Only a couple of miles from my last stop, sits the Rosenbaum House. An example of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian house concept, it was built as a single family home in 1940 at a cost of $14,000 (twice the original budget). It is one of the only examples of Wright later designing an addition to the home, which the growing family requested and completed in 1948.
I've always been a student of Wright's architecture and when I learned that this work was in such close proximity to my planned route for the weekend, I had to stop for the tour. After checking in, several of us were lead across the street and into the home. As we are informed the home was occupied by the family until 1999 when the last surviving member was relocated to a nursing home. By that time, the home was in very poor repair, suffering from water and termite damage. The city purchased and restored the home to its current state.
The tour takes us through the living room, study, original kitchen (which wasn't much larger than a modern shower), and bedrooms. As our guide informs, the addition added a much larger kitchen and an additional sleeping area for the family's sons. All throughout the home, Lloyd's trademarks can be seen. From the custom-designed furniture to the extensive use of natural lighting to the hidden storage areas, this work showcases his genius and I'm really glad to have had a chance to visit.
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