Tommy Washbush
A special state roadway designation may soon help tourists celebrate the architectural wonders of Frank Lloyd Wright. The initiative is part of the pending Wisconsin biennial budget.
“The proposed Frank Lloyd Wright Heritage Trail, if passed, would promote tourism, history, architecture and the beauty of Wisconsin, as it highlights the best of Wright’s work from Racine to Spring Green and Richland Center,” says Carol Johnson, president of Taliesin Preservation Inc., based in Spring Green.
Portions of existing roadways would be marked and assembled to create the trail.
According to the motion, the state Department of Transportation would place markers directing interested motorists to Wright creations including Madison’s Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center, the First Unitarian Society Meeting House in Shorewood Hills, “Wingspread” and the S.C. Johnson and Son research tower in Racine County, and Taliesin near Spring Green. Richland Center is the architect’s birthplace (although no one has yet determined the exact site), and home to the Wright-designed A.D. German Warehouse.
The motion states that the Department of Transportation also “may erect and maintain additional markers along the heritage trail route to identify to motorists the location of buildings designed or constructed by Frank Lloyd Wright that are open to the public and that are within 15 miles of the route.”
“The big gorillas in the room, if you want to call it that, are going to be highlighted,” says Johnson, “but it also provides an opportunity to draw awareness to some of the smaller homes and buildings, privately and publicly owned.”
While tourists with a keen interest in Wright can already visit these spots, the Wright Heritage Trail will call attention to the concentration of Wright history in the state, and draw in more casual fans less intent on a specific pilgrimage.
“We’ve found tourists are immersing themselves in a larger architectural and historical Frank Lloyd Wright experience,” says Johnson. She notes that Wisconsin is the only place in the world where people can find every type of his designs, including private homes, commercial buildings and churches.
If passed, the motion will also require the state Department of Tourism to make a one-time $500,000 expenditure, drawn from its existing budget, “to promote, advertise and publicize buildings designed or constructed by Frank Lloyd Wright that are open to the public.”
The idea of a Wright Heritage Trail is not new. “We’ve been a part of a discussion for years, as an idea and a concept,” says Johnson. It did not originate with Taliesin, but with the Legislature.
Andy Gussert, chief operations officer at the First Unitarian Society, says that formulation of the proposal was bipartisan; he credits the leadership of Democratic state Rep. Cory Mason of Racine and Republican state Sen. Howard Marklein of Spring Green.
Marklein “was an intern at Taliesin in high school, and has a real affection for and relationship with the place,” says Gussert.
He adds, “There has been a skittishness to highlight this issue before the budget signing for fear it could be vetoed. It is hardly guaranteed to remain, and we don’t want to give Gov. Walker a reason to veto it.”
Johnson echoes the sentiment. “We’re keeping our fingers crossed, and we’re being a little a quiet at the same time. It’s going to heighten the understanding of Frank Lloyd Wright, and the importance of Wright in Wisconsin.”
Besides the proposed Frank Lloyd Wright Heritage Trail, Omnibus Motion 509 addresses issues regarding the state building commission, worker’s compensation, workforce development and unemployment insurance.
Neither Mason nor Marklein responded to requests for comment.
