DOROTHY AT THE MOFA HOUSTON, THE FIRST STOP OF OUR TRIP. BEHIND HER IS JENNIFER STEINKAMP LIGHT-BASED INSTALLATION ENTITLED "THE SEASONS". DECEMBER 14, 2022.

A Trip To Visit “The Child of The Sun”

Prologue…

Early December of 2022 found my wife Dorothy feeling much better after her extended battle with breast cancer.  And I was itching to start on what I decided to call “Our Frank Lloyd Wright Project”.  So I began planning a trip.  I first consulted Wright Sites: A Guide to Frank Lloyd Wright Public Places (Joel Hoglund, Editor) and quickly decided to head to Florida to visit Florida Southern College, home of the largest collection of Wright Structures anywhere in the world.  I crafted a week long itinerary that included stops in Orange, Texas, and Lafayette, Louisiana, to visit family.  I also included visits to a sculpture exhibit at the MOFA Houston, two Wright houses, and a feline rehabilitation center.  We enjoyed beautiful weather, some great seafood, and some stimulating sites!  Here are some photos and details of our Trip.


Day One, Wednesday, December 14, 2022:  A Trip To A Museum And A Visit With My Favorite Nephew And His Family

We set out from  the lake about 8:30 a.m. in the morning and arrived at The Museum of Fine Arts (MOFA) in Houston a little after 11 a.m.  Several weeks earlier I had read an article about the Alberto Giacometti Exhibit at the museum and thought it would be a nice stop to stretch our legs and perhaps absorb a little culture.  It had been many years since I had visited MOFA Houston, and a lot has changed.  New buildings and much more space were the most obvious changes.  In addition to the Giacometti sculpture exhibit, we also walked through the Golden Worlds: The Portable Universe of Indigenous Colombia exhibit, which was also very interesting and enjoyable. To see a more complete gallery of the photos we took that day, look here.  

THE GIACOMETTI EXHIBIT CONTAINED SOME HERO SIZED SCULPTURES THAT WERE A SIGHT TO BEHOLD. THIS WAS ONE OF THE "STANDING WOMAN" SERIES.
THE COLUMBIAN EXHIBIT HAD SOME STUNNING GOLD PIECES AND WAS NICELY CURATED.
ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD...THE COLUMBIAN EXHIBIT HAD SOME INTERESTING ITEMS BESIDES THE GOLD ARTIFACTS, LIKE THESE POTTERY FIGURINES.

Walking through the MOFA to get to the Giacometti and Columbian exhibits we saw a number of interesting exhibits and installations.  There is so much to see!  We need to go back and spend a couple of days seeing it all!

ON THE WAY TO THE GIACOMETTI EXHIBIT WE PASSED BY THIS LIGHT BASED INSTALLATION BY JENNIFER STEINKAMP ENTITLED "SEASONS".
THE TUNNEL TO THE PARKING GARAGE HAD AN IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY OF PHOTOGRAPHY BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

After spending a couple of hours at the Museum, we headed over to Goode Company Seafood and picked up a crab campechana to go, which Dorothy enjoyed as we headed east toward Orange, Texas.  

WE BOTH LOVE GOODE COMPANY SEAFOOD. NORMALLY I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN A GUMBO, BUT I WAS FASTING.

We arrived in Orange mid afternoon and checked into the Elvis Presley Suite at the La Quinta on Highway 62.  I had made arrangements with my nephew Chris Burleigh to unlock the metal building where my sister Molly’s possessions that survived Hurricane Harvey are stored.  I headed over and spent a couple of hours going through some of Molly’s old photos and assorted odds and ends.  I laughed, I cried, and resolved that when I returned home I would write a blog post about my sweet sister Molly.  I did just that and you can see it here.  I finished up at the metal building and picked up Dorothy at the hotel.  We headed to Chris and Megan’s house and had a good gumbo and a good visit with them and the girls (who are growing up fast!!). 

MOLLY'S METAL BUILDING, WHERE I SPENT A COUPLE OF HOURS RUMMAGING AROUND. I AM GRATEFUL THAT CHRIS ALLOWED ME TO LOOK THROUGH MY SISTER'S PHOTOS.
I FOUND A NUMBER OF OLD PHOTOS THAT I HAD NEVER SEEN BEFORE. THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES! A GREAT PICTURE OF MY MOM AND DAD HOLDING THEIR 3 WEEK OLD DAUGHTER MOLLY.
MOLLY JOY HOLDING ME...I THINK I WAS RIGHT AT A YEAR OLD.
DINNER WITH THE BURLEIGHS...FROM L TO R, CAM, LILLY, MEGAN, AND CHRIS.
AND MADDIE! (FAR RIGHT).

Day Two, Thursday, December 15, 2022:  Heading To Ocean Springs, MS, With a Stop in Lafayette, LA…


Thursday morning found us heading east to Lafayette, LA, where we had a pleasant lunch with Dorothy’s cousin Belle McKinney.  It was so good to see her!  We took her a gumbo, which she seemed to really enjoy.  She also told us about a FLW home in Houston that was built by a man that her mother had dated.  Sure enough, the William L. Thaxton Residence in the Memorial area is listed in the Storrer Catalog.   

DOROTHY WITH HER COUSIN BELLE, LAFAYETTE, LA, DECEMBER 15, 2022.

We left Belle’s house after a nice visit and headed for Ocean Springs, MS, where we would tour a historic FLW home the next day.  We stayed in the Mackey Suite at the Inn of Ocean Springs in the old downtown area.  When we arrived it was already dark, and the holiday lights were beautiful. Our suite was beautiful, decorated with antiques.  After resting and stretching our legs a bit, we headed over to Anthony’s for a nice seafood dinner.  

DOROTHY OUTSIDE THE INN AT OCEAN SPRINGS AND THE COLORFUL HOLIDAY LIGHTS.
OUR BEDROOM IN THE MACKEY SUITE WAS INTERESTING, COMFORTABLE, AND HISTORIC.
THE MACKEY SUITE WAS DECORATED WITH A NUMBER OF FRAMED PRESSED FLOWERS FROM THE 1930S.
ANTHONY'S IS LOCATED IN A BEAUTIFUL SETTING ALONG THE BAYOU.
MY BEAUTIFUL WIFE, ABOUT TO ENJOY DINNER AT ANTHONY'S. DECEMBER 15, 2022.

Day Three, Friday, December 16, 2022:  A Nice Walk and Our Tour Of the Historic Charnley-Norwood House…

As is my custom, I was up early on Friday, December 16, 2022.   I stopped in at the Bright Eyed Brew coffee shop that was literally next door, just as the engaging young proprietor opened up.  He graced me with an extraordinary cup of coffee, and some interesting conversation.  To top it all off, the coffee was free, because I was staying at the Inn of Ocean Springs.  You can’t beat that!

I STARTED MY DAY WITH A LARGE CUP OF JOE FROM THE COFFEE SHOP THAT WAS LITERALLY RIGHT NEXT TO OUR SUITE AT THE OCEAN SPRINGS INN.
RYAN REAUX, THE OWNER, NOT ONLY FIXED ME A GREAT CUP OF COFFEE, HE RESTORED MY FAITH IN OUR YOUNGER GENERATION OF ENTREPRENUERS...WHAT AN ENGAGING AND IMPRESSIVE YOUNG MAN!

All fueled up with a large cup of coffee from my new friend Ryan Reaux, I set out on a walk.  Beginning in the beautifully decorated downtown,  I  walked down to the beach.  I passed historic homes and a beautiful Presbyterian Chapel built in 1886.  At the beachfront park, I enjoyed a beautifully sculpted tree, and information about the history of the area.  If you are ever in the area, I would highly recommend a walk around this part of Ocean Springs.  When I got back to our suite, I loaded up our belongings and drove Dorothy along the route I walked, so she could enjoy the sights I had seen earlier that morning.  

A FLAMINGO SANTA GREETED ME AS I BEGAN MY WALK. IT HELPED PUT ME IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT.
HARD TO IMAGINE WHAT THIS BEAUTIFUL CHAPEL HAS ENDURED AND SEEN OVER THE LAST 136 YEARS.
A LOT OF LOCALS WERE UPSET WHEN THE CITY CUT DOWN THIS LARGE OAK TREE AFTER HURRICANE KATRINA. THE CITY TRIED TO MAKE AMENDS BY HIRING MARLIN MILLER OF FORT WALTON BEACH TO TURN THE HUGE STUMP INTO A WORK OF ART.
DOROTHY NEXT TO THE STATUTE OF PIERRE LE MOYNE, SIEUR D'IBERVILLE, WHO LED THE FRENCH FORCE THAT BUILT FORT MAUREPAS IN 1699 ON A SITE IN OCEAN SPRINGS, MS.
THIS CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF THE BEAUX-ARTS "POLITE" ARCHITECTURAL STYLE WAS BUILT BY JEREMIAH O'KEEFE IN 1906. MEMBERS OF THE O'KEEFE FAMILY PLANTED MANY OF THE OAKS IN OCEAN SPRINGS AROUND 1870.

It was finally time to tour our first Frank Lloyd Wright designed residence.  We met Jeff Rosenberg, our guide for the day, promptly at 10:00 a.m. at the gates of the property.  Jeff is the Preservation Coordinator for the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, and is very knowledgeable about the history and preservation of Charnley-Norwood House.  The house was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and Jeff was intimately involved in the subsequent restoration.  Jeff was very kind and personable, and clearly was passionate about the house and the property.  The design of the house was beautiful, but Dorothy and I were blown away by the curly, long-leafed, yellow pine woodwork that dominated the inside of the house.  Thanks to Jeff’s expertise, we learned about Wright’s use of “the theme of 3” and other design methods.  Here are a few of the pictures I took on our tour.  (For a more complete gallery of the photos I took that day, as well as more about the history of the home, look here.)  

THE HISTORICAL SIGNAGE NEAR THE GATE TO THE CHARNLEY-NORWOOD HOUSE, LOCATED AT 509 E. BEACH DR., OCEAN SPRINGS, MS. ("BON SELINE" IS A FRAGRANT TEA ROSE, HAVING VARIOUS SHADES OF PINK.)
OUR VIEW OF THE EAST SIDE OF THE CHARNLEY-NORWOOD HOUSE, FROM THE VISITOR PARKING AREA. THE EAST BEDROOM WING IS TO THE FAR LEFT OF THE PHOTO.
DOROTHY AND JEFF, DEEP IN CONVERSATION IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE. I WAS STANDING IN THE RESTORED ROSE GARDEN AS I TOOK THIS PHOTO.
LOOKING FROM THE ENTRANCE HALL INTO THE DINING ROOM, WHICH HAD A CHRISTMAS TREE IN FRONT OF THE FIREPLACE.
DOROTHY IN THE WEST BEDROOM. EACH OF THE BEDROOMS HAS A FIREPLACE FLANKED BY BAY WINDOWS WITH BUILT IN SEATING. THE WOODWORK IN THIS HOUSE IS SPECTACULAR!
THE CHARNLEY-NORWOOD HOUSE WAS WELL-CURATED. THIS IS ONE OF SEVERAL INFORMATIONAL DISPLAYS IN THE HOUSE.
SINCE HE WAS INTIMATELY INVOLVED IN THE RESTORATION POST KATRINA, JEFF HAD SOME INTERESTING PHOTOS OF THE HOUSE AFTER THE STORM. THIS ONE SHOWS THE DINNING ROOM CHIMNEY WHICH DROPPED SEVERAL FEET AS THE HOUSE WAS MOVED OFF OF ITS FOUNDATION BY THE STORM.
JEFF TELLING US THE STORY OF THE NORTH WALL OF THE EAST BEDROOM, WHICH DETACHED FROM THE MAIN HOUSE DURING KATRINA AND WOUND UP 100 YARDS AWAY IN THE BAYOU. THE RESTORATION OF THIS HISTORIC PROPERTY AFTER THE STORM WAS A MONUMENTAL TASK.
THERE ARE MANY HISTORICAL PHOTOS ON DISPLAY IN THE HOUSE. THIS ONE SHOWS THE STABLE COTTAGE, A UNIQUE STRUCTURE IN ITS OWN RIGHT.
THESE TWO FLOOR PLANS SHOW THE CHANGES MADE AFTER THE 1897 FIRE. THE MAIN CHANGES WERE THE ENLARGEMENT OF THE BAY WINDOWS IN THE BEDROOMS, RELOCATION OF THE DINING ROOM (AND RESULTING ENLARGMENT OF THE ORIGINAL "GUEST BEDROOM"), AND RELOCATION OF THE KITCHEN.

After our tour of the Charnley-Norwood house in Ocean Springs, we continued east along the coast to Panama City Beach, Florida, and checked into our 5th floor room at the Palmetto Inn and Suites just as the sun was setting.  We rested a short while before heading over to the Sandbar Restaurant for a very good seafood dinner.  What a wonderful day we had!

DOROTHY LOOKED LOVELY AS SHE ENJOYED THE SUNSET FROM OUR FIFTH FLOOR ROOM AT THE PALMETTO INN AND SUITES.
DOROTHY ENJOYED A GRILLED RED SNAPPER SALAD AT THE SANDBAR. I HAD THE GRILLED GROUPER SALAD WITH A SIDE OF BACON WRAPPED JUMBO SHRIMP. OUTSTANDING!

Day Four, Saturday, December 17, 2022:  An Interesting Stop on the Way to Tallahassee…

When I originally planned this little trip, I needed to find something for Dorothy and I to do on Saturday, December 17, 2022, since our next scheduled activity (a tour of Spring House in Talahassee) was not until Sunday afternoon.  After some research, I decided a visit to the Bear Creek Feline Center   (“BCFC”)  located outside off Panama City, Florida, might be fun.  So I called and booked us for a 9:00 a.m. tour of their facility.  I knew that their mission was to provide a permanent home to the three felid species that exist in Florida’s wilds.   They take in animals that have been displaced (usually celebrity animals or animals that people tried to make pets out of but failed), and unable to live safely in the wild.  They have Florida Panther, Jaguarundi and Florida Bobcat.  BCFC also is home to Siberian Lynx, Cougars and Mountain Lions as well as African Servals.  I believe they said they had a total of 23 large cats at their facility.  When we arrived we met Jim Broaddus, who founded the Center 22 years ago, and his partner Bertie.  They were a likeable, enthusiastic, and engaging pair! (How many people do you know that have an African Serval living in their home, and a Florida Panther whose cage is connected to their living room so he can come in for visits?)  I was impressed at the amount of time they spent explaining safety measures, they emphasized that being in close contact with these animals was serious business.  We spent the next several hours getting to know Jim, Bertie, and their menagerie of big cats.  It was an experience we will not soon forget!   Here are a few photos from our time at the Bear Creek Feline Center.  For a more complete gallery of photos from our visit, look here.  

WE ARRIVED AT THE BEAR CREEK FELINE CENTER RIGHT ON TIME. AFTER EXTENSIVE TRAINING UNDER A TRUE MASTER, DOROTHY HAS TURNED INTO A GREAT NAVIGATOR!
AS WE WARMED UP AROUND A FIRE JIM AND BERTIE TOLD US THE HISTORY OF THE FACILITY AND EXPLAINED THE SAFETY PRECAUTIONS THAT WE WERE TO OBSERVE DURING OUR VISIT.
THE FIRST ANIMAL WE SAW UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WAS ONE OF THE LARGE CATS, A FLORIDA PANTHER. I WAS ABLE TO TAKE THIS PHOTOGRAPH WHILE INSIDE THE CAGE, STANDING BEHIND JIM BROADDUS.
DOROTHY FEEDING A COUGAR/PANTHER MIXED CAT UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF BERTIE. THIS CAGE IS CONNECTED TO THEIR HOUSE AND THIS CAT LIVES ON THEIR SECOND FLOOR PORCH (HE HAS RAMP INSIDE THE CAGE THAT GETS HIM UP TO THE SECOND FLOOR). HE USED TO HAVE UNFETTERED ACCESS TO THEIR UPSTAIRS LIVING ROOM UNTIL HE COMPLETELY DESTROYED THEIR COUCH!
HERE I AM FEEDING THE SAME CAT. IT IS AN EXHILERATING EXPERIENCE! IN THE BACKGROUND ARE TWO OF THE BCFC VOLUNTEERS, JOSIE AND JOSH.
THIS IS SHEENA, AN AFRICAN SERVAL WHOSE OUTSIDE CAGE HAS ACCESS TO JIM AND BERTIE'S DOWNSTAIRS STUDY. I TOOK THIS PHOTO THROUGH A GLASS DOOR IN THE KITCHEN WHILE WE WERE WASHING OUR HANDS BEFORE GOING INTO THE STUDY TO FEED SHEENA.
DOROTHY FEEDING SHEENA, AN AFRICAN SERVAL.
YOURS TRULY FEEDING MY NEW FRIEND SHEENA. SHE LOVED TO BE PETTED AND, OF COURSE, LOVED TO BE HAND FED.
ANOTHER AFRICAN SERVAL THAT WE GOT TO FEED AND PET. I CAN'T RECALL THIS ONE'S NAME UNFORTUNATELY, BUT IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL ANIMAL.
AS WE WERE LEAVING BCFC I STOPPED AND VISITED A COUPLE OF MACAWS IN A CAGE NEAR JIM AND BERTIE'S HOME. STUNNING COLORS!

After we finished with our visit to BCFC, we drove to Talahassee and checked into our hotel.  We freshened up and drove to Wahoo Seafood Grill, where we had a nice dinner to wind up day four of our little trip. 

Day Five, Sunday, December 18, 2022:  A Frank Lloyd Wright Classic:  Spring House!…

A leisurely morning and a bite of lunch preceded our arrival at Spring House, located at 3117 Okeeheepkee Rd. in Tallahasse, Florida.  We had arranged a one o’clock tour with Byrd Lewis Mashburn, the daughter of Clifton and George Lewis, who commissioned FLW to design Spring House.  George Lewis was a banker and his wife Clifton Lewis was a former beauty queen and well known as a Civil Rights activist in the Tallahassee area.  The Lewises met Frank Lloyd Wright in 1950 at the World Federalist Conference held on the campus of Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida.  Byrd told us that her mother purposefully waited at the end of the reception line so that she would have the opportunity to ask FLW to design a home for them.  She told him they had a lot of kids and not much money.  He said “Go out into the country, find your ground, then get in touch.”  They bought five acres with a spring on it outside of Tallahassee, and Wright started his design work after receiving a description of the property and information about its topography.  Wright completed the plans in 1952, and dispatched his apprentice Nils Schweizer to oversee the original construction of the home.  The Lewis family moved into the home in December of 1954.  Byrd was nine years old when they moved in.  Spring house is one of only eleven houses Wright designed in the “hemicycle style”, all late in his career.  Byrd told us that her parents had seen photos of the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs Second Residence (Middleton, Wisconsin, 1944), and that is what inspired them to try to get Wright to design them a home. 

Byrd said that Wright called this a “pod” house (as in the shape of a seed pod) and that the only other “pod” design Wright did was his son David’s house in Phoenix, Arizona.  Another little tidbit from Byrd: she said her mother’s favorite Wright quote was:  “Simplicity is easy; choosing simplicity is difficult”.  I have attempted to find this Wright quote, but did not find it during an internet search.  Maybe we are breaking news here!   

Byrd told us several other interesting stories about the house.  She said the original design of what Wright called the “tool house” was circular.  Her mother complained to Wright that she could not put a washing machine on a curved wall so he changed the design and her parents called it the “wash house”.   The upstairs bathroom was originally to be one large space, but the bank required the home have two baths, so Wright put a wall down the middle of it, dividing it in two.   The upper portion of the large fireplace in the living room is cantilevered and looks magically suspended in mid air.  Byrd said the stone mason who built it was convinced it would fall if not supported so had a wooden saw horse underneath it.  He expressed his concerns to Nils Schweizer, whose response was to kick the saw horse out from under the fireplace.  It didn’t fall, and has stood ever since.  Nils also designed the distinctive grates that are still in the fireplaces at the home.  Wright originally designed a wall around the terrace that the living room looks out over, and a reflecting pool with a small stream running under the wall.  That wall and pool were never constructed because the Lewises ran out of money.  Wright also designed many pieces of custom furniture for the house, most of which were never built, also because of a lack of funds.   We did get to see the unusual dining table Wright designed that fits into the circular outside of the work tower (kitchen).  The Spring House Institute was founded by Clifton Lewis before her death, and is charged with the tasks of preserving the property and bringing it into beneficial public use.  The Institute hopes to raise the funds to restore and complete this beautiful and historic structure.  To learn more about this worthy project and to make a donation,  look here.

We had a lovely time touring the house and grounds, and listening to Byrd tell stories about her parents and family growing up in the house.  I knew that Dorothy and Byrd were going to hit it off when Byrd, upon seeing Dorothy’s hat (the one I call her “crazy lady hat”), exclaimed “I have a hat just like that, only mine is red…let me go get it!”  Below are a few of the photos we took during our visit.  For a more complete gallery of our photos from our visit to Spring House, look here.  

THE SIGN AT THE GATE TO SPRING HOUSE. LIKE MANY FLW DESIGNS, YOU CAN'T SEE THE HOUSE FROM THE STREET.
DOROTHY AND BYRD MASHBURN, STANDING IN THE DRIVE THAT LEADS UP TO SPRING HOUSE.
THIS VIEW SHOWS THE WASH ROOM ON THE RIGHT, AND THE FRONT DOOR, JUST TO THE LEFT OF THE "CIRCULAR WORKSPACE" (KITCHEN). ORIGINALLY THERE WAS A LARGE, FLAT CANTILEVERED ROOF OVER THE CARPORT AREA. THE SMALL TIN ROOF IS TEMPORARY. INSIDE THE FRONT DOOR IS A SMALL LANDING AND STAIRS LEADING DOWN TO THE LIVING ROOM AND KITCHEN, AND A SET OF STAIRS LEADING UP TO THE CURVING MEZZANINE HALLWAY THAT OVERLOOKS THE LIVING ROOM AND CONNECTS THE THREE BEDROOMS, TWO BATHS, AND BALCONEYS AT EACH END OF THE HOUSE.
BYRD MASHBURN AND DOROTHY, LOOKING LOVELY IN THEIR "CRAZY LADY" HATS, AND STANDING IN FRONT OF THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO SPRING HOUSE.
THIS PHOTO SHOWS THE EAST GARDEN FACADE (THE BACK OF THE HOUSE) WHICH IS ALMOST A COMPLETE CURTAIN WALL OF GLASS. THE GLASS WALL IS PENETRATED BY THE TWO CANTILEVERED BALCONIES AT THE NORTH AND SOUTH END OF THE HOUSE.
IN THIS PHOTO YOU CAN SEE THE TERRACE WALL THAT WAS NEVER COMPLETED. THE SPRING HOUSE INSTITUTE HOPES TO COMPLETE RESTORE THE HOME AND COMPLETE THE TERRACE WALL AND POOL AS ENVISIONED BY WRIGHT'S ORIGINAL PLANS.
WHILE PHOTOS ARE NOT ALLOWED INSIDE THE HOUSE, IN THIS SHOT YOU CAN SEE THE BUILT IN SEATING ALONG THE WEST SIDE (FRONT) OF THE HOUSE, JUST BELOW THE INVERTED CIRCULAR ARCH WINDOWS. THE FIXED SEATING RUNS FROM THE FIREPLACE TO THE NORTH END OF THE LARGE LIVING AREA.
BRYD POINTING OUT A DETAIL OF ONE OF THE CANTILEVERED BALCONIES. TO THE LEFT OF DOROTHY YOUR CAN SEE A ROW OF LIRIOPE THAT OUTLINES WHERE THE EDGE OF THE REFLECTING POOL WILL BE.
VIEW OF SPRING HOUSE FROM THE SOUTH END OF THE HOUSE.
THIS PHOTO FROM THE SPRING HOUSE INSTITUE BOOKLET ENTITLED "....FIND YOUR GROUND" SHOWS THE NORTH END OF THE LIVING ROOM. NOTE THE FLW DESIGNED DINING TABLE, THE CANTILIVERED CIRCULAR FIREPLACE, THE CIRCULAR SCORING ON THE FLOOR, AND PART OF THE SECOND FLOOR MEZZANINE HALLWAY WHICH PASSES THROUGH THE GLASS CURTAIN AND BECOMES AN OUTSIDE BALCONY. A BEAUTIFL AND AMAZING SPACE!
WRIGHT'S BASIC PLAN FOR SPRING HOUSE CAN BE FOUND ON THE BACK COVER OF THE SPRING HOUSE BOOKLET "...FIND YOUR GROUND." AMAZING!

After several hours at Spring House, it was time to head for Lakeland and our tour of Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida.  I really hated to leave Spring House–  I could have stayed all day at that wonderful place.  I do hope that Byrd and the Spring House Institute are able to raise enough money to restore and complete the house.  It will be magnificent.  Dorothy and I plan to make a gift, with the hope that someday we can return and stand on the balcony overlooked the pool and terrace!  Our thoughts and prayers are with you Byrd!

After an uneventful drive south (much of it in the dark), we checked into the Hyatt Place in downtown Lakeland.  When they sent our last confirmation, they offered us an upgrade, so we enjoyed a very spacious and very comfortable room!  After a short rest we headed over to Harry’s Seafood where we  were impressed by a most excellent dinner and a stroll around downtown being dazzled by the Christmas lights.   These two tired, old people slept like babies that night!

DOT LOOKING FORWARD TO A GOOD MEAL, ALBEIT A LATE ONE!
DOT ENJOYING HER STEAK AND SHRIMP AFTER A LONG DAY AT SPRING HOUSE.
DOT ENJOYING THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS IN DOWNTOWN LAKELAND.

Day Six, Monday, December 19, 2022:  Frank Lloyd Wright’s Sun Child…

 

We got up Monday morning and drove the short distance to the Florida Southern College (“FSC”) Campus.  In 1938, FSC President Dr. Ludd  Spivey sent a telegram to Frank Lloyd Wright stating “Desire conference with you concerning plans for a great education temple in Florida”.  In short order, Dr. Spivey traveled to Taliesin and met with Wright to make his pitch in person.  Wright was intrigued by the scope and scale of Spivey’s vision for a campus.  So a short time after their meeting at Taliesin, Wright took a train to Florida where he surveyed the site (a 60 acre citrus grove next to a lake with an 80 foot hill gently sloping to the water), and he and Spivey reached an agreement for Wright to design a master plan and buildings for an entire new campus.  While touring the site, Wright remarked that he envisioned buildings rising “out of the ground and into the light, a child of the sun”.  “The Child of the Sun” as it became known, was the largest project of Wrights career, and over the next 20 years he revised his original master plan several times and designed a total of 18 Structures.  Wright visited the campus site many times over the years and, by all accounts, Wright and Dr. Spivey enjoyed a close, though sometimes contentious, relationship.  Twelve of the structures were built under Wright’s guidance, and originally under the supervision of his apprentice (and son-in-law) Wes Peters.  The first building to be constructed was the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel.  Wright finished the design for the chapel in a surprisingly short time and groundbreaking was just a few months after his visit to the site.  The Chapel was completed in 1941 and was built with student labor.  It was the beginning of the emergence of the Child of the Sun.

We arrived at the Sharp Family visitor center about thirty minutes early and checked in for our 9:30 a.m. tour.  We had signed up for the “behind the scenes tour” which offered a longer and more detailed experience with access to the interiors of most of the Wright buildings.  At the appointed time, our guide Jack gathered our small group together and we set out to learn, and explore.  The next several hours we enjoyed beautiful weather, stunning landscapes and sights, and a wealth of passionate knowledge from our guide.   If you ever find yourself in Lakeland, I would highly recommend the experience.  Below are a few of the photos I took that day.  For a more complete gallery of photos, and for more information about each of the Wright structures we visited, look here.  

THE SIGN THAT GREETED US AS WE ARRIVED AT THE CAMPUS. THE RED LOGO IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND PART OF THE SIGN WAS DESIGNED BY WRIGHT.
INFORMATIONAL SIGN AT FLORIDA SOUTHERN COLLEGE.
YOURS TRULY, STANDING BY THE SIGN AT THE SHARP FAMILY VISITOR CENTER, WHERE OUR TOUR BEGAN.
DOROTHY, STANDING BY A FOUNTAIN AT THE VISITOR CENTER, WITH THE FLW DESIGNED USONIAN FACULTY HOUSE IN THE BACKGROUND.
OUR GUIDE FOR THE DAY, JACK, AS HE INTRODUCED HIMSELF AND LAID OUT THE GROUND RULES FOR OUR TOUR.
OUR FIRST STOP WAS THE MODERN ROUX LIBRARY, DESIGNED BY NILS SCHWEIZER, A WRIGHT APPRENTICE WHO DESIGNED A NUMBER OF STRUCTURES ON THE CAMPUS AFTER WRIGHT'S DEATH. WE WENT UP TO THE SECOND FLOOR AND AN OPEN BALCONY THAT OFFERED A STUNNING VIEW OF THE CAMPUS. HERE IS DOROTHY, WITH THE WATER DOME AND ANNIE PFEIFFER CHAPEL IN THE BACKGROUND.
THE COURTYARD POOL AT THE WATSON-FINE ADMINISTRATION BUILDINGS, WHICH ARE CONNECTED BY THE ESPLANADE, A PART OF WHICH IS NEXT TO THE POOL.
THE ANNIE PFEIFFER CHAPEL ON THE LEFT, AND THE WILLIAM H. DANFORTH CHAPEL ON THE RIGHT.
A CLOSER VIEW OF THE PFEIFFER CHAPEL.
DOROTHY, ENJOYING THE STUNNING INSIDE OF THE PFEIFFER CHAPEL.
THE VIEW IN THE PFEIFFER CHAPEL FROM BEHIND THE PULPIT.
INSIDE THE DANFORTH CHAPEL.
PART OF THE LIVING ROOM AT THE USONIAN FACULTY HOUSE.
DOROTHY RELAXING IN FRONT OF THE FIREPLACE AT THE USONIAN FACULTY HOUSE. SHE WAS SITTING IN A WRIGHT DESIGNED CHAIR.
HERE I AM, NEAR THE LARGER THAN LIFE STATUE OF FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT OUTSIDE OF THE VISITOR CENTER AT FSC.

After our tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright structures on theFlorida Southern College campus, we headed north, back to Tallahassee, where we spent the night.  We got up the next morning and ended up driving all the way home to the lake, enjoying good weather and light traffic the whole way.  Our only stop of any substance was to eat supper at Pappadeaux’s in Beaumont.  The drive took us sixteen and a half hours, but it was good to sleep in our own bed that night!

Dorothy and I enjoyed our inaugural Frank Lloyd Wright excursion.  I was a little worried that Dorothy might not enjoy seeing the Wright houses and buildings as much as I, but I was pleasantly surprised at how interested she seemed during our tours and how much she seemed to enjoyed experiencing a small slice of the world of Frank Lloyd Wright.  As I sit writing this blog, the back of my mind is busy planning our next FLW trip!  Until then…