My OperaConference studies Frank Lloyd Wright's work
Sunday, September 19, 2010 5:30:25 PM
For history buffs and preservationists from all over the world, Higher Cincinnati is a treasure trove for the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and the legacy and challenges that exist today. Wednesday via Sunday, the Frank Lloyd Wright Constructing Conservancy will hold its annual conference on the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza, Downtown, and tour the three local homes created by Wright, too as his Westcott Home in Springfield and several other contemporary homes and buildings. Registration for individual tours and education sessions is now open, as space allows.
This is the first time the conference has come to Cincinnati.
"Every city that hosts a Wright conference has a bit various story to tell," says Janet Groeber, co-chair for the conference and co-owner from the Wright-designed Boulter Home in Clifton. "When Wright aficionados come right here, they're going to see him in a much more contemporary way."
Although the 1907 Westcott Home, for instance, is an early instance of Wright's Prairie-style, the Tonkens Home in Amberley Village, constructed in 1955, is one of Wright's earlier concrete block houses, explains Janet Halstead, executive director from the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.
The conference will focus on discussing the impact of modifications to Wright-designed homes or their atmosphere, and the subjective nature of "preservation."
Because Wright's organic fashion often included built-in features and incorporated the exterior atmosphere, the architectural integrity of his designs can be threatened by homeowner updates or urban expansion.
"It's an open-ended question," Groeber says. There's no one answer."
Within the case with the Westcott House, some preservationists believe a row of vacant houses that sit behind it and had been constructed prior to the home ought to be rehabbed instead of torn down "because they supply context so we understand what was right here and what came later," Groeber says.
Some updates aren't so questionable. A carport on the Boswell Home, which was created by Wright but not added until 2000, shows how historically sensitive additions can complement the original structure, Halstead says.
Participants will also go to houses by other architects from Wright's era as well as current contemporary buildings, including:
Campus buildings at the University of Cincinnati that exhibit environmentally friendly practices utilized by Wright and other "organic" architects.
The Lowrie Home in Clifton, usually considered the initial "modern" residence in Cincinnati.
The Schneider House in Amberley Village, which was started by Richard Neutra and completed by Woodie Garber.
Rush Creek Village in Worthington, a community of 49 single-family homes that is believed to be the largest "organically designed" subdivision within the country.
Source: Cincinnati News
This is the first time the conference has come to Cincinnati.
"Every city that hosts a Wright conference has a bit various story to tell," says Janet Groeber, co-chair for the conference and co-owner from the Wright-designed Boulter Home in Clifton. "When Wright aficionados come right here, they're going to see him in a much more contemporary way."
Although the 1907 Westcott Home, for instance, is an early instance of Wright's Prairie-style, the Tonkens Home in Amberley Village, constructed in 1955, is one of Wright's earlier concrete block houses, explains Janet Halstead, executive director from the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.
The conference will focus on discussing the impact of modifications to Wright-designed homes or their atmosphere, and the subjective nature of "preservation."
Because Wright's organic fashion often included built-in features and incorporated the exterior atmosphere, the architectural integrity of his designs can be threatened by homeowner updates or urban expansion.
"It's an open-ended question," Groeber says. There's no one answer."
Within the case with the Westcott House, some preservationists believe a row of vacant houses that sit behind it and had been constructed prior to the home ought to be rehabbed instead of torn down "because they supply context so we understand what was right here and what came later," Groeber says.
Some updates aren't so questionable. A carport on the Boswell Home, which was created by Wright but not added until 2000, shows how historically sensitive additions can complement the original structure, Halstead says.
Participants will also go to houses by other architects from Wright's era as well as current contemporary buildings, including:
Campus buildings at the University of Cincinnati that exhibit environmentally friendly practices utilized by Wright and other "organic" architects.
The Lowrie Home in Clifton, usually considered the initial "modern" residence in Cincinnati.
The Schneider House in Amberley Village, which was started by Richard Neutra and completed by Woodie Garber.
Rush Creek Village in Worthington, a community of 49 single-family homes that is believed to be the largest "organically designed" subdivision within the country.
Source: Cincinnati News
