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September 22-26, 2010 >>2010 CONFERENCE BROCHURE >>REGISTER ONLINE The annual conference of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy (FLWBC) will convene September 22–26, 2010, at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza Hotel in downtown Cincinnati. The annual conference offers an exploration of Wright’s architectural legacy through daily education sessions as well as an opportunity to see Wright's designs in person. Theme This year’s conference theme — Modifying Wright’s Buildings and Their Sites: Additions, Subtractions, Adjacencies — investigates significant changes made to Wright’s buildings or their contexts by Wright and others. Panels will offer a forum for considering questions regarding architectural integrity and interpretation relevant to building owners and site managers, preservationists and historians. Conference Tours This year the conference welcomes attendees to private homes designed by Wright and to the Burton J. Westcott House, now a public museum, in nearby Springfield, Ohio. The Cincinnati hills have long been attractive to architects either directly influenced by Wright or to those designing in opposition to his organic architecture. In addition to the three Usonian/mid-century Wright homes, the area features homes by Philip Glass, Michael Graves, Richard Neutra, William Drummond, Abe and Ben Dombar, Daniel Burnham and John deKoven Hill as well as local mid-century modernists such as Woodie Garber, and contemporary architects such as Carl Strauss, Ray Roush and David Niland. Plans are in development to offer an interesting sampling of the work of some of these notable architects. The Westcott House Attendees will visit the restored Westcott House (1906-08), Wright’s only Prairie home in the state, which faced collapse a decade ago. The Westcott House’s award-winning restoration was made possible by the Conservancy when it bought the home in 2000 from a private owner and transferred it to a newly established non-profit foundation. Five years and $5.8 million later, the home opened to the public October 15, 2005. Today, the museum serves as an educational and economic driver for its region and attracts 10,000 visitors yearly. Opening Reception On Wednesday, September 22 join the Conservancy at the Contemporary Arts Center designed by Zaha Hadid, at the offical beginning of the conference. Located across the street from a recently completed Aronoff Center for the Arts (designed by César Pelli), the Contemporary Arts Center is in a developing downtown cultural and entertainment area known as the Backstage District.  Support the Conservancy on Friday, September 24 at the breathtaking Dwivedi-Schiff House (pictured left) Silent Auction, Gala Dinner and Wright Spirit Awards The Netherland Plaza’s sumptuous Hall of Mirrors will be the setting for this year's Wright Spirit Awards. The highly anticipated silent auction, a major fundraiser benefiting the Conservancy’s various programs, always provides bidders with unique Wright-related objects and publications, special event opportunities, overnight stays and other exceptional items. Pre-Conference Tours - Wednesday, September 22 Bus tour of Columbus, Indiana Travel writer Jordan Simon listed Columbus, Indiana among his Top 10 Things to See in the U.S. Before You Die. Columbus (pop. 39,000) was listed alongside  Columbus is a major repository of modern architecture, with works by luminaries like Eero Saarinen, Cesar Pelli, and Richard Meier. This destination says design from the get go...” Walking tour of Downtown Cincinnati Get to know the Conference's host city more intimately by exploring downtown on foot. The tour will leave at 1:30 p.m. from the Hilton Cincinatti Netherland Plaza Hotel and return by 3:30 p.m. Post-Conference Tour - Sunday, September 26 Bus and walking tour of Rush Creek Village, Worthington, Ohio  This enclave of about 50 homes in a woodsy, winding neighborhood was inspired by the organic architecture and Usonian designs of Frank Lloyd Wright. Construction began in 1956. The designer was Theodore van Fossen, who planned the entire community, defined the individual sites and designed the houses. Rush Creek is believed to be the largest "organically" designed subdivision in the United States, according to the National Park Service. Each Rush Creek house is unique, but part of a consistent unified architectural vision.Note: due to the setting, terrain and transportation restrictions this is a two+ hours walking tour and is not recommended for anyone with difficulty in walking. The bus will stop at the Columbus, Ohio, airport before returning to Cincinnati. Wright and Cincinnati Cincinnati, Queen City of the West, offers a unique historical association with Wright, not only for the city’s three Usonian homes designed during his lifetime, but also because Wright delivered an important speech during the Depression from Cincinnati’s Netherland Hilton. There, he addressed more than 600 members of the National Association of Real Estate Boards on June 30, 1932, and found one of his first apprentices. That day, a second-year University of Cincinnati architecture student and city native Abrom (Abe) Dombar, found a way to meet the famous Frank Lloyd Wright, the architect he admired above all others. Though Dombar was not permitted to attend the lecture because he was not a member of the organization, he summoned the courage to approach Wright before the architect took the stage. On the spot, Wright invited the determined 19-year-old to lunch after his talk. Because of that meeting Dombar made the decision to leave the university to become one of the first apprentices in Wright’s Fellowship program, also established in 1932. Dombar’s younger brother, Benjamin, later followed Abe to Taliesin and also apprenticed with Wright. Separately, the brothers returned to Cincinnati and over many years in that city designed dozens of area homes, some of which will be open for touring during this year’s conference. The Hotel The Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, a National Historic Landmark and charter member of Historic Hotels of America, is housed in a dramatic French Art Deco structure. Opened in 1931, the hotel features a Rookwood Pottery fountain in the Palm Court, a towering architectural element from the world renowned Cincinnati-based art pottery. The entire building has been restored to1930s grandeur, including its rare Brazilian rosewood paneling, indirect German silver-nickel light fixtures and soaring ceiling murals. The hotel is located in the heart of downtown Cincinnati at the corner of Fifth and Race Streets, just off of I-75 and I-71 and 12 miles north of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. We suggest you make your room reservations now. Request the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy room block when you reserve in order to receive the group rate of $129 (plus tax). You may also register online. Use code: "FLW" to receive the special Conservancy rate. Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza 35 West 5th Street Cincinnati, OH 45202 tel: 513.421.9100 www.cincinnatihilton.com |
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