Taliesin West is turning 75 and the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy has designed a custom all-day event to showcase Wright's winter home and studio. In addition to a private behind-the-scenes tour of Taliesin West in the afternoon, participants will also be treated to a professionally guided tour of the Biltmore Hotel; access to the Harold Price, Sr., House (Wright, 1954) in Paradise Valley, Arizona; and an after-hours event at the Phoenix Art Museum with a reception and viewing of the exhibition Frank Lloyd Wright: Organic Architecture for the 21st Century.
The story of the Kenneth Laurent House (1948-1949) in Rockford, Illinois, will have a new chapter shortly. It appears that the house will become an overnight stay, a house museum, or possibly a combination of the two under the ownership of a newly formed not-for-profit organization. At a recent auction, the Laurent House Foundation won the house according to the Rockford Register Star, “for the minimum bid of $480,000 plus a 20 percent buyer’s premium.” The house is unique among Wright’s designs in that it was built specifically as a wheelchair accessible residence. Ken Laurent had recently finished his Navy World War II service when a spinal tumor rendered him a paraplegic. He was recuperating from treatment in a Veterans’ hospital when Wright took the commission.
You have toured the houses and read the books—soon you may be able to watch a Hollywood feature film chronicling Frank Lloyd Wright's life during the early phase of his prolific career. The Conservancy focuses on Wright's buildings rather than the persona, but the stories behind the architect's building, his life and those of his clients make for fascinating background. Ken Burns' documentary (1998) Frank Lloyd Wright and the documentary Magnificent Obsession: Frank Lloyd Wright's Buildings and Legacy in Japan (2005) have explored Wright's life and work, but this new film promises a dramatic telling of his personal life and career during approximately 1904-1914. The Conservancy was contacted by the initiator of this film project who hopes to start filming next summer. Details are still pending but Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy and Tender Mercies are among his credits) is lined up to direct what may be the next Wright blockbuster.
The story of the Kenneth Laurent House (1948-1949) in Rockford, Illinois, will have a new chapter shortly. It appears that the house will become an overnight stay, a house museum, or possibly a combination of the two under the ownership of a newly formed not-for-profit organization. At a recent auction, the Laurent House Foundation won the house according to the Rockford Register Star, “for the minimum bid of $480,000 plus a 20 percent buyer’s premium.” The house is unique among Wright’s designs in that it was built specifically as a wheelchair accessible residence. Ken Laurent had recently finished his Navy World War II service when a spinal tumor rendered him a paraplegic. He was recuperating from treatment in a Veterans’ hospital when Wright took the commission.
You have toured the houses and read the books—soon you may be able to watch a Hollywood feature film chronicling Frank Lloyd Wright's life during the early phase of his prolific career. The Conservancy focuses on Wright's buildings rather than the persona, but the stories behind the architect's building, his life and those of his clients make for fascinating background. Ken Burns' documentary (1998) Frank Lloyd Wright and the documentary Magnificent Obsession: Frank Lloyd Wright's Buildings and Legacy in Japan (2005) have explored Wright's life and work, but this new film promises a dramatic telling of his personal life and career during approximately 1904-1914. The Conservancy was contacted by the initiator of this film project who hopes to start filming next summer. Details are still pending but Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy and Tender Mercies are among his credits) is lined up to direct what may be the next Wright blockbuster.
