FL Wright's Dana-Thomas House does not disappoint!

I don't actually keep a bucket list, but if I'd had one the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, Illinois, would have been on it. Having been to Wingspread, Taliesin, the Robie House and Fallingwater (among sundry other examples of his oeuvre) one might think I'd seen enough Wright houses. And since I quit teaching architecture three years ago there was no pressing need.

But after so many years I finally did go to see it. This house rivals any of the others. It's definitely worth the three-hour drive from Milwaukee.

Except for the prominent front entrance, the exterior is typical enough of his early Prairie Style, if larger than most. The interior is what sets this house apart from its peers. (They don't allow photography inside. I had to borrow the one I'm including here, of the living room, one of two grand barrel-vaulted rooms in the house.)

Mrs. Dana, who commissioned Wright to design the house, was wealthy enough to let him have a free rein. Furthermore, and most importantly, the art glass windows and lamps, the furniture, art works, and other furnishings are almost entirely intact. The tour we took was also masterfully theatrical, threading its way throughout the labyrinthine floor plan, up and down a reputed 17 changes of level. (I didn't keep track, but I believe it.)

Wright's famous use of compressed spaces that open into large, airy ones was well represented in this house.

If you're curious, I recommend the official website. It has a great photo gallery with lots of interior shots. If you're ever in the Springfield vicinity and have any affinity for Wright take the time to visit. You won't be disappointed either.

Frank Lloyd Wright house to be demolished?

Photo by Neslie Cook

There's been a temporary stay of execution, but this remarkable house in Phoenix designed in 1952 by Wright for his son may very well be sacrificed to the god of mammon.

See a brief story in the Los Angeles Times.

See a longer version in the New York Times.

See a gallery of lovely images here.

Sam Hamill at Unity Temple

It is my great good fortune to know a poet named Charlie Rossiter who lives in Oak Park, IL and runs a monthly Coffeehouse at Unity Temple, the famous Frank Lloyd Wright landmark. The Coffeehouse features mostly but not exclusively poetry. (Next month's feature is a blues singer.) Last night I went down to hear Sam Hamill read and it was outstanding. Hamill is not a household name, but well known amongst poets. If his name is unfamiliar to you, I am happy to make the introduction. Among other distinctions, he founded Poets Against War. Here is one sample of what he read last night. (I got it from Poets.org.) He dedicated it to his wife.

The Orchid Flower

by Sam Hamill

Just as I wonder
whether it's going to die,
the orchid blossoms

and I can't explain why it
moves my heart, why such pleasure

comes from one small bud
on a long spindly stem, one
blood red gold flower

opening at mid-summer,
tiny, perfect in its hour.

Even to a white-
haired craggy poet, it's
purely erotic,

pistil and stamen, pollen,
dew of the world, a spoonful

of earth, and water.
Erotic because there's death
at the heart of birth,

drama in those old sunrise
prisms in wet cedar boughs,

deepest mystery
in washing evening dishes
or teasing my wife,

who grows, yes, more beautiful
because one of us will die.

In addition to hearing Hamill's moving and provocative poetry, it is always a delight to visit Unity Temple, one of Wright's most important buildings. It never fails to impress me no matter how many times I go there. In addition to hosting the Coffeehouse on the third saturday of each month, Charlie has a wonderful website called PoetryPoetry where you can hear poets read their work.