Yesterday Gary and I did what I assume is the only interesting thing to do in Alabama (yeah yeah, Space Camp, whatever), we drove about 100 miles to Florence and toured the former home of Stanley and Mildred Rosenbaum, who in 1939 commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design their house. The Rosenbaums lived in the house for sixty years before it was sold to the City of Florence which implemented some massive renovations starting in 1999 and opened it to the public. Some of the super-cool modern furnishings remain (most pieces are replicas), along with some of the family's books and personal effects. This house was a "usonian" design, not in any way considered to be opulent, but intended for a middle-class family.
We will visit Taliesin West in Scottsdale next month; Wright designed that space for himself and his wife as their winter residence and meeting center, now THAT place looks opulent and I'm sure will have a very different feel, but as an admirer of ultra-modern interiors as well as the mid-century style of FLW, it was great to see real-world application of such iconic design.
Click on photos for full views.
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| front of the house |
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| view from the back |
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| living room; study back right |
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| study with built in desk and Eames chair |
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| dining area; table built into the wall |
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| main hall to bedrooms; master at the end of the hall |
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| lower hallway; closets built into the walls |
