Florida Southern College
1938
750 Frank Lloyd Wright Way
Lakeland, FL 33803
Dorothy and I visited Florida Southern College on Monday, December 19, 2022. We had signed up for the “Behind the Scenes Tour” which offered access to areas on the campus and the inside of some of the buildings that the normal (shorter) tours and self-guided tours do not provide. The quantity of the Wright structures on campus makes for an extremely interesting and informative day. Below I will share some more of the photos and videos I took that day, as well as some information about each building/element. I decided to organize them by the date construction was finished. But first, you will see two pictures of the brochure that is available at the Visitor Center and is handed out to tour participants.
Now for the pictures and information about each of the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings and features that we visited on our tour of the Florida Southern College. By the way, if you would like to see our blog post of the trip that includes our visit to Florida Southern College, look here.
Annie Pfeiffer Chapel (1941)
The Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center at Florida Southern College provides a brochure for the tours of the campus which includes a map and a brief description of the buildings that were designed and built under the supervision of Frank Lloyd Wright The brochure provides this information about The Annie Pfeiffer Chapel:
“The first Wright building to be constructed was the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel, considered by many to be a true paradigm of Wright’s work in that it exhibits all his trademark architectural elements. The cantilevered wings give the impression the building is floating above ground. A figurative rendering of the ‘bowtie’ design in the chapel’s tower is used as the college’s trademark symbol.”
While on our tour, we got our first look at the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel from afar, as we stood on the new library balcony looking out over and beyond the water dome. The Chapel is by far the highest and most prominent building on the campus. As we made our way (counter-clockwise) around the campus, the Chapel was the fourth Wright structure we stopped at. It was beautiful. It was breathtaking. It stirs the soul. What more can I say, other than I thoroughly enjoyed this magnificent space. The chapel has seating for 1,000 on its two levels, and the interior is defined by vaulted skylights. Wright wanted a chapel that would be “distinguished by its lack of resemblance to a chapel”. He certainly achieved that goal! Its hexagonal shape was designed to be 85-feet wide, 85-feet high, and 104 feet in length. With its cantilevered balconies and 30-60-90 triangular east-west elevations, the chapel’s shape resembles a ship when viewed from above. The wrought iron tower that tops the building has been called a “bow-tie” and a “bicycle rack in the sky.” One of the mysteries that we pondered was the significance (or perhaps, more accurately, the identity) of the row of figures above and behind the raised stage and pulpit area (see the last photo in the first gallery below). These ornate figures form the lower part of the choir screen, and there are a number of theories about what they represent. As far as I guide knew, Wright never offered an explanation about what he meant them to represent, if anything at all. Perhaps they are just a geometric design. Some people see humanoid figures, perhaps Angels? Others see birds (Doves?) diving head first from above. As I sat and pondered this wonderful space, I found it hard to imagine that it was built by students! I would love to attend a religious service in this Chapel…maybe someday!
The First Gallery of Photos of the Annie Pfieffer Chapel Were Taken With My Nikon P1000 Camera…
I Took The Photos In This Gallery With My Samsung S22…
A Short Video I Took Inside The Annie Pfeiffer Chapel As Our Tour Guide Finishes Up His Comments About the Chapel…
Raulerson Seminar Buildings aka Three Seminar Buildings (1941)
The Visitor Center brochure calls the Raulerson Seminar Buildings the “Three Seminar Buildings” and provides the following information about these buildings:
” Student labor was used during the war years to build the first Wright-designed buildings, including the Carter, Walbridge, and Hawkins Seminar Buildings. Originally they were separate buildings with a courtyard in-between. The buildings feature skylights and pieces of colored glass inset in the ‘textile’ block system. Wright’s experimentation with different sand for the composition of the block– he changed the building three times– is reflected in variations of the block colors in one section”.
The Seminar Buildings were the first of the Wright structures that we visited. Our guide explained the use of, and the origin of the name “textile blocks”. They are named as such by Wright because of the rebar that is “woven” (like a textile) into the walls. In a few areas of extreme weathering, you can see exposed rebar (see image 16 of 24 in the gallery below). In the center building, you can also see how Wright experimented with difference colored ingredients for the textile blocks. In image 23 of 24 in the gallery below, you can see a reddish textile block and a gray textile block, that are the result of Wright’s experimentations. Another prominent and unique feature of these buildings concerns the Esplanade, which, rather than being free standing, is part of the building’s roof and runs along the entirety of their south sides. Here are some of the photos I took of the Seminar Buildings.
E.T. Roux Library (1945)
The Visitor Center brochure offers this brief descriptive information about the E. T. Roux Library:
“Now known as the Thad Buckner Building, this was originally the library. The circular William M. Hollis Room, which is now used for lectures, contains the original desks of the reading room. Extensively modified after its conversion to an office building, it still has signature Wright features such as clerestory windows and ‘light wells’ that admit light from skylights all the way to the bottom floor.”
Wright designed the E. T. Roux library in 1941, but it was not completed until 1945. Mostly male students constructed the Pfeiffer Chapel and the Seminar Buildings, but, because most of the male students had enlisted in the armed forces, the library was almost completely built by women. The library was built for $100,000. When the new library was built on campus in 1968, Roux library was partitioned into one section for lectures and meetings and another section that divided into offices for the registrar, provost and student travel.
I really enjoyed this building, especially the Hollis room, which was not only visually stunning, but also contained a display of number of artifacts (like furniture) and historic photographs. The light wells in the office section of the building were also intriguing, as well as functional. I hope my photographs give you some sense of this magnificent space!
Esplanades (1940 – 1946)
The Esplanades are quirky, functional, and unique. Here is what the Visitor Center brochure says about them:
“These covered walkways, over a mile in total length, connect in a geometric pattern the Wright Buildings of the west campus. The supports are said to suggest the orange trees that were then numerous on campus. The esplanades are trimmed in copper, which Wright used to add its natural green patina to the appearance.”
According to our Guide Jack, the support columns are abstract citrus trees, placed on 18 foot centers, the same as citrus groves. The roof height of the esplanade is an even 7 feet, the same height citrus trees were topped at. The head room under the esplanades is 6 ‘ 7″, and example of Wright’s “compression and release” philosophy. In other words, the low clearance was meant to push people toward the buildings, where they would be in more open, inviting spaces. In some places the esplanades are free standing over open walkways, while in other places they are incorporated into the buildings themselves. The best example is the Ordway building, where a writer for the Architectural Forum described it as follows: “The building does remain in character essentially a widened and heightened version of the esplanade, with walls added.” Also in the Architectural Forum, Wright described the esplanade that “runs all around and finally gets together and makes a building”. (Frank Lloyd Wright’s Florida Southern College, by Dale Allen Gyure, page 160). I personally found the esplanades delightful. The way they adapt to the slopes of the big hill on campus, behave at intersections, and in some cases mimic design notes of a nearby building, make them truly unique, and beautifully functional. Wright used a double esplanade between the administration buildings and the library. Between the two administration buildings, the esplanade expanded to eighteen feet wide, providing space for what Wright called an “exhedra”– a double esplanade passage with diamond-shaped patches of greenery inserted along the center of the walkway beneath similarly shaped skylights in the esplanade roof (see images, 26, 27, & 28 of the gallery below).
Water Dome (1948)
Here is what the Florida Southern College visitor brochure says about Frank Lloyd Wright’s Water Dome:
“The Water Dome was a central point in Wright’s concept of the campus and the largest water feature he ever designed. Symbolizing the fountain of knowledge, it is 160 feet in diameter. The technology to create a dome of water did not exist in 1948, and for years it sat as an open pool. Fully restored in 2007, the Water Dome uses high-pressure nozzles controlled to propel water as high as 45 feet, creating the dome Wright envisioned. The Water Dome runs at set intervals throughout the day, though at only a fraction of full power to conserve water.”
Unfortunately the Water Dome was not operating while we were on campus for our tour. Apparently is was closed for maintenance. Wright designed an “arboreal Hemicycle” to the the north of the pool: a four level exedra of bushes and Australian pine trees, providing a natural background for the water while screening the campus from the nearby residential area. The new Roux library now stands on part of the location of the arboreal feature. Wright’s original design included a stream with the water dome pool as its source. This stream was to wind through campus and terminate at the lake, but it was never constructed.
Ironically, Wright despised traditional domes, and periodically railed against them as “symbols of official authority” and “ponderous anachronisms”. Hence, Wright’s Water Dome at Florida Southern College was a negative dome that subverted the traditional image by using its form but employing water instead of stone or steel. It is thought that his Water Dome thus symbolized nature, rather than human authority. Some have also suggested that Wright may have been influenced by a similar water feature at the 1933-34 Chicago World’s Fair. Regardless of the inspiration for the Water Dome, I would like to see it in full force, and all of its natural glory some day!
Emile Watson – Benjamin Fine Administration Buildings (1948)
The Visitor Center brochure describes the Watson-Fine Administration Building with these words:
“These two buildings were the first built by an outside construction firm, and Wright himself supervised the construction. The espalanades play an integral role in connecting the two buildings. The courtyard pool is an example of Wright’s use of organic design, employing a fundamental element of nature– water — to unify the buildings and highlight the natural space between them. The copper trim of the esplanades is extended into interior ceilings in the Fine Building.”
These two buildings, and the esplanade that connects them, project a unique intimacy and style. We were allowed to enter one room of the Fine Building, only for a brief moment. The only photo we were allowed to take was of the ceiling of that room. Across the courtyard, which contains a fountain and a pool, is the Watson building, which houses the President’s office. The President’s office was co-designed with Dr. Spivey, a testament to the unique friendship he and Wright shared. These buildings cost a lot more than budgeted, and took a lot longer to construct. I would have loved to see the president’s office, which has a fireplace and a built in desk. We were able to see the ornate exterior wall and courtyard wall of the office from the parking lot on the west side of the building. Also of note, on the north end, were the three diamond shaped columns that Dr. Spivey had hoped would serve as the pedestal for the first of a number of sculptures he had planned, but were never built. The small pool and fountain is a wonderful space!
Lucius Pond Ordway Building aka Ordway Arts Building (1952-54)
Here is the brief description of the Ordway Arts Building that is found in the Visitor Center brochure:
“Originally intended as a classroom building and refectory, the Ordway Building was used instead as an industrial arts center and later as a student lounge. The building has two parallel arms with classrooms and offices and a courtyard between them. At the end of one arm is the only theater-in-the-round designed by Wright. The building is sometimes compared to Taliesin West and was favored by Wright for its simplicity.”
We visited this building near the end of our tour. Nestled among large oak trees, the exterior of this building was difficult to photograph, and I am disappointed I didn’t get some better photographs. The Ordway building has 30,000 square feet and was completed at a cost of only $52,000. It was originally named the Horsey Building, but several years later it was rededicated and renamed for 3M co-founder and president Lucius Pond Ordway, Sr. at the request of his sons Jack and Lucius. Today the building has a large lecture hall, an Honors lounge, several clubs, and the original circular theatre-in-the-round. The theatre has some amazing acoustic characteristics, produced by the concave ceiling Wright placed directly over the center of the theatre space.
William H. Danforth Chapel (1955)
Here is the brief description of the William H. Danforth Chapel found in the Visitor Center brochure:
“This small chapel is the site of Wright’s only work in leaded art glass on campus. It is framed in native Florida tidewater red-cypress and still contains the original pews and cushions, designed by Wright and built by industrial arts and home economics classes.”
The William H. Danforth Chapel is named after the St. Louis businessman who founded the Ralston Purina Company, and made a large donation to fund this “minor chapel”. While looking for funding prior to the Danforth donation, Dr. Spivey sent Wright to New York, to unsuccessfully seek funds from Annie Pfeiffer, the benefactor for the large chapel. The Danforth Chapel is the only Wright structure on campus not attached to an esplanade. Its gable roof and “ship’s prow” (a roof that extends 15 feet beyond the front of the building) give it an energetic look on the outside. Inside the chapel is simple, modest, and intimate, yet stunning. It seats only 50 people in the student-made pews. Positioned so that the tall, pointed wall of leaded glass is illuminated by the setting sun, the pulpit area is awash in brilliant colors. There are also beautiful leaded glass windows and doors located on the upper mezzanine level of the chapel. There is a small outdoor balcony accessed from the upper mezzanine that looks out on the Pfeiffer Chapel, and accentuates the connection between the two. As mentioned in the brochure, this “miniature cathedral” was built by students at Florida Southern College. The chapel is non-denominational, so no provision was made for a Christian cross, but the student workers installed one anyway. Another student, as an act of protest, sawed off the cross before the chapel was dedicated. The cross was later restored, but in 1990 the ACLU filed suit, resulting once again in removal of the cross. It now resides in storage. I would love to attend a service or a performance in this marvelous Frank Lloyd Wright space!
Polk Science Building (Cosmography Building) (1958)
Descriptive information about the Polk County Science Building from the Visitor Center brochure:
“This was the last of Florida Southern campus buildings to be constructed during Wright’s lifetime. It contains his first use of aluminum for decorative purposes, and its long, low profile reflects Wright’s “organic” architecture. The laboratory ventilators on the roof were not part of the design and were added to comply with safety standards. The building includes the only planetarium Wright ever designed.”
Our visit to the Polk County Science Building was a walk down the main inside corridor and ended with the planetarium. The science building is the largest and the last completed of Wright’s campus buildings built within the architect’s lifetime. Wright called the building the “Cosmography Building”, and today it houses offices for STEM professors, science labs, large lecture rooms, and several computer rooms. The planetarium is located at the southeast end of the building. The science building cost more than a million dollars to build, and one of the unusual features is Wright’s use of aluminum columns on a long esplanade on the north side of the building. This was his first time to use aluminum for decorative purposes.
Usonian Faculty House (Visitor Center) (2013)
The Visitor Center brochure provides the following information about the Usonian House at Florida Southern College:
“The centerpiece of the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center is the Usonian House. Designed by Wright in 1939 to serve as faculty housing, the Usonian House wasn’t built until 2013. This simple yet stunning building illustrates many of Wright’s ideals for modern American living: distinctly American styling, economy of space, and the use of locally sourced materials. It is constructed of nearly 2000 interlocking “textile” blocks– all handcrafted from specially made wooden molds– and also features nearly 6,000 pieces of hand-placed colored glass.”
The last stop on our tour was the Usonian Faculty House, and it was a relaxing and fitting way to end our time at the Florida Southern College campus. Dr. Spivey had tasked Wright with designing twenty faculty houses to be constructed on property adjacent to the campus. Wright designed them as simple two-bedroom structures similar to the Jacobs House (Madison, WI, 1936), which was the first of his Usonian houses. We have come to expect the unexpected when we visit a Wright residential structure– each one is unique in its own way and replete with amazing finishes and details. Of special interest is always the furniture pieces (including lighting items) that Wright designed with his homes– you will always see something delightful! Our photos can speak more clearly for the Faculty House than any words I might write– enjoy!