This morning Lisa crossed a long time wish off her bucket list. She grew up along Layton Boulevard in Milwaukee, only a few houses away from a group of Frank Lloyd Wright homes along Burnham Street. Two tickets and four decades later she finally got a chance to tour them.
In 1915 Wisconsin native and self-proclaimed world's greatest architect Frank Lloyd Wright signed a contract to create the American homes. These are homes of his own design, modified for a middle-class budget, and built of pre-cut lumber. While his goal was obviously to make money, philosophical intention was to make even a lower or middle class home a work of art in America, and he envisioned selling tens of thousands of these. In the end largely because of World War i, the plan failed and a very small number of the homes were built.
That's what makes the Burnham Street houses an incredible treasure, right here on Milwaukee's South Side. Not only were these the first he constructed, in order to use these as examples for future sales, but there are not one or two but six American homes on a single block.
All the homes were held by private owners for decades and given that more than a century has passed many modifications were made over time. The charitable organization that now operates five of the six homes endeavors to put them back in the exact condition they were in the moment the sale was completed in the 1910's.
The first few houses are duplexes. All feature a built-in breakfast nook
And open it to the air sleeping porch, as was common in the days before antibiotics when disease was rampant and fresh air was seen as a preventative.
Alas he chose a Innovative stucco for the exterior that failed after 20 years and, even worse, was ridden with asbestos.
There were many rumors about the houses and their history that Lisa heard growing up, and I heard many of them as well not only from her but other people who lived in the neighborhood. Things like only two of the houses were actual Wright houses, while the others were copycats. That is untrue, but logically I think it stems from the extreme modifications a few of the owners did to the exteriors.
There is also the tail of the east most house having been built for a friend of Wright. The story goes that on the basis of that friendship, Wright consented to include a garage for him despite his known distaste for garages. The docent adamently labeled this false, but they were a few photographs from the original owners on display and it does seem, at least my eyes to show a contemporary garage or shed on one of the properties. Not everything of the era is fully known yet so perhaps that neighborhood story will wind up having a kernel of truth after all.
The second house from the East was completely restored beginning in 2004. It now features a gorgeous front porch leading to a recessed front door under a consciously low pergola, which then opens to a large atrium.
Keep in mind this model is only 805 square feet, and yet it has an atrium big enough to accomodate the entire tour group.
The house, unusual for the era, had a fireplace in the center of the home, subtly dividing the space.
I think this is one of the greatest features he put into the homes; he was a big believer in the corner windows to not only let in more light but to tie the room in with the outside world.
The home featured 3 paint colors on the wall, to give the impression of more height.
Stunning furniture - recreations of the originals.
Here's the breakfast nook of this house
The kitchen features a builder decision that was grossly unsafe, a stairwell that began within the kitchen itself, with the floor just ending in front of the icebox. I'm sure more than one time the original owner went for something in his icebox and wound up stumbling down the stairs. As this violated the original design plans, it is believed to have been one of the things that led Wright to sue for the right to end the contract with the builder.
