Taliesin photo courtesy TravelWisconsin.com
Even among the most casual of architecture buffs, perhaps the most well known of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Wisconsin projects is Taliesin in Spring Green, followed by Wright’s architecture for SC Johnson in Racine. Now, travelers and Wright enthusiasts can add Wingspread (Racine), Burnham American System Built Homes (Milwaukee) and the First Unitarian Society Meeting House (Madison) to their must-see list as these projects and more are now a part of the newly designated Frank Lloyd Wright Trail in Wisconsin.
photo courtesy TravelWisconsin.com
Nine buildings across southern Wisconsin—from private houses to public buildings—provide travelers with the opportunity to trace the steps of this world-renowned architect. The trail begins on Interstate 94 at the Illinois state line, continues to Madison and then on to Wright’s home in southwest Wisconsin.
In addition to the Wright buildings listed above, the route also includes Monona terrace Community and Convention Center in Madison, the Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center in Spring Green and the AD German Warehouse in Richland Center. According to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, the trail signage includes large freeway guide signs, route marker signs, and directional and trailblazer signs located in Richland, Sauk, Iowa, Dane, Jefferson, Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties.
Monoma Terrace photo courtesy Chris Maddox
“Although Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin has been publishing a guide to the Wisconsin public Wright sites for the past 10 years, this designation formally links together the public sites, the communities where they are located, as well as the chambers of commerce and tourism offices in a coordinated manner under our state Department of Tourism,” explains George Hall, president, Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin.
“The Wright sites to be found on the Frank Lloyd Wright Trail are each not only individual gems; they represent structures designed during nearly every decade of Wright’s long and productive career,” Hall continues. “The result is that visitors can personally experience first-hand many of the architectural innovations that he pioneered. For these buildings and Wright’s legacy to survive into the future, it is important that people of all ages have an opportunity to experience the work created by one of America’s preeminent architects. Candidly, other than for architecture buffs, the Wright public sites are a heretofore little recognized Wisconsin asset that will now receive the attention that it justly deserves.”
To plan a trip, consult this handy guide. For more on the June 3 celebration in Milwaukee of Wright’s 150th birthday, Wright in Wisconsin has the details.
Burnham American System Built Homes photo courtesy Wright-in-Milwaukee
by Camille LeFevre