Wright and Like

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George Hall

Frank Lloyd Wright designed this prefabricated home for contractor/builder Marshall Erdman; part of the 2022 Wright and Like tour.

This fun architectural series is back for its 23rd season. Every year this tour highlights a few special Frank Lloyd Wright designs, or designs by those architects heavily influenced by him. This year, it's tours of private homes, so, score! You're probably not going to see these any other way. Included are two of the original prefab homes Wright designed for Marshall Erdman, and the Lamp House (exterior only). Works by apprentices include a house by Herb Fritz Jr. on Lake Mendota and designs by John Steinmann and Eric Vogelman. This is all in the Madison area, which is not always the case with Wright and Like. Tickets and details at wrightinwisconsin.org/wright-and-like-2022; day-of tickets can be purchased at the Best Western InnTowner Hotel, 2424 University Ave.

press release: Following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wright and Like is back for its 23rd season. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 30, Wright in Wisconsin is offering tours of eight private homes in Madison and Middleton. Of the eight, four are from the hand of Frank Lloyd Wright, while the remaining four are by “like” architects, including two by Wright apprentices, and two by architects who were either contemporaries of Wright or inspired by Wright’s work.

Wright aficionados will, for the first time, be able to see and compare the two original prefabricated homes Wright designed for Marshall Erdman, the contractor/builder for Wright’s First Unitarian Society Meeting House. Only two of the three different Wright prefab designs were ever physically realized: the 1956 Eugene and Mary Van Tamelen House (prototype of Prefab #1, and reproduced elsewhere in southern Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, and in New York); and the 1959 Walter and Mary Ellen Rudin House (prototype of Prefab #2, and later replicated just once in Rochester, Minn.).

Also on tour (exterior only) is Wright’s National Register of Historic Places-listed 1903 Robert (Robie) M. Lamp House, the construction of which was overseen by Walter Burley Griffin, who was then a Wright employee. Largely obscured from pedestrian view due to a combination of its mid-block location and surrounding buildings, the home stands as Wright’s oldest remaining work in Madison. Because it is currently utilized as a rental and occupied by UW-Madison students, interior views of the Lamp House and information regarding Wright’s friendship with Lamp will be shared via storyboards, along with drawings from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archive at the Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. The Lamp House, the archetype for Wright’s “fire-proof house,” is currently the subject of a preservation effort involving the property owner and preservation organizations.

Wright apprentices represented on the tour include Herb Fritz Jr., and Herb DeLevie. Overlooking Lake Mendota, Fritz’s 1951 home for Richard B. and Ruth Andrews is notably without even a carport, as the Andrews were both dedicated cyclists and never owned a car. The home contains original “Do-It-Yourself” furniture of the type described in UW-Madison Prof. Anna Andrzejewski’s Winter 2021 article in "The Wisconsin Magazine of History."

DeLevie, who spent just more than two years at Taliesin (1953-1955), executed his first Madison design for Max and Arlyne Hurwitz while still a resident of California, where he had been working for various Los Angeles architects, including Richard Neutra. Completed in 1966, the uniquely designed, multi-level house utilized more than 75 tons of locally sourced stone.

Our two “like” architects are John Steinmann and Eric Vogelman. Completed in 1951, the Steinmann-designed home of Dr. O. Sidney and Ottilia Orth offers the key characteristics of mid-century modern architecture, featuring natural materials, built-in cabinets and large expanses of glass. Wright apprentice Marcus Weston prepared the drawings while working for Steinmann throughout the 1950s.

Eric Vogelman, now residing in Colorado, grew up in a Herb Fritz Jr.-designed home in nearby Shorewood Hills. Additionally, Vogelman worked with Fritz as a young adult and not only designed but also constructed his own 1981 home with the help of one of his brothers. Integrated into the landscape, the home’s interior and exterior design elements are reminiscent of those found in Wright’s Usonians, as well as his home and studio at Taliesin in Spring Green.

IMPORTANT TOUR INFORMATION

The tour takes place rain or shine. Tickets are nonrefundable. You must provide your own transportation. Wear comfortable walking shoes and allow the entire day for the tour. Interior photography is not permitted. Children 12 or under are strongly discouraged. These are private homes and not ADA compliant.

Guests and volunteers: We strongly encourage full vaccination; however, a negative PCR or rapid COVID-19 test no older than three days prior to the tour also will be accepted. Results from at-home test kits will not be accepted. Masks are required inside the homes but not outside. Information about COVID-19 community testing sites in the Badger State is available on the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website.

Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test is not required for ticket purchase or volunteer signup. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test is required to participate in or volunteer for the event.

Advance tickets ($60 for Wright in Wisconsin members or Frank Lloyd Wright National Reciprocal Sites Membership Program members and $70 for non-members) are available online or by calling our office at (608) 287-0339. Tickets may be purchased on tour day at the Best Western InnTowner Hotel, 2424 University Ave., in Madison. Tickets purchased on tour day cost $70 for members and $80 for non-members.

Click the appropriate button for tickets. Non-members who wish to join Wright in Wisconsin should click here first.

Important note about payment: While payments are processed through PayPal, a PayPal account is not required. You can pay with a debit or credit card.

ADDITIONAL MADISON TOUR INFORMATION

The Unitarian Meeting House: The Unitarian Meeting House is the home of the First Unitarian Society of Madison. The church building is normally closed to tourists on Fridays and Saturdays; however, two public tours will be offered at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on July 29 and at 9 a.m. on July 31. To sign up for one of these tours, please go to unitarianmeetinghouse.org/tours.

Advance registration is required. Visitors are always welcome to view the outside of the buildings. There is an excellent virtual tour available on the home page of the above website.

Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center: Spend an hour and learn the history of Frank Lloyd Wright’s “dream civic center” project for his hometown of Madison. During our guided tours, visitors will experience Wright’s trademarks of dramatic open spaces, strong geometric forms and breathtaking views of Lake Monona.

Tours are available at 1 p.m. July 28-30.

Admission is $5 per adult and $3 per student ages 5-17. Children 4 and under are free. Go to mononaterrace.com/experience-monona-terrace/tours-and-education/