So I had a fun Saturday morning. I went on a tour of a house that I have wanted to see for the better part of 12 years. Being a former student of architecture, the Stromquist home, a house in Bountiful Utah that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, has always held a fascination for me. I first learned about it back in high school and never found the courage to walk up to the door and knock. Well, this Saturday the Bountiful Davis Art Center was giving tours as a fund raiser for a youth group.
Well, as you can imagine 12 years worth the hype is hard to live up to. The home was everything you would expect from a Frank Lloyd Wright home, but still it felt very dated, and well, not the most comfortable home to live in...still I wouldn't have missed this opportunity for anything (I passed up camping this weekend to go).
And the Bonus, they even let us take pictures. I have a few here, and you can check out more on my flickr account.
So...let me set the scene a little:
You can't really see the house from the street. You have to go one over to see it.
This is the street that runs in front of the house.
This is the driveway the curves up to the house.
This is the roof of the garage. It was added by the current owner under the direction of Taliesin.
This house sits on 8+ acres and has a pretty steep grade. This is the barn (one of the interim owners used the land for horses and the actual house was used as stables!!!)which can't be seen from the the house.
And this is all you can see of the house without driving up the driveway to it.------
Here are few "close-ups" of the house-for more, again, you can check my flickr account
Front door-it has two glass doors one swings out to the driveway, and one swings into the the house.
The entry way
The grand room
The sitting area/office
The detached garage (later addition).This visit absolutely made my day.
5 comments:
Great photos. Having studied arhitecture and interior design in college (BYU 1977) I have had a long interest in FLW. I lived in Bountiful about 13 years ago, and tried to catch glimpses of this house on my bike rides. I did recently "stumble" onto one of his Usonian houses in Oberlin, Ohio. I'll have to go back this summer when the college offers tours. Being an origami enthusiast, I especially like Wright's origami chairs in the grand room of the Bountiful house.
David G. in Ohio
Very nice site. Thanks for posting it and all your photos. I live across the street from this house and I'm not the least surprised that you found it "dated". Salmon colored blocks in and out were likely dated when they put them in :). For those who have not seen this house inside, it is very small and quite cold, but interesting.
When I first saw this house it was in the early 1980's. The owner "Al" as we called him was a part time wrangler who took people on horse pack trips. When we walked into the house, I didn't know it was a Wright design but was intrigued with it's unique interior. I remember being puzzled at the neglect of this methodically designed and beautifully crafted house. I'm so happy it has been restored. I will never forget this house.
Correction on my comment 9/05/2011. "Al" was an occupant and not an owner of the Wright's Stromquist House
Al Bosen?
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