Architectural history will, once again, be made on the campus of Florida Southern College in Lakeland this Friday with the grand opening of the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center and its cultural centerpiece, a newly constructed building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Known as a "Usonian" house, the home was designed by Wright in 1939, and it is the first time this particular Wright design has ever been built.
Florida Southern's campus contains the world's largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012.
Wright began his work with Florida Southern in 1938, conceiving a master plan for "a college of tomorrow" that came to include 18 structures, 12 of which were built during Wright's life, between 1938 and 1958. The Usonian house will be the 13th Wright structure to join the collection.
The Usonian house will feature reproduction furniture designed by Wright specifically for use in his Usonian homes, as well as a specially commissioned orientation film, "Florida Southern College: Frank Lloyd Wright's American Campus."
The Ruthven Plaza, the GEICO Gift Shop—a faithfully restored Craftsman home—and the Usonian house comprise the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center, which will be the first stop for the tens of thousands of guests who visit annually to tour the college's collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.
Photo: Courtesy Florida Southern College
Construction of the house demanded that virtually every aspect, including the unique "textile" blocks, be hand crafted by experienced artisans. The building uses approximately 2,000 interlocking blocks and is adorned with nearly 6,000 hand-inserting colored glass blocks. The home illustrates all of Wright's Usonian ideals: a distinctly American style embodying respect for the natural landscape, economy of size, and the use of locally obtained, native materials for construction.
"It is a singular privilege to be stewards of this paramount piece of American architectural heritage," said Anne Kerr, PhD, President of Florida Southern College. "Frank Lloyd Wright is not only a part of Florida Southern's history, but also a part of America's great history, and the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center is a wonderful tribute to his legacy on our campus and his impact around the world."
The college will also unveil a life-size Frank Lloyd Wright bronze statue sculpted by nationally renowned artists Don Haugen and Teena Stern, as well as a rare Yousuf Karsh portrait of Wright that has been generously donated to be on display in the Usonian house.
Photos courtesy Florida Southern College
Construction photos below courtesy The Maguires of Lakeland (For more: http://www.buildingtheusonianhouse.com)
Related Stories
| Dec 22, 2014
Skanska to build Miami’s Patricia and Phillip Frost Museum of Science
Designed by Grimshaw Architects, the 250,000-sf museum will serve as an economic engine and cultural anchor for Miami’s fast-growing urban core.
| Dec 22, 2014
Studio Gang to design Chicago’s third-tallest skyscraper
The first U.S. real-estate investment by The Wanda Group, owned by China’s richest man, will be an 88-story, 1,148-ft-tall mixed-use tower designed by Jeanne Gang.
| Dec 19, 2014
Zaha Hadid unveils dune-shaped HQ for Emirati environmental management company
Zaha Hadid Architects released designs for the new headquarters of Emirati environmental management company Bee’ah, revealing a structure that references the shape and motion of a sand dune.
| Dec 19, 2014
Chicago Architecture Biennial to hold 'Lakefront Kiosk Competition'
The first Chicago Architecture Biennial will take place from October 2015-January 2016, with a theme of "The State of the Art of Architecture."
| Dec 18, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin West to be recreated—with LEGO
Containing more than 180,000 LEGO bricks in 11 colors and 120 different shapes, the model measures eight by four feet and is made entirely of standard LEGO parts.
| Dec 18, 2014
11 new highs for tall buildings: CTBUH recaps the year's top moments in skyscraper construction
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat cherrypicked the top moments from 2014, including a record concrete pour, a cautionary note about high-rise development, and two men's daring feat.
| Dec 18, 2014
International Parking Institute and Green Parking Council collaborate with GBCI
The new collaboration recognizes importance of sustainable parking facility design and management to the built environment.
| Dec 18, 2014
Top 10 sports facilities of 2014: Designboom ranks the year's best projects
The list includes some of the year's epic stadiums, such as World Cup Stadium Arena de Amazonia in Manaus, Brazil, and smaller projects, like the Spordtgebouw Sports Centerin the Netherlands.
| Dec 18, 2014
In response to ultra-open and uber-collaborative office environments
Susan Cain’s bestselling 2012 book, "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking" has made an impact on how we understand our current workforce, recognizing that at least one-third of the people we work with are introverts, writes SRG Partnership's Susan Gust.
| Dec 17, 2014
USGBC announces 2014 Best of Green Schools honorees
Houston's Monarch School was named the K-12 school of the year, and Western Michigan University was honored as the top higher-ed institution, based on environmental programs and education efforts.