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Travel West guide to unique destinations, sight-seeing, history and
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Travel Bargain Destination in Illinois
FRANK
LLOYD WRIGHT - LAURENT HOUSE - ROCKFORD
Wright Designed House Opens to Public in Illinois
The newest Frank Lloyd Wright designed house and museum has been opened
for public visits. The Laurent House in Rockford, Illinois opened June
6, 2014, two days before what would have been the famous architect’s
147th Birthday. The single story, one level home in the wooded outskirts
of Rockford about an hour from Chicago, commissioned by Kenneth and Phyllis
Laurent in 1948 is considered by Wright enthusiasts as one of the top
38 best designs of his career, and the only building designed by the
famously picky and prickly architect for someone with a disability. Kenneth
Laurent was a wheel-chair bound World War II veteran who contacted Wright
after being prodded by his wife, to ask the architect, then at the height
of his fame and career, if he would to design a home to meet his unique
needs. Wright was enthused by the new challenge.
The
Laurent House is especially unique among Wright designs that it has
been continually lived
in by the original owners and contains the original
furniture designed for the home by the architect along with some
personal items of the Laurents, making it a complete and holistic example
of
the architect’s Usonian house concept and a complete work of
art. Making use of brick, wood and other natural material of simple
construction
design on one floor, on concrete slabs with piping for radiant heat
with carports instead of garages, Wright’s Usonian (a word he
coined from people of the US) concept of affordable houses in the depression
influenced suburban house construction for decades, and the Laurent
House
is perfect example. With Lloyd Wright’s personally designed interior
with the wooden cabinetry seemingly infused into the brick walls, the
design feels both of its time and still timeless. He created a singular
house that was both beautiful and functional for its disabled owner,
years ahead of its time, featuring a hemi-circular solar facing footprint,
a patio, slat windows, a fishpond and Wrights signature connection
between the house and it natural landscape.
When
the Laurents were in their 90s, no longer unable to stay in their
home, the house was acquired by the Laurent House Foundation in 2012,
with a million dollars raised from contributions from the Rockford
community in an effort to save a local landmark treasure and a matching
half-million
dollars from the state of Illinois. The restoration took 2 years
to complete, guided by architect John Eifler. The house is now also
a
museum with
a collection of 29 letters and documents from 1948 to 1954 which
follow the continuing relationship between Frank Lloyd Wright, the
Laurents
and the architect’s Taliesin Fellowship.
Touring the Laurent House and Museum
The
Laurent House and Museum will be open for public tours beginning with
the first and last weekend of every month. Additional tours
will be added according to demand. Tours to the house will depart
from the
Midway Village Museum (see Rockford
Midway Village) at
11 am, 1 pm, and 3 pm with a cost of $15 per person. Advanced
tickets are required.
The Laurent House recommended for children over 8 years. Group
tours at a minimum of 4 to a group are available by reservation.
Visitors with
disabilities can arrange to park and arrive directly at the Laurent
House for tours and events. © Bargain
Travel West
Find the best travel and hotel deals in Illinois on Trip Advisor
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Laurent
House
These articles are copyrighted and the sole property of Bargain Travel West and WLEV, LLC. and may not be copied or reprinted without permission.
See these other articles on Bargain Travel West:
TINKER SWISS COTTAGE MUSEUM - ROCKFORD
DONLEYS
WILD WEST TOWN - UNION
ANDERSON JAPANESE GARDENS
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