As with other prairie-influenced designs, the chimney sets the tone for the rest of the house. It is intentionally dramatic, like Frank’s fine pork pie fedora. It is also a fake.
For Frank: function followed form
“How to build a warm, strong and dry house”
By specifying Byrkit Lath in this and other American System-Built Houses, Frank Lloyd Wright may have secured this home's legacy.
Honey, I tore off the front of the house.
Then, we poured new concrete, parged walls, and painted matching trim. Today, the Elizabeth Murphy House stands tall and straight, and ready for tour-goers.
What about that stucco?
Did the Kibbies not like the pebble-dash and cover it for aesthetic reasons only, thereby protecting it for 90 years?
The good, the bad, and the ugly.
It is said that Frank Lloyd Wright viewed bathrooms as an afterthought, and our six-by-six foot closet supports that. But we're all-in: down-shifting our lives into smaller spaces with room for fewer things, and Frank is guiding us.
Wood as it should be treated
Most wood surfaces are undisturbed from the moment they were set in place by the carpenters.
The Southwest in the Midwest
At night, shadows thrown from Prairie art glass mix with Navaho patterns in a way we think Frank might approve of.
Frank knew light
Every window is where it should be in The #ElizabethMurphyHouse.
That odd room with rock walls
At first we didn't know what to make of the space.
The Elizabeth Murphy House 