Friendly volunteers from Wright in Wisconsin have been feeding us clues about the early life of the Elizabeth Murphy House. We’re starting to be able to piece together an explanation for oddly dated artifacts and support for the theory that this home may have marked a turning point in Wright’s career.

More on that later. In the meantime, here is a 1933 image, taken when the Kibbie family lived here. Arthur Kibbie was a manager at the Trostel leather company. He and his wife Gladys raised two daughters in this house.

Notably, there was no driveway or carport in the plan. Did the planners assume that Milwaukee Trolleys would always run?