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Any fan of Frank Lloyd Wright knows his architecture is centered around harmony between indoors and out. On a recent, crisp summer evening, as I stood barefoot, in a towel, lost in the courtyard of what was once Wright’s personal home in Spring Green, Wisconsin, this principle had never been more apparent. I felt the judgmental gaze of his tall, cast-concrete garden sculptures of mythological female figures, called Sprites, their arms crossed, eyes gazed downward, but still seeming to wonder, what was *I* doing *there*? I hoped the guided tour in the living room couldn’t see me as I emerged from a dark, skinny hallway, where I’d showered in a yellow-lit bathroom next to a handful of bedrooms once used by Wright’s apprentices. But after a 6 a.m. flight and a corridor of identical doors, I couldn’t find my way back to mine.

I’m probably not the first person who has ended up lost at Taliesen, but I’m likely one of the first journalists. While there are many options for guided day tours of the 800-acre rural estate where Wright lived and worked for nearly five decades, staying overnight is a rare privilege. In 2021, Taliesin Preservation added weekend workshops with classes in crafts like baking, photography, and painting, which, for $1,500, grant everyday Wright fans the chance to stay on the grounds. In early June, though, for the first time in the property’s 113-year history, journalists were invited to spend two nights there for the reopening of its Hillside Theater after a five-year $1.1 million restoration.

Since the start of fellowships at Taliesen in 1932, the Hillside Theater served as a multiuse entertainment space for Wright’s apprentice program, which hosted movie screenings and concerts for the public on Sundays. (The theater is housed in the same building as the drafting studio used by Wright’s protégés.) In the mid-’50s, Taliesin fellows made a few structural updates to the theater following a fire. But since then, it remained unchanged. Though Wright is arguably the most famous American architect, and one of the most influential of our time, his buildings have..Read More

The Spring Green Restaurant at Riverview Terrace, a design by the legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright, has been officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. This recognition not only celebrates Wright's innovative design but also marks the site as a pivotal community gathering space within the Spring Green area.

Historic Designation and Community Impact

Carrie Rodamaker, the executive director of the Taliesin Preservation, highlighted the unique architectural features of the Spring Green Restaurant, including its geometric red chairs, panoramic views of the Wisconsin River through expansive windows, and a midcentury modern arched vaulted ceiling with skylights. These design elements underscore Wright's belief in the harmony between natural light and architectural space. The designation by the Wisconsin Historical Society as a landmark enables the Taliesin Preservation to undertake necessary repairs, particularly to the roof and foundation of the iconic structure.

Wright's Vision and the Restaurant's Evolution

Frank Lloyd Wright envisioned the space as a welcoming area for the community and a gateway to his 800-acre estate, Taliesin. Although construction began in 1956, it was halted upon Wright's death in 1959. The project was revived in 1966 by the Wisconsin River Development Corp., with slight modifications to Wright's original design. The restaurant, formally dedicated as the Spring Green Restaurant in 1967, operated independently for 25 years before becoming the Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor Center, featuring a café and gift shop.

Future Prospects and Preservation Efforts

The historic designation not only honors Wright's architectural legacy but also aids in the preservation of his vision for community engagement through design. The Taliesin Preservation, with its team of 16 year-round employees, continues to offer public tours from May through October, fostering a deeper appreciation for Wright's contributions to architecture and community planning. The landmark status promises to enhance these efforts, ensuring the Spring Green Restaurant remains a vibrant part of the community for generations to come..Read More Here

The legendary Frank Lloyd Wright was a prolific architect but leaned on engineers to ensure his designs’ sound structure.

One of those pros was Mendel Glickman, who built this nearly 3,000-square-foot home in Fox Point, WI. The place is listed for $849,900.

Commissioned by John and Sophia Dulka, this one-level, wooded retreat has been untouched since its 1956 completion.

Added to the property in 2016 is a detached 1,000-square-foot art studio designed by Ramsey Jones Architects. The sellers bought the home in 2015 and are its third owners.

Fox Point is a small community along Lake Michigan’s shoreline, 10 miles north of downtown Milwaukee.

That add-on studio is a selling point, notes listing agent Suzanne Powers, of Suzanne Powers Realty Group, because the community no longer approves these for new construction.

“Fox Point doesn’t allow for outbuildings today,” she says. “You could always turn the art studio into a guest suite.”

Other attractive amenities include the .87-acre lot and the two-block proximity to Lake Michigan.

The three-bedroom, 1.5-bath home has notable architectural features that include a floor-to-ceiling, brick fireplace in the living room and striking kitchen cabinetry.

“Inside the house is a true time capsule,” Powers says. “Anybody who’s looking at this house should be interested in preservation. This isn’t the type of house that should be purchased for a renovation.”

The only major change to the interior is the updated kitchen appliances.

So, who will buy this well-preserved property?

“It’s probably going to be somebody who’s a midcentury modern enthusiast and knowledgeable about Frank Lloyd Wright,” Powers predicts.

Russia-born Glickman emigrated to the U.S. as a child and taught structural engineering to architectural fellows at Taliesin, Wright’s homestead. He later became the iconic architect’s main engineer. The duo worked together on many of Wright’s projects, including Fallingwater and the Guggenheim Museum.

• For more photos and details, check out the full listing.
• Homes for sale in Fox Point, WI
• Learn more about Fox Point, WI

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Neighboring Frank Lloyd Wright homes, the Eppstein House and the Pratt House, are for sale in Kalamazoo County with a reported asking price of $4.5 million.

The original Wright-designed furniture in the homes, however, is extra.

"I refer to it as a piece of artwork that you can live in," Fred Taber of Jaqua Realtors told the Free Press, adding that "it's better than a painting" because you don't just hang it on a wall and look at it, you can go inside, walk around, sleep in it and "stay there."

Wright, an American architect, who designed more than 1,000 structures during his lifetime, aimed to create spaces that were in harmony with their natural surroundings, a philosophy he called organic architecture, but it is rare, if not unique, to have two of them next to each other.

When Barbara and Robert Elsner bought a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home in 1955, they wrote the famed architect to ask if he had designed any landscaping for the house. Wright responded that he hadn’t, but told them that their 1917 home was “a good house of a good period for a good client.” 

Since then, the Elsner family has carefully preserved the Milwaukee house, returning the interiors to their original paint colors and buying back the home’s custom-made furniture.

Now, however, the family is ready to hand the house over to a new steward, according to the Elsners’ daughter Margaret Howland, who lives in the home. They are putting the property on the market for the first time in 68 years, asking $1.5 million.

The five-bedroom, roughly 6,700-square-foot home is a stone’s throw from Lake Michigan in the historic North Point neighborhood, said listing agent Melissa LeGrand of @properties-elleven Christie’s International Real Estate. Read more here