Three Days Away: Wright in Wisconsin (plus Scandinavian Design)

Join the Center in Wisconsin as we explore five of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most important buildings and the long-anticipated exhibition, Scandinavian Design and the United States, 1890–1980, at the Milwaukee Art Museum. With Milwaukee’s luxurious Pfister Hotel as our base—and Kevin Adkisson as our onboard Frank Lloyd Wright expert—the tour will take us to Wright’s home and studio Taliesin in Spring Green; six examples of his early American System-Built Homes in Milwaukee; his first Usonian house (the prototype for Cranbrook’s Smith House), the Jacobs House in Madison; and the S.C. Johnson Wax Company buildings and the Herbert F. Johnson, Jr., family’s own home, Wingspread, in Racine.

The home base for our exploration of Wright in Wisconsin will be The Pfister Hotel, located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, blocks from the shores of Lake Michigan. Built in 1893, the luxurious, four-star hotel has been a Milwaukee icon for over a century and continues to celebrate a tradition of gracious service and impeccable style. Amenities include four dining and bar options, including the Blu Bar and Lounge on the 23rd floor with its awe-inspiring panoramic views of downtown and Lake Michigan. If you need some pampering while in Milwaukee, guests can book treatments at The Pfister WELL Spa + Salon or take advantage of the hotel’s fitness center and indoor swimming pool.

Once the Center determines sufficient interest, patrons on the tour list will be contacted by the Center to arrange for the final payment ($1,225) and provided the hotel registration information, including a code to receive the discounted rate. If the Center determines that there is not sufficient interest and needs to cancel the tour, the $250 deposit will be refunded. If you plan to fly to Milwaukee, please wait to book your flight until the Center confirms that the tour has sufficient participants the week of April 3.

American System-Built Homes on Burnham Block 
Milwaukee’s South Side is home to a unique cluster of six of Wright’s clever and experimental American System-Built Homes, collectively known as the Burnham Block. Built for real estate developer Arthur L. Richards in 1915 and 1916, these houses—four duplexes and two bungalows—are the primary examples of Wright’s American System-Built project that he developed between 1911 and 1916 through over 960 design drawings. Though they failed to become a commercial success, the designs represent Wright’s interest in housing for the middle class, mass manufacturing of architectural elements through machine production, and his Prairie Style aesthetic.

Gardens, sculptures, and working farms complement the architecture. Major changes at Taliesin were undertaken in 1932 with the opening of the Taliesin Fellowship with Olgivanna Wright. Taliesin, along with seven other Wright buildings in the United States, recently was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

At Taliesin, we will see where the architect lived and worked and the spaces used by his apprentices in this intentional community of designers. This carefully curated behind-the-scenes tour will include rooms and objects not seen by regular visitors. A special treat will be our private lunch in the Hillside School & Studio (the original Hillside Home School), which Wright renovated into a theater and workshops for his Taliesin Fellowship (1932-1933).

ADDITIONAL TOUR INFORMATION AND TERMS

•    The $1,475/person fee includes a required $500/person donation to the Cranbrook Center for Collections and Research.
•    Tour reservation is guaranteed with the $1,475 participation fee paid on time, including the $250 deposit paid before April 3, and $1,225 final payment before April 17.
•    The participation fee does not include travel to and from Milwaukee, accommodations at The Pfister Hotel, and breakfasts on Friday and Saturday mornings.
•    The tour begins with the Welcome Wine Reception and Dinner on Thursday and concludes with the Farewell Dinner on Saturday evening. The tour does not include any planned activities or tours on Sunday, June 25.
•    If the Center determines that there is not sufficient interest the week of April 3 and needs to cancel the tour, the $250 deposit will be refunded.
•    After April 3, the $500 donation to the Center included in the participation fee is non-refundable (unless the tour is canceled by the Center); the remaining $975 tour fee is refundable only if a patron can be found to take the place of the original tour patron or if the tour is canceled by the Center.  
•    Attendees must reserve and pay separately for their room at The Pfister Hotel. Once the tour is confirmed by the Center, patrons will be provided with a code and instructions for booking the room.
•    The hotel room is subject to The Pfister Hotel’s policies and regulations, including all applicable cancellation fees and penalties.
•    The Cranbrook Center does not guarantee the availability of rooms at The Pfister Hotel at the discounted rate.
•    Attendees may stay at another hotel of their choice. However, the daily tour start and end point will be at The Pfister Hotel.
•    The Cranbrook Center will do its best to convey all dietary restrictions to the restaurants.
•    The exact tour schedule, including the restaurants, is subject to change and refinement.

For additional information, please contact Emma Brick, the Center Senior Administrative Assistant, at 248.645.3307 or Center@cranbrook.edu, or Greg Wittkopp, Center Director, at 248.645.3315 or GWittkopp@cranbrook.edu.