Kerry Phillips, one of the founders of the Sacramento Bungalow Heritage Association, which tirelessly protects the many beautiful Craftsman homes in my own neighborhood of midtown Sacramento (as well as the rest of the historic neighborhoods of our city), has an excellent short essay defining this sometime-contentious word up on the SBHA site.
architecture
the Malcolm Willey House
A new Frank Lloyd Wright unveiled
All you FLW fans can now buy your own space in the Blue Sky Mausoleum – completed just 76 years after the fact.
the Historic Chicago Bungalow Initiative
The City of Chicago created the Historic Chicago Bungalow Initiative to combine architectural education, financing resources, marketing and code enforcement in an effort to preserve and restore its rich bungalow tradition. The city’s non-profit Bungalow Association was chartered by the state to administer the initiative, and its many (and very vocal!) members produce a number of events, including bus and walking tours, refinishing workshops and lectures.Their excellent Bunaglow of the Month program is also worth checking out, as they document a different home every month through photographs and a short history of the property.
FLW criticism
A short entry on criticism of Frank Lloyd Wright, discussing the basis and application of the generally-accepted label of “genius,” on David Sucher’s City Comforts Blog, which regularly has some very interesting discussions of cities, development, architecture and historic preservation.
new & notable books
The past month has been a good one for those of us with a bit to spend on new books; of the various review copies I’ve received and the books I’ve bought and browsed, these are a few of the past month’s highlights. I’m also including a few that won’t see wide distribution until later this month or early November.Wright’s Imperial Hotel, Tokyo
Lowell Prescott has a few very nice large images of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs for his Imperial Hotel in Tokyo (built 1915, demolished in the ’60s) at this page.
Experience Wright This Fall
When it comes to Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture nothing takes the place of visiting in person and experiencing his environments first hand. I will never forget the first time I visited Fallingwater after years of studying photos and models. It’s the scale of the buildings that is most striking. I maintain that any Wright building you have seen in pictures is about 60% the size you think it is.Two Tours
When I lived in Berkeley, there was a big storm one night. The next day I noticed that a huge branch had fallen off one of my favorite oak trees in a place called Live Oak Park. City workers were cutting up the beautiful piece of wood, which was at least 5 feet in diameter at the widest point, into cross sections using a chainsaw. It seemed a waste of such a great piece of wood. I asked them if I could have a few sections, they said sure, so I loaded a few chunks into my truck.Remembering Fay Jones
The past month has been a good one for those of us with a bit to spend on new books; of the various review copies I’ve received and the books I’ve bought and browsed, these are a few of the past month’s highlights. I’m also including a few that won’t see wide distribution until later this month or early November.
