One thing
I have had on my bucket list for a long time and never was able to accomplish
was Taliesen in Spring Green. Taliesen was the personal home of Frank Lloyd
Wright for most of his adult life. He designed and built the home and most of
the other buildings on the 600 acre site starting in 1911, and continuing with
both new construction and reworking existing structures until his death in 1959.
By that time, the primary residence on the property had reached a massive
37,000 square feet!
We have
made it a habit to seek out Frank Lloyd Wright designed homes and buildings in
any area we happen to be traveling. Taliesen is classic Wright. Four main stone
pillars hold all the weight of the roof, so all the roof lines cantilever out
with pretty much solid glass walls everywhere to dissolve the separation
between what is inside and what is outside. Wright always tries to make the exterior
a part of the spaces he designs.
We
learned of the hard life that Wright had, some of which by his own doing. In
1903, Wright designed a home for his neighbor, Edwin Cheney. During the
project, a mutual infatuation developed between Wright and Cheney’s wife,
Mamah. In 1909, Wright and Mamah abandoned their families and went to Europe
together to work on a project. The scandal at home was massive, and Wright’s
career came to a screeching halt. Nobody in Chicago would hire this man with no
apparent moral compass.
Since his
then wife Kitty would not grant him a divorce, Wright moved into Taliesen in
1911 with Mamah, unwed. Two years later, one of the servants locked all the
doors and windows, pour fuel all over the building and set fire to it. When a
couple of the staff were able to escape by jumping from second story windows,
that servant grabbed an axe and went inside, murdering 7 people including
Mamah. We visited Mamah’s grave site at the Wright family chapel across the
road from the home.
Wright
had built an architectural school on the grounds in the early 1900’s. He would
sponsor a large group of apprentices who would live on the grounds, learn from
his architectural expertise, and also completely maintaining the grounds for
him, including farming, tending to the livestock and construction and repair.
Today the Foundation still runs the school and we saw many apprentices at work
learning and exploring their skills in the workshops. However, the farming
aspect is no longer an integral part of the experience.
It’s
really not a bad gig. Just like Wright did most of his adult life, the
apprentices do their studies and experimentation in Spring Green in the summer
time. Then, when the weather turns a bit foul, they head to Taliesen West,
Wright’s winter home that he built outside Scottsdale Arizona.
Also in
Spring Green is maybe the antithesis of any Wright home – the House on the
Rock, which was built from 1945 to 1959 by an architect who in his early career
claimed to have worshiped Wright, Alex Jordan Jr. In a storied meeting at
Taliesen where Jordan approached Wright for his input and approval on designs
he had for a project in Madison, Wright is quoted to have said “I wouldn’t hire
you to design a cheese crate or a chicken coop. You’re not capable.” Allegedly
Jordan built this structure mainly to get back at Wright for this harsh
criticism. Many have called it the biggest tourist trap in Wisconsin, and while
I can’t actually disagree with that sentiment, I am glad we stopped.
Jordan
built a series of rooms into the rock formations on top of a rock spire just
miles from Spring Green and Taliesen. Since the rooms are built to follow the
form of the rock spire, most have at least one solid rock wall, and some have
more. They are quite dark and somewhat confined, but you maybe could find a way
to live here. I would not say you can see great architectural work or style,
but it is interesting.
The one
architectural point of interest is the infinity room. Jutting out 218 feet from
the top of the rock spire with no supports, it is basically a wall of windows
on either side of a carpeted walkway. I was sure that the Woman had no idea
that we were out hundreds of feet in the air with no support, but I was wrong –
she knew full well where we were as she had seen the pictures of the room
before we came. I was impressed at her courage!
It is
possible that this is the greatest roadside kitsch ever. It may be that Jordan
never lived in the home, and never intended to. As soon as he completed it, he
opened it for tours and charged admission. Over the decades thousands paid
money to satisfy their curiosity. Many of the claimed antiques in the home,
such as all the Tiffany lamps, have been proven to be reproductions. And the
timelines for the meetings with Wright would have Jordan at about 10 years old
at the time. Greatest hoax ever? Maybe – but we enjoyed every minute of it!
Across
the river from Prairie du Chien lies Effigy Mounds National Monument. Truman
set aside this monument in 1949 to preserve some portion of the mounds built by
ancient cultures. Apparently these mounds that generally date back to around
600 AD, but some of which have been dated back to as early as 1,000 BC, were
found throughout the Midwest, with the most significant concentration in
Wisconsin. As land was populated and farmed, the vast majority of these
structures disappeared. According to the Rangers,
you can constantly tell that the sacred site is visited by Native Americans as
there are always medicine bags hanging in proximity of the mounds.
Scientists
don’t know exactly who built the mounds or why. Some contain remains, others
contain artifacts. Most are either circular mounds, while some are like a long
row of mounded dirt. However, some were built in the shapes of animals that
were apparently familiar to the builders. The most prominent effigies seem to
be that of a bear or an eagle. Bears and eagles are the only effigies within
the National Monument.
This park
was one of the kinds my mom hated – you can’t get to any of the mounds without
some considerable hiking. But we were looking forward to that particular
aspect, and before we were done, we had knocked off over 10 miles of pleasant
hiking, and witnessed all of the effigy mounds in the Monument. While it is
hard to capture with clarity the distinct shapes of the mounds – they are much
too large and there are really no elevated views – I can assure you that if you
stand next to them, the heads, bodies, legs and wings are very clear, and very
impressive!
Our last
stop was the Villa Louis mansion. Originally known as the Dousman mansion, the
home was built by the prominent businessman Hercules L. Dousman in 1843.
Dousman made his fortunes in lumbering and fur trading. The extent of his
fortunes could be seen in the size of this home, as well as the architecture.
The home
was built on the former site of Fort Shelby (British built and controlled
before the 1800’s) and the later Fort Colby (American controlled after the war
of 1812). In fact, the bulk of the grounds of Villa Louis were the battlefield
for the only War of 1812 battle fought in what is not the state of Wisconsin,
the Siege of Prairie du Chien. The name comes from Hercules son, Louis, who
occupied the home on his father’s death.
Word was
that Louis did not have the business acumen of his father, so professional
management ran the estate. However, it was Louis that took the initiative to
use the artesian wells on the property, heavy in iron and other minerals, and
convince the public that supplying that water to thoroughbred horses would make
the bigger, stronger and faster. He managed to develop an immense equestrian business,
including the building of a thoroughbred race track next to the mansion on the
grounds of the estate. Seems to me he probably could have run the estate just
fine.
Both
Hercules and Louis maintained their offices on the estate grounds. Because they
were occupied by family up until the time they were donated to the Wisconsin
Historical Society, virtually all the furnishings were intact from when Louis
lived there. Not only that, but the complete financial history of the estate
remains in the books and records kept since inception in the Dousmans’ offices.
Because of all that, the Society even knows the dates of key parties as well as
who attended them. Photos from the 1800’s showing the lifestyle at Villa Louis
and some of the family members are blown up and in each room. It is really a
very compelling tour.
Tomorrow
we move on a bit – not much – but south to Galena Illinois.
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