photo of Ted’s Home

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT – via stltoday

“Mr. Wright has made a contribution to architecture in this country and a contribution which will no doubt (give) him a place of some importance in the history of architecture of this century when it may be written,” replied Benedict Farrar, then the president of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. “But that the historian will take Mr. Wright’s own evaluation of himself and place him first and everyone else nowhere is hardly within the realm of possibility.”

Time may heal all wounds, and Wright, who died at age 91, would have been 150 Thursday.

And, despite Farrar’s predictions and Wright’s temperament, the American Institute of Architects in 1991 declared him “the greatest American architect of all time.”

Post-Dispatch file photo of Frank Lloyd Wright

His Prodigy William Bernoudy

Today, real estate listings here still boast about “Frank Lloyd Wright style” — some with more of it than others. Architects who studied under or worked for Wright left their mark in the St. Louis area, some designing structures with distinct Wright elements.

Walter Burley Griffin worked for Wright in his Oak Park studios. Although Griffin is known as the Frank Lloyd Wright of Australia, he designed several homes and buildings in America, including a private home on historic St. Louis Street in Edwardsville.

In 1932, University City High School graduate William Adair Bernoudy spent only one year at Washington University before he became a charter apprentice at Taliesin, Wright’s Wisconsin home and studio.

Bernoudy designed several private homes in the St. Louis area, including the Ladue home of real estate agent Ted Wight, who specializes in selling modern homes. Bernoudy himself and his wife, Gertrude, even lived in what is now Wight’s home. A cantilevered overhang, Asian-inspired screens and tight hallways opening to bigger living spaces are just a few Wright characteristics in his house, Wight said.

Wight says there’s a growing appreciation among customers for modern homes that are architecturally interesting. “Some people want to buy a house, but not just a house,” he said. “They want a house with a pedigree.” Bernoudy and modernist architects such as Isadore Shank and Harris Armstrong have supplied them. About three or four such homes come on the market a year, Wight says, though some have been torn down.

View the full article here.

March 20, 2017March 20, 2017

Frank Lloyd Wright’s “American Home” – Annual Lecture April 7th

Model B! on West Burnham Street, Milwaukee

Wright created hundreds of drafts for a little-known, early 20th century scheme to provide affordable prefab housing, the American System-Built homes, a concept that quickly fell victim to WWI material shortages and became a footnote in the architect’s career. But while these duplexes and bungalows were tiny, they made an oversized impact on Wright’s career.

In keeping with his vision of creating architect designed homes for all Americans, Frank Lloyd Wright began designing small houses for moderate to low-income workers in 1911. Six of these modest homes, known as American System-Built houses, were constructed on West Burnham Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As years passed, the homes fell into disrepair and their significance was almost forgotten. Mike Lilek, curator, Burnham Block, will speak about the current restoration process that is bringing back the original luster and charm of these tiny houses.

DATE: Friday, April 7, 2017 @ 7:00 p.m.
PLACE: Saint Louis Art Museum - The Farrell Auditorium
PRICE: Free and open to the public (tickets required)

The lecture is free but tickets are required. Advance tickets are available in person at the Museum’s Information Center, through Metrotix.com or by calling 314.535.1111 Read more about these homes here.

August 3, 2016

Visiting Frank Lloyd Wright Houses in Chicagoland!

THE UNITY TEMPLE

Last week while I was in Chicago, I seized the moment and visited some Frank Lloyd Wright houses. In Oak Park, I toured Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio and then did a walking tour of some of the other house in the area. We ended the walking tour at Unity Temple which was closed and undergoing a multi-million dollar renovation. The $23 million restoration of Unity Temple launched in Spring 2015 and is expected to be complete by Fall 2016. This Frank Lloyd Wright-designed church was among Wright’s favorite commissions. Its design was unprecedented in 1905, with its cubist theme and poured concrete construction.

ROBIE HOUSE

On my second day, I went to see the Robie House on the University of Chicago’s campus. The design precedent for the Robie House was the Ferdinand F. Tomek House in Riverside, Illinois, designed by Wright in 1907-08. The Robie family—Frederick, Laura, and their two children, Frederick Jr. and Lorraine—moved into the home in May 1910, although all of the final details, including rugs and furniture, were not completed until January 1911.^[11] The final cost of the home was $58,500–$13,500 for the land, $35,000 for the design and construction of the building, and $10,000 for the furnishings.^[12] ($58,500 in 1910 is approximately equal to $1,400,000 in 2013.)^[13] Robie’s original budget had been $60,000.^[14]

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

It is amazing to realize that these houses were all early Frank Lloyd Wright projects completed in the early 1900’s. I asked my son when he thought these houses were built….and like many, he said, “In the 60’s?”. To think that Wright was designing homes like this prior to the World’s fair is shocking.

Don’t forget that we have a Frank Lloyd Wright gem in St. Louis- The Kraus House at Ebsworth Park. What makes our FLW house even more important is that it has its original furniture.

June 1, 2016June 1, 2016

THE FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT HOUSE IN EBSWORTH PARK EVENT

ANNUAL BENEFIT: Barney Ebsworth at the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park

Sunday, June 5, 2016 — 2:00-5:00 p.m.
Ebsworth Park, 120 North Ballas Road

Join us in celebrating our 15th Anniversary with a special tribute to Barney Ebsworth. An entrepreneur, businessman and collector of American modern art, Barney helped save the Kraus House for future generations. We are pleased to honor Barney for his generosity at this year’s annual benefit.

Guests will enjoy the modern American music (1920s-1950s) of Miss Jubilee and the Humdingers as they present a lively jazz and blues concert on the grounds of Ebsworth Park.

In addition to the concert, guests will enjoy elegant picnic fare and may tour the house. A new exhibit will be on display featuring historic postcards of Frank Lloyd Wright properties on loan from Buffalo architect Patrick Mahoney.

Proceeds from the event support the ongoing preservation and programs of the FLWHEP. Benefit chairs are Cathy Berges and Lea Virtel. Individual event tickets are $125.

To make a reservation, please call 314-822-8359 or e-mail info@ebsworthpark.org. For further details, visit www.ebsworthpark.org.

About the home…

Nestled in grassy fields on 10.5 acres in the Sugar Creek area of Kirkwood, Mo., the Frank Lloyd Wright House in Ebsworth Park is a unique and significant residence designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, widely recognized as the greatest American architect of the 20th century. This 1,900-square-foot residence built for Russell and Ruth Kraus was the architect’s first building in the St. Louis area, and is one of only five Wright designs in Missouri. It is an excellent example of Wright’s democratic vision, intended to provide middle-class Americans with beautiful architecture at an affordable cost.

The home is notable not only for its architectural integrity, but for retaining all of its original Wright-designed furnishings and fabrics. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places because of its significance in American architecture.