  Eastsidedame Member Username: Eastsidedame Post Number: 276 Registered: 12-2006 |
The Dorothy Turkel house is being restored per the architect's original vision. http://www.modeldmedia.com/dev elopmentnews/turkel1608.aspx | ||
Retroit Member Username: Retroit Post Number: 196 Registered: 04-2008 |
Ugh! That is one ugly house. I could think of better projects for $1.2 million. How about a skyscraper out of glass blocks? Frank Lloyd Wright fans are cultists. (Message edited by Retroit on June 08, 2008) | ||
Peter Member Username: Peter Post Number: 153 Registered: 02-2007 |
Does anyone know the address? I'd like to check it out. | ||
Dtowncitylover Member Username: Dtowncitylover Post Number: 171 Registered: 02-2008 |
I for one like FLW, he was a brilliant architect. Do I grope over him? No, that's a little too much. But much of his work should be appreciated and kept up, like this one. Really cool! | ||
Supergay Member Username: Supergay Post Number: 144 Registered: 05-2006 |
Actually this has been covered a couple times, here's the Model D/Metromode video from last May. http://youtube.com/watch?v=zdz iNtPhrdw Another quality of life improvement brought to you by gay Detroiters. Happy Gay Pride month! | ||
Pam Member Username: Pam Post Number: 4139 Registered: 11-2005 |
quote: It is on 7 mile near the western edge of Palmer Woods. | ||
Otter Member Username: Otter Post Number: 201 Registered: 12-2007 |
I believe it is on 7 Mile, near Livernois. Not 100% on that, but I seem to remember riding by it last summer. | ||
Eastsidedame Member Username: Eastsidedame Post Number: 279 Registered: 12-2006 |
The Wright Foundation lists it as being at 2760 W. Seven Mile Road in the Palmer Park area. (Westsiders, please correct me if necessary.) Actually, its the only confirmed Wright house in Detroit. The FLW Conservancy. believes there are two others somewhere, but they're not sure where. Maybe one is yours? If you think you have, or think you've seen an authentic FLW in Detroit, send a photo to preservation@savewright.org. | ||
Eastsidedame Member Username: Eastsidedame Post Number: 280 Registered: 12-2006 |
Retroit: Hey, Victorians are cool, too. Modern's an acquired taste, and some mods do really suck. | ||
Rjlj Member Username: Rjlj Post Number: 563 Registered: 11-2003 |
I love that house. Very nice. | ||
Mwilbert Member Username: Mwilbert Post Number: 255 Registered: 11-2007 |
Otter is correct. It is on Seven Mile, on the north side, between Parkside and Strathcona, so it is kind of between Palmer Woods and Sherwood Forest, not really in Palmer Park. I wouldn't call it ugly, but the exterior is more interesting than beautiful, in my opinion. | ||
Xd_brklyn Member Username: Xd_brklyn Post Number: 411 Registered: 10-2003 |
Hopefully they will give tours of the house at some point. I'd love to see the interior of the house. When I was at the house in 1999, they were putting a new roof on. Didn't get inside the place, but from the outside it looked a bit musty. I'm kind of surprised at the $1.2 million price tag. Didn't think it was in need of that much repair. The other Wright homes in the Detroit area are the Affleck house, owned by Lawrence Tech, and the Maxwell Smith house, a private home that is used for mainly used for events. At last look, the Affleck house was shabby but in tact. The Maxwell Smith house was in mint condition and is a real gem. It is also a small house that sits on some high-end property in Bloomfield Hills. Fortunately the children who grew up in the Smith house have been successful enough that they do not need the sell the property. Glad to hear they are fixing up the Turkel house. It has bounced around amongst a couple of owners in the past twenty years. "4,300 square feet"? I would have never guessed there was that much space in that place. | ||
Eastsidedame Member Username: Eastsidedame Post Number: 282 Registered: 12-2006 |
Xd_brklyn: have those other two been confirmed as legit? Any links to photos? | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6965 Registered: 08-2004 |
My favorite FLW house is in Grand Rapids... it's they Meyer May House... a real beauty. Of course Fallingwater in PA is the Jewel In The Crown according to most experts... but it's a maintenance nightmare! And then there's the S.C. Johnson Co. plant in Racine WI, which is supposed to be the best factory design. But there's no friggin' windows on that building... only glass blocks which admit light, but does not allow a view outside. While I admire the genius of FLW, he does have a few quirks that I don't like... such as the very low ceilings on many of his designs. | ||
Eastsidedame Member Username: Eastsidedame Post Number: 287 Registered: 12-2006 |
Good point. People were generally smaller 100 years ago. That's one of the big challenges in renovating some period homes. | ||
Chow Member Username: Chow Post Number: 470 Registered: 10-2003 |
Well its the only two story 'usonian' house, so that adds some space. But in typical FLW fashion the ceilings are LOW. This has been one of the largest obstacles for the engineer; to update and fit the MEP without affecting the character too much. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6573 Registered: 11-2003 |
Dorothy Turkel commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design her house in 1955. It was built in 1956. She got the idea for this "Usonion Automatic" home from his writing "The Natural House." Built entirely of concrete block, it was quite a shock to the Tudoresque neighborhood. The concrete blocks emit just enough light that there are no large windows in the house. The Turkel house is Detroit's onliest FL Wright house. Gistok's favorite Meyer and Sophie May house in Grand Rapids is a huge Prairie Style mansion of 1909, in a period and time much different than Wright's later work in Detroit. jjaba, Proudly Westside. | ||
Chow Member Username: Chow Post Number: 471 Registered: 10-2003 |
Eastside, its not so much that people were small but mainly that FLW himself was short. And he notoriously designed for HIS scale, as any ego driven architect would. The ceilings were low even for the time that they were built. | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 690 Registered: 03-2008 |
Preservation is always good whenever possible. Even if you think it's ugly, it is a rare piece that was probably inspiration for many beautiful modern designs. Was Frank Lloyd Wright the one who's "city of the future" included a urban design with basically a small lot completely surrounded by roads on all four sides, and a house right in the center? If it was, I do not agree with many of his urban ideals. Some of the designs do get you thinking though. He definately was ahead of his time too. Maybe if he was born today, he would have some different views on city and building design. A lot of promising inventions from the past have proved to have caused more new problems than they solved. He had both good and bad ideas and designs in my opinion. It would be neat to see what he would think of past designs and ideas today, now that we see all the results. I'm strange aren't I? I actually believe that greats comparable to Mr. Wright are living right here in Michigan and Detroit as we speak. It's one reason people think I have so much blind faith in Detroit. It's not as blind as you think once you have seen the talent out there first hand. You just know there has to be more we aren't seeing yet. (Message edited by Sean_Of_Detroit on June 09, 2008) | ||
Eastsidedame Member Username: Eastsidedame Post Number: 297 Registered: 12-2006 |
Sean, you rock! | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2884 Registered: 10-2003 |
Eastsidedame: Are you asking if those other two houses have been confirmed as legit FLW houses? Maxwell Smith House - privately owned by Smith family descendants. Although in very nice shape, could use some work. Family has established a foundation to keep the house. Has some ties to Cranbrook Art Museum, which runs tours through the house a couple times a year. Here's a site with some photos: http://www.peterbeers.net/inte rests/flw_rt/Michigan/Melvyn_M axwell_Smith/m_m_smith_house.h tm Affleck House - owned by Lawrence Tech. While intact, needs a lot of work to bring it back to its original state. Tours available infrequently. Here's a link to a site with many photos: http://www.peterbeers.net/inte rests/flw_rt/Michigan/Afleck_H ouse/afleck_house.htm | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2885 Registered: 10-2003 |
Also, check out this link to Frank Lloyd Wright Buildings in Michigan: http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/ 1469/flw_mi.html | ||
Sean_of_detroit Member Username: Sean_of_detroit Post Number: 696 Registered: 03-2008 |
Thanks Eastsidedame! I actually needed that today... | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6579 Registered: 11-2003 |
Excellent links Kathleen, as always. Thanks. jjaba. | ||
56packman Member Username: 56packman Post Number: 2305 Registered: 12-2005 |
a must-have for any FLW house...............  | ||
Swingline Member Username: Swingline Post Number: 1136 Registered: 11-2003 |
$1.2 million doesn't really seem like a realistic figure from either a construction cost or a market value standpoint. 4300 sq. ft. seems a little high too. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6596 Registered: 11-2003 |
56packman tells it like it tis. LOL. Thanks, jjaba. | ||
Evelyn Member Username: Evelyn Post Number: 293 Registered: 02-2005 |
There’s two (?) FLW houses in Grand Rapids. The Meyer May House, which offers guided tours (that I recommend, for Wright fans!) And the David Amberg House, which I don’t know much about, except there’s disagreement over if it’s a genuine Wright house. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/li st/103_flw.html#mi http://museum.msu.edu/museum/m sgc/jul07.html http://www.steelcase.com/na/me yer_may_house_ourcompany.aspx? f=18708 Neat architect, but a control freak- designing placemats and silverwear, furniture, even the art that he wanted to hang on his house’s walls. If only he had collaborated with an engineer to do something about his roofs... | ||
Skylark Member Username: Skylark Post Number: 60 Registered: 08-2007 |
I've visited several FLW works... Falling Water, Johnson Wax, a home in Okemos MI, & several homes in Chicago. I found them all very exciting and quite innovative for their time. (The built in furniture was my least favorite). There are many who admire FLW & travel specifically to see his works. The renovation of the only FLW home in Detroit makes me very happy. | ||
Detroitnerd Member Username: Detroitnerd Post Number: 2472 Registered: 07-2004 |
This article was written when the house was being bought and has some photographs showing signs of neglect. http://metrotimes.com/editoria l/story.asp?id=9372 | ||
D_mcc Member Username: D_mcc Post Number: 733 Registered: 12-2007 |
LTU has been renovating the Affleck house since before I started going there, and I graduated, and they are STILL working on it...guess they need to hit up Taubman for another 10 million dollar loan. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6617 Registered: 11-2003 |
Evelyn and Nerd, thanks. Great links and stories. jjaba, great thread. | ||
Peachlaser Member Username: Peachlaser Post Number: 188 Registered: 08-2006 |
I think the Egyptians began with step pyramids before they refined the design. Every step is important when recognizing the genius and it is often valuable to see the struggle and the awareness of new concepts as expressed through new designs. In my opinion, this house, while a bit unrefined in its design, is a very valuable example of early modern American Architecture and should be restored accordingly. | ||
Gistok Member Username: Gistok Post Number: 6982 Registered: 08-2004 |
Actually the Egyptians started with the Mastaba slab design, and that evolved into Pharoah Zoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara, designed by the worlds first known architect... Imhotep. The Step Pyramid (circa 2800 BC) is the worlds oldest major stone building, and later evolved into the 3 pyramids built by Pharoah Seneferu (the 1st was too steep and the outer casing collapsed; the 2nd or Bent Pyramid also was too steep and even though they changed the angle, the structural integrity was compromised; his 3rd pyramid... the Red Pyramid at Dashur was the first successful perfect shaped pyramid). Seneferu's son Khufu then built the largest pyramid of all... the Great Pyramid at Giza... to be followed by the Giza pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6627 Registered: 11-2003 |
That Gistok gets around, eh. No wonder he can compare 1920s theater revival styles with ancient aqrchitecture. He knows it. jjaba, big Gistok fan. | ||
D_mcc Member Username: D_mcc Post Number: 736 Registered: 12-2007 |
Also...Architecture is the worlds second oldest profession! | ||
Peachlaser Member Username: Peachlaser Post Number: 189 Registered: 08-2006 |
Thanks Gistok! Man, you are a walking encyclopedia. Point is that some early designs don't always show the finished elegance of design & function of someone's work over their lifetime but still should be appreciated. Thanks to the DetroitYES board, I scored higher on an onboard Delta trivia game that pits passengers against each other in a live and dynamic contest via touchscreens located in the back of the seat in front of you. 3 or 4 times I got answers right because of information I have learned from all of you. My wife would ask, "How did you know that?••• So thanks! I also made a special effort to go Market St. while in San Francisco on Mon. & Tues. Got some photos of the F Trains! Will post them ASAP. That is one example of something I learned here and it helped me enjoy SF much more. Got some other surprises for you too. : ) Peachlaser | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6634 Registered: 11-2003 |
Peachlaser takes SF by storm. Please post the Detroit DSR PCC car on the F Market St. line, working for the people. Still colder than a Marin County well digger's ass, eh. jjaba, Westsider. | ||
Reddog289 Member Username: Reddog289 Post Number: 351 Registered: 08-2007 |
wonder if FLW thought about ants when he drew up his building/houses. great info here yet i think i need to control my ADD, too many threads i want to read. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 2897 Registered: 10-2003 |
More on the renovation of the Turkel House in today's Free Press... Spending to make it Wright: $1.2 million going into restoring Detroit home to architect's vision "Gone are the curved walls, high ceilings, greenhouse, fountains, vast gardens, statues and opulence that currently surround the Detroit pair in Palmer Woods. Welcome concrete, straight lines, modular furniture, wood-paneled walls, small rooms and bathrooms and cinder block -- inside and out. ..." Full article at: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs .dll/article?AID=/20080615/BUS INESS06/806150536 | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 6673 Registered: 11-2003 |
Thanks for the update, Kathleen. Good article. Thanks. jjaba. | ||
Eastsidedame Member Username: Eastsidedame Post Number: 368 Registered: 12-2006 |
This site has nice interior shots, though they're 2 years old. http://www.peterbeers.net/inte rests/flw_rt/Michigan/Turkel_H ouse/2006-03-19_Turkel/index.h tm | ||
Richie Member Username: Richie Post Number: 7 Registered: 08-2007 |
I never see anybody at the Affleck house and it looks shabbier by the year. One time I parked my vintage Pontiac under the carport for a few pix, that is when I realized a 1960's car is way to long for the era the house was built. On the plus side the only time I ever saw anybody there I was invited in to take a looksie. "Bloomfield Blossoms" (a 1976 Bicentennial booklet for Bloomfield hills) shows the lot was in the 70's not so overgrown that you can not see the house. It is unfortunate that it is not this way today because you can not really admire the architecture as well and you certainly can not take a good picture of it anymore. | ||
Treelock Member Username: Treelock Post Number: 327 Registered: 03-2005 |
I spent an afternoon cleaning up the yard and smoking reefer in the living room of the Turkel house way back in the late '80s, Tom Monaghan era. The brother of a friend of mine from high school worked for him. That house is definitely cool and interesting to look around, and you could see inside the whole thing up until maybe winter when they put chain-link fencing around it to start renovations. But that's also the problem with this and a lot of other FLW homes — they're not practical from a living standpoint. In this house, there is zero privacy. What are the new owners, God bless 'em, going to do about all those windows? The neighbors are just a small yard away. |
