Revisiting Wingspread, Cameras in Hand

Photos © Mark Hertzberg

One of the joys I have in visiting buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, cameras in hand, is noticing new details, no matter how many times I have been at a particular site. Sometimes it is a question of different lighting at a different time of day from my last visit, other times the photo comes from wondering why I had not noticed something before.

I had the pleasure of being a presenter at a dinner at Wingspread last Saturday to benefit RAM, the Racine Art Museum. It was the first social event held there since the start of the pandemic. I was there to give my “Wright in Racine” presentation, but I got there early enough to meet Marcus White the new (a year ago) president of The Johnson Foundation, and wander around looking for pictures. We gravitated first to the famous “crow’s nest” with its spiraling metal staircase. It is a feature that delighted H.F. Johnson Jr.’s children Karen and Sam when they moved into the house in the late 1930s.

I have climbed the crow’s nest many times, but tended to take pictures at the top, never looking at the stairs themselves. Last Saturday I was mesmerized by the stairs:

Marcus White turned the tables on me and took pictures of me at work.

I found new things to photograph upstairs on, and from the second floor, as well:

One of the first floor fireplaces is framed by the wood of the balcony

Late afternoon sun skims across the floor outside the master bedroom.

This mother is sitting in a planter off the second floor. Karen Johnson Boyd once saw a photo I had taken of a goose looking into her father’s bedroom, and said H.F. would have liked that sight. Below: the sun highlights an Administration Building desk chair and a desk lamp in Karen’s bedroom:

When I was writing my “Wright in Racine” book, Karen told me that it was sometimes a challenge sneaking past her father’s bedroom when she wanted to go out at night. One of the guests at the dinner told us that her father dated Karen in high school. One night they wanted to go to a party. He found a ladder in the carport, raised it against the cantilevered balcony outside her bedroom, and off they went to the party. That is the cantilevered balcony Karen had asked Wright for, like the one off Wright’s old office at Taliesin (the better known “birdwalk” balcony dates to the 1950s). Wright had told Karen that one day she would have suitors standing under the balcony, wooing her. Indeed!

Had I not been directed to a parking area other than the one I thought I should go to, I would not have seen the sun highlight the crow’s nest when I returned to my car. Note to Marcus…this is why that 300mm lens is in my trunk, ready for action.

The other speaker at the dinner was Bruce Pepich, executive director of RAM. He gave an illuminating talk about the work of Frances Myers, a Racine native, who was a distinguished print maker. Karen Johnson Boyd commissioned a series of prints of Wright-designed buildings. You can see them, and read about them, here:

https://racineartmuseumstore.org/products/frances-myers-frank-lloyd-prints

 

 

Photographing my Friend Minerva Montooth

(c) Mark Hertzberg (2019)

Olgivanna Wright could not have picked a better and more congenial assistant for 25 years than Minerva Montooth, who I am privileged to call a friend. Make that “Friend” with a Capital F. We have been privileged to know Minerva Montooth since May 2003 when her late husband Charles invited me to give my “Wright in Racine” presentation in the theater at Hillside Home and School (that was indeed a heady invitation for a burgeoning journalist-student of Wright’s work!). Minerva has kindly invited us to the annual celebration of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday at Taliesin every year since then.

I visit Minerva in her apartment at Taliesin whenever I am on campus helping lead Road Scholar explorations of Wright’s work in Wisconsin https://www.roadscholar.org/find-an-adventure/22976/architectural-masterworks-of-frank-lloyd-wright

Last week Minerva told me how she came to join the Wright community at Taliesin West in 1952 (gosh, I was only 18 months old!). She has a keen photographic eye. I admired the magnificent lighting of a photo of Charles, who died in December 2014, in her living room, not knowing that she was the photographer. When it was time for me to leave, I couldn’t just leave; after all my camera first had to photograph Minerva and Fifi:

Below are some of my earlier photos of Charles and Minerva:

Charles on the “Birdwalk” at Taliesin, Wright birthday celebration, 2004.

Charles at The Prairie School in Wind Point (Racine), October 2003, with plans for the addition to the athletic center. Charles designed the original school building and each subsequent addition. He worked with Floyd Hamblen on the addition.

Minerva and Charles at the dedication of the new facility, January 2005.

Charles accepts accolades at the dedication.

By the way, if you email Minerva or write her something on Facebook, don’t expect a reply during your normal business hours: she is a confirmed computer night owl…1 a.m. is not an unusual time stamp for her.

Minerva at the 2016 Wright birthday celebration.

We love you, Minerva!

 

Wingspread Pool Rebuild is Finished

Words and photographs (c) Mark Hertzberg 2018

The newly-rebuilt swimming pool at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wingspread (1937) is filled with water from a nearby fire hydrant Wednesday May 30, 2018. The pool, which holds an estimated 114,028 gallons of water, was an original water feature of the house. It had deteriorated, and was rebuilt because of its architectural significance to the house. It will remain as an architectural water feature, and will not be used for swimming. It measures 26’ wide and 96’ 4” at its longest dimension, and slopes to a depth of 12′. The original diving board will remain in storage because the ornate stand has been lost and there are no drawings from which to replicate it. The only known record of it is this undated low resolution photo, provided courtesy of The Johnson Foundation, and copyright by them:

The pool deck fireplace regains visual prominence as it is no longer obscured by vines:

New mechanical systems have been installed nearby, underground:

Wright designed Wingspread as a home for H.F. Johnson Jr. and his family in 1937, the year after Wright designed the landmark SC Johnson Administration Building in Racine, Wisconsin. Wingspread, situated in the nearby village of Wind Point, was given by the family to the newly-created Johnson Foundation in 1959. It is now a conference center. National Public Radio, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the International Court of Justice are among the notable entities that evolved from Wingspread conferences. One of the founding meetings of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy was held there, as well.

Back in the Pool at End of Summer

(c) Mark Hertzberg (2017)

The late Sam Johnson recalled that he fretted when it was time to move to Wingspread, the 14,000 sq. ft. home Frank Lloyd Wright designed in 1937 for his father, H.F. Johnson Jr. He was afraid his friends would no longer want to visit him once he moved so far from his home south of downtown Racine, Wisconsin, about seven miles away. He later said that he had no reason to fret once his friends learned the house had a swimming pool.

The house became home to the newly-formed Johnson Foundation in 1959. In September, 1961, the Foundation hosted a party for new teachers by the pool:

(Photo courtesy of The Johnson Foundation)

The pool eventually fell into disrepair, and has been covered for many years. These aerial views show the pool, first in 2003, and then in 2009:

Here is how it looked June 21 after the cover was removed and preparations began to reconstruct the pool:And then on August 18 after the pool was framed in:

About 80 cubic yards of concrete were poured in the deep end of the pool August 30:

Tom Drabender, the construction foreman for Riley Construction, watches the pour.

Although the pool is being rebuilt, it will be used as a water feature of the estate, rather than as a place to swim. The project is slated for completion late this year.

Wingspread’s Swimming Pool

Photos (c) Mark Hertzberg 2017

The swimming pool at Wingspread (shown covered by a tarp in 2009) is an integral part of the grounds. It was filled with water, but was ornamental for many years, rather than being used, when it was drained after leaks were discovered more than 10 years ago.

The fireplace on the pool deck:

The pool is now being renovated, to be filled and again be a water feature of the house.

The are two wonderful anecdotes about the pool. The first was told by the late Sam Johnson, whose father, H.F. Johnson Jr., commissioned the home by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1937. Sam Johnson in 2000:

The Johnsons would be moving more than five miles from their home on Racine’s south side, near the SC Johnson offices and factory, to their new home in Wind Point, beyond the city limits. Sam feared not seeing his friends anymore. He had no reason to worry: once his friends learned Sam’s new home had a swimming pool, they were anxious to bike out to visit him.

The second anecdote was told by Edgar Tafel, the young apprentice who was in his mid-20s when Wright trusted him to supervise construction of the SC Johnson Administration Building and then of Wingspread. Tafel, one of the original Taliesin Fellowship apprentices (1932-1941) recalled agreeing to a change in the location of some plumbing for the pool in consultation with contractor Ben Wilteschek while Wright was in the Soviet Union.

Tafel at this Greenwich Village townhouse in 2007:

Wright was livid about the change when he visited the construction site after returning to the United States. Tafel kept backing up to get away from the angry architect, and fell into the excavation for the pool. He said Wright glared down at him and said, “That serves you right.”

Scott Poritz, Utility and Grading Superintendent of Wanasek Contractors, moves concrete slabs from the pool Friday July 7, 2017:

The work is expected to be completed late this year by Riley Construction, the general contractor.

Signs of Wright

(c) Mark Hertzberg 2017

Signs guiding people to Frank Lloyd Wright public sites in Wisconsin, including Wingspread in Wind Point, north of Racine, are being placed in communities to guide motorists once they leave the Interstate highways which were marked with “Frank Lloyd Wright Trail” signs last fall. The signs resulted from a bipartisan bill signed by Gov. Scott Walker at Taliesin a year ago.

The signs above are on I94, near Highway 20, top, and on Seventh Street, just east of City Hall in Racine.

The sign on the long arm is installed at N. Main and Hamilton streets, north of downtown Racine, Friday April 21 by Jeff Hoffman, John Dirkintis, and Jon Hanson of the city public works department.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is applauded after he signs the bipartisan bill to fund a Frank Lloyd Wright Heritage Trail between Racine and Richland Center, in Wright’s drafting room at Taliesin, his home in Spring Green, Monday March 21, 2016.  Looking on are Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine), left,  State Sen. Howard Marklein (R- Spring Green), Rep. Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville), who introduced the bill, and State Sen. Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), a co-sponsor.

Wright Windows

Photos (c) Mark Hertzberg

These are three recent photos of windows at Wingspread, Taliesin, and the Hardy House. 

Reimagining Wingspread in 50,000 LEGO bricks

(c) Mark Hertzberg

This is how Jameson Gagnepain’s adventure at Wingspread starts: unloading two custom-built wood crates and four cardboard boxes, all stuffed with about 50,000 LEGO bricks. In two hours the bricks will have been reassembled into a model of Frank Lloyd Wright’s 14,000 sq. ft. home for Herbert F. Johnson, Jr., which will be displayed on the second floor of Wingspread probably into December.

The model is stunning in its detail, the statistics -at the end of the story- are staggering.

First, Gagnepain and his wife, Amy, assemble the five-foot square table the model will sit on.

Each storage box is carefully thought out, explains Gagnepain, “I pack everything as tightly as I can… It’s a little like Russian nesting dolls in there. Lots of sections fitting inside other sections, and every box has shelves in it to make good use of space.”

Gagnepain starts with a blank “canvas,” if you will, a broad expanse of green LEGOs representing the landscape around the house. There is no hesitation as he spends the next two hours assembling the model of the house.

He works in IT for a medical supplies company, but LEGOs have been his passion since he was young. The colorful plastic bricks were his expected presents for as long as he can remember. Amy is so understanding, he says, that she suggested their wedding have a LEGO theme.

Gagnepain scoured the Internet for photos of what the house looked like when it was built, and then took notes during a visit to Wingspread. His biggest challenge was in fashioning daughter Karen Johnson’s cantilevered balcony at the north end of the house. “It took me ages to get right, getting the wood texture right. I built it three or four different ways. I got it right then dropped it and had to start over.” He says the playroom at the east end was another challenge because of the dearth of photos of what it originally looked like.

Amy pours tiny blue bricks into the swimming pool to simulate water. Gagnepain was careful to even show the different levels in the swimming pool.

A LEGO car, which brings to mind a Mercedes sedan that Wright owned, is parked at the front door.

The crown of the model is the roof over the Great Room, with its Crow’s Nest:

If the model is too detailed for some people, they can enjoy the bare-bones LEGO Wingspread he fashioned, as well:

There is even a red Wright “signature tile.” As for the lack of a Frank Lloyd Wright figure, Gagnepain says he will make one as soon as there is a LEGO porkpie hat.

Gagnepain and the model are feature in Tom Alphin’s newly released book The LEGO Architect.

LEGO Wingspread by the numbers:

Construction took 500 hours over six months (“Too long,” jokes Amy)

There are an estimated 50,000 LEGO bricks in an estimated 100 different shaped bricks. There are seven color in the building. Most of the home’s Cherokee red bricks are represented by about 10,000 “1×2 plate in Dark Orange” bricks. The grounds and foliage use the seven colors from the building as well as an additional eight colors.

Tafel House Saved From Demolition

Photos and text (c) Mark Hertzberg

Wind Point (Racine), Wisconsin

Edgar Tafel’s Carl and Marie Albert House is officially saved from the threat of demolition, capping an almost two-year legal case.

The Carl and Marie Albert House, Monday November 10, 2014

The condition of the stone house, designed ca. 1949, deteriorated significantly after homeowner Joan Schulz left the house more than five years ago to care for a relative. Dishes were reportedly left in the sink. The roof leaked, and the abandoned house was filled with mold. The Village of Wind Point, north of Racine, posted a sign declaring the house uninhabitable, and sought a raze order.

The house, at the intersection of Four Mile Road and N. Main Street, is at a busy corner, and was an eyesore. Although Schulz and her sons were willing to rebuild the house, the village argued that because the cost of repairs exceeded the then-value of the house, it should be torn down.

Friday village attorney Ed Bruner said that while he was frustrated with the slow progress of repairs, the village would no longer seek a raze order. “Yes, if I wanted to be punitive, but the house has come along enough. We would like it completed. It is frustrating to not see anything going forward. Every village meeting I am asked for update.”

Village of Wind Point Attorney Ed Bruner, left, and Peter Ludwig, the Schulz’ attorney, confer before the court hearing. 

Bruner and Judge Faye Flancher pointed out that Schulz’ son, Linden Schulz, has been overseeing the repairs rather than Larry Ruka. Judge John Jude, who oversaw the case until the county’s judicial rotation in August, had appointed Ruka as construction manager. Ruka has not been on site since April.

Linden Schulz, left, listens as construction manager Larry Ruka addresses the court during the hearing

The Schulz’ attorney, Peter Ludwig, said that the house is “next in queue” for the electrician. Once he finishes his work, plumbing fixtures can be reinstalled and insulation and drywalling will be done.

The house was scheduled for completion in September at a hearing in the spring. Judge Flancher set the case for review February 6. “You can’t push them but I can. If there is no other progress, I will consider fines, daily, as an impetus to get this done. When we come back in three months we will be at the two year mark. It is unconscionably long given schedule Judge Jude gave. I expect the home to be completed in 90 days. It sounds like it can be done.”

Joan Schulz, left, Ludwig, Linden Schulz, and Larry Ruka talk after the hearing.

Another reprieve for Tafel house

Photos and text (c) Mark Hertzberg

Edgar Tafel’s Carl and Marie Albert House got another reprieve from a raze order Wednesday in court in Racine. Joan Schulz had walked out of the house about seven years ago to care for a grandchild. The house deteriorated as it sat empty and neglected, eventually under a failed roof. The Village of Wind Point declared the house uninhabitable, and sought a raze order.

Much of the front portion of the Albert House roof is still covered with plastic tarp Tuesday November 12, but Schulz’s attorney, Peter Ludwig, and structural engineer told Judge John Jude that 75% of the roof has been repaired.

A temporary bracing, left of center, shows the extent of structural work that had to be done before the roof could be replaced.

Although the Schulzes have not met court deadlines to complete the roof repair, Judge Jude decided Wednesday to let repairs continue, rather than order the house razed, provided that the roof, structural repairs, electrical and plumbing work are completed by December 20. He appointed Larry Ruka, the structural engineer hired by the Schulz family, as construction manager. Work had been supervised until then by Linden Schulz, one of Joan Schulz’ sons. Jude said he would manage the project with Ruka.

Joan Schulz consults with her attorney, Peter Ludwig, before the court hearing Wednesday

Village president Pete Christensen, right, consults with village attorney Ed Bruner during the hearing. Bruner asserted that “Speaking on behalf of 1800 Wind Point residents, when I drove past the house today, it looked worse than it did in may at initial hearing.” Ruka disagreed, as he did when Bruner asked, “From the village point of view, what it looks like now, frankly, looks abandoned, does it not?” Bruner referred to the plywood covering the windows openings, among other things. He was told the windows had to be removed to complete structural repairs.

Bruner questions Ruka about data in the cost estimate provided by Linden Schulz

Linden Schulz, right, and Joan Schulz listen as Ludwig questions Ruka.

Holding Schulz’ cost estimates, Judge Jude appoints Ruka as construction manager of the project.

Ludwig reassures Joan Schulz as they leave the courtroom.

Judge Jude was concerned about having the roof completed by October 30, before the onset of winter. Although the roof is not quite finished, and there was a bit of snow Monday, warm temperatures are forecast into next week. Ruka expects that the roof will be finished in a few days.