Detroit and Richland Center -- So Far Away, Yet So Close

[Lowell]

Last week I visited Richland Center, Wisconsin where I spent my high school years. It is also the birthplace of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Only one work of his exists in the town, the stunning and exotic AD German warehouse.


On my last visit [over 20 years ago] it had been made into a museum.


Imagine my dismay to find the doors locked. Only the remains of faded and dusty displays could be seen through unwashed windows. Deterioration of its unique architectural appointments had set in and the building presented a blighted, decaying face.



I had a major Detroit deja vu, especially after visiting the declining city center. "Detroit and Richland Center," I thought, "So far away, yet so close." Older small towns are are being architecturally victimized just as our old urban centers are.

Are there any other out there that are also seeing this process in your small towns?

The following link leads to a webisode in 'letter to the editor' form with large pictures and text. Enjoy.

http://detroityes.com/webisodes/2012/rc-detroit/

[gazhekwe]

Oh, how sad that is! In my second home town of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, we went through similar dissolution. It all started with K-Mart building a store on the outskirts of town, or maybe that was just a symptom. Our downtown anchors eventually closed one by one, Scott 5&10, Woolworth, Kresge, Wards, Penney's, and with them many of the small retailers. Downtown melted into disuse for a time. Then came the partnership with the Sault Ste. Marie Band of Chippewa Indians, who slowly began buying up the dead buildings and putting them to new uses. It still is a shadow of what I remember, no movies, no big stores, but it is more alive than dead.

Investment is what makes the difference, everywhere. Who can invest in Richland? We are getting some investment here in Detroit, but it will take years if not decades of growth to return to any semblance of what Detroit was in the past.

[rb336]

As always, very interesting Lowell

[Parkguy]

That is a really great photo essay, Lowell. A couple of years ago, my wife and I took a two-day trip to see Falling Water, south of Pittsburgh. We stayed at a local B&B, ate at local cafes, and even ended up buying a set of tires after a highway fiasco. The other guests at the B&B were from all over the country, and one couple was from England. They had made the trip [[their third trip to the area) specifically to see Falling Water. Art and architecture can bring tourists and dollars for sure.

[Jimaz]

Is there a purpose for those arms protruding diagonally from the corners of the AD German Warehouse?

[wolverine]

Pretty sad to see it in this state. Though Wright's buildings can sometimes be difficult to maintain. They pushed the envelope in design where certain detailing strategies weren't available and had to be invented. Such is the case here where I'm assuming a coping detail didn't work out so well and now the face brick is severely spalled. His buildings are delicate and require extra attention and maintenance. If the owner can't deliver that....well this is what you get.

[Lowell]

Is there a purpose for those arms protruding diagonally from the corners of the AD German Warehouse?

I've wondered about those too an can only conclude they are decorative unless otherwise informed.

The building is remarkably solid for being nearly 100 years old and in spite of all the neglect. However trickling water is taking its toll. Winters can be brutal there, once hitting -45 F when I lived there, so freeze-thaw is a big factor.

[Gistok]

Interestingly enough [[since I'm the LEGO expert of the forum).... you can actually buy Architectural LEGO model kits of some of Frank Lloyd Wright and other architectural icons...

Fallingwater....
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Fallingwater-21005

Robie House....
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Robie-House-21010

There's also NYC Guggenheim Museum, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, Seattle Space Needle, Brandenburg Gate, Big Ben [[Elizabeth Tower), etc...
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Architecture-ByTheme

Due to the fact that some are micro scale, they might be as cheap as $20... while others are larger detailed models commanding $200.

[[No, I don't get a kickback for referrals... )

[Hardhat]

Here's a link to an article on the slow-moving rehab of the Affleck House in Bloomfield Hills, which was Wright's first project in Michigan. It has suffered some of the structural problems referenced above by Wolverine. Photos are at the end of the article.
http://www.michiganbuildingtrades.or...html#article04

[Gistok]

Wright's Fallingwater [[his most celebrated house commission) has been a maintenance nightmare since it was built.

[Hermod]

Even though they don't have the freeze-thaw cycle problems, Wright's buildings on the Florida Southern campus in Lakeland have proved to be difficult to maintain.

[Jimaz]

Is there a purpose for those arms protruding diagonally from the corners of the AD German Warehouse?

I've wondered about those too an can only conclude they are decorative unless otherwise informed....

Or rainwater drain, or a support for a block & tackle? Interesting feature anyway.

[Jimaz]

Peterbeers calls it a "downspout detail."

[Lowell]

Downspout was my first inclination too, but unless they were braces for a downspout tube [hard to believe Wright would allow anything that inelegant] it is not clear how they would function for water removal.

I obviously don't know the details but as it has a flat roof, and being a roofer in one of my former lives, drainage is is handled by roof drains with internal plumbing in those situations.

If water was to some how exit the corners and perhaps spill waterfall-like [sans downspouting] from the higher to the lower [something I could imagine Wright doing], their location would cause water to spill onto the sidewalks, creating icing issues, among other issues.

[downtown_racine]

Lowell, thanks for the great site and all the great pictures. Since I first read your story of moving to Detroit and working in the steel mill among other things I've often wondered where in WI you were from, I guess that question is now partially answered.
My father spent his high school years in Boscobel. One of my favorite radio broadcasters is also from that area, Orion Samuelson.

Never knew FLW was from Richland Center it seems like RC could be sitting on a real gem and "mecca" so to speak.
While no Albert Kahn many FLW are very appeasing to look at and deserve to be preserved.
Growing up close to his masterpieces I thought this was the only place that had such gems, it really amazes me every time I learn of a new one in some far away place I thought FLW would never have been commissioned.
Sadly most FLW,s are neglected and under appreciated, the gems he designed here in Racine are all in the best shape of their lives mostly being due to being owned ny million and billionaires.

Thanks again for the great site and window to the world

[oladub]

Lowell, had I known of your foray, I would have offered accommodations and a tour.

Some trivia about RC. There are three places in RC claiming to be the FLW birthplace. He was not well remembered because he left some bills behind and lived too colorful a lifestyle. Richland County voted 19% Ron Paul in the Republican primary; the highest in the State. The manufacturers who locate in RC do so because the labor rate is so low and RC is too far from any competitive labor market to commute. The big milk plant keeps changing hands. Dean Food just sold it to Foremost I think. The Walmart located south of Town pretty much sucked the vitality out of downtown. County zoning restricts building on less than 40 acres. The unintended consequences is farm land being taken out of farming to locate one house and the poor have been priced out of the countryside. McDonalds and the Rotary League sponsor a huge soccer program far disproportional to the size of RC. RC Schools have also made soccer a varsity sport. The result is that RCHS plays a lot of upscale suburban schools.

Real estate prices in RC - http://www.zillow.com/richland-center-wi/
RC Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richland_Center,_Wisconsin
data - http://www.city-data.com/city/Richla...Wisconsin.html
Prominent Richland County Employers:
RockwellAutomation Inc
County of Richland
Schreiber Foods Inc
The Richland Hospital Inc
Richland School District
Walmart
S & S Cycle Inc
Morningstar Foods LLC
Foremost Farms USA Co-Op
Schmitt Woodland Hills Inc

[kryptonite]

I see towns like Richland Center frequently in the South. My family all live in Alabama or Tennessee where a typical small town has a largely abandoned older downtown with more modern shopping center/s on the outskirts of the old town.

In the 1960s the textile industry left the South, which left many milltowns largely abandoned. In towns that were not effected by mill closures many downtowns saw large scale retail closures related to shopping centers that were being built on the outskirts of the cities that included national or regional chain stores.

the same story is true all over America. Small towns suffer many of the same economic problems as cities like Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Pittsburg, etc. Loss of major employers and the permanent trend towards national chains and retail shopping centers and malls. Some successfully adapt through a reinvention effort, but many others just continue to deteriorate.

[oladub]

kryptonite, What you say is true about Richland Center. The ag and dairy industry is still pretty sound around Richland Center though although fewer highly capitalized large farms, some with Mexican labor, are replacing the smaller father/son operations so fewer people are involved. One exception to this trend is S&S Cycle found in the list of largest employers. A mechanic moved up from Chicago and started monkeying around with motorcycle carbs in an old dairy barn. This turned into S&S which makes after market Harley parts and cycle engines and put a lot of local people to work.

Lowell, Did you know that Stalin's daughter died in Richland Center, where she lived, last year?

"I am quite well and happy,""Richland Center has a hospital and good social services for seniors." "I have many friends here," "People who I recognize." -Svetlana [[Stalin)

[Lowell]

Lowell, Did you know that Stalin's daughter died in Richland Center, where she lived, last year?
"I am quite well and happy,""Richland Center has a hospital and good social services for seniors." "I have many friends here," "People who I recognize." -Svetlana [[Stalin)

I didn't know that. But she must have been happy to spend her final years so close to heaven.

[Kathleen]

Lowell,

Very interesting!! Did not know you are from Richland Center.

Dave and I spent a week in Wisconsin back in July....visiting Frank Lloyd Wright sites. We didn't make it to Richland Center, so your photoessay fills in that gap!

We visited Madison, where we toured the Unitarian Meeting House, walked around the Monoma Terrace and Convention Center, and tracked down 5 FLW-designed houses. We took the 4-hour tour at Taliesin [[at long last!) and enjoyed lunch at the restaurant in his Visitors Center. While in Milwaukee, stopped by Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, the Frederick Bogk house, and the Burnham Street block of houses. Last but not least, we toured both Wingspread and the SC Johnson campus and stopped by the Hardy House in Racine. Of course, we worked a lot of other Wisconsin sites into the itinerary and enjoyed lots of scenery and food and beer!!!

[Gistok]

Interesting thread.... thanks Lowell et al... As for those downspouts, they are very reminiscent of the downspouts of Medieval Cathedrals. Don't know the workings of where their water goes... does it cascade to the ground in a waterfall effect? Not sure. I don't think I'd want to be under one during a rainstorm. But if it were winter, then the last thing to freeze is the ground [[the air and upper areas freeze first), perhaps frozen sidewalks, etc. are not that big of an issue? Like I said, not sure...

Also, on FLW's factory masterpiece... the S. C. Johnson factory campus... I wonder just how happy the workers were in that complex. The windows are all tubing, so that light gets in, but you have no window view outside the building. May not have been the best idea [[especially in the tower) during the era before tornado sirens came into existence.... since no one could view the surrounding weather situation.

[old guy]

It's a small world Lowell. I think I might have been in Richland Center that weekend too. Possibly the weekend before. I used to own some land about ten miles from there and lived there for about 12 years. I worked as the technical director at American Players Theatre in Spring Green and had the opportunity to have dinner at Taliesen on several occasions.
I got there early one night and was handed a drink and told that I could just roam around the house. I went into his bedroom and looked through his small library there. It was really interesting. But I was shocked to see how bad some parts of the house had deteriorated. Most of it was from neglect and water damage. I believe they did some extensive renovation since then. He did have design problems with most of the roofs on buildings he designed and many do have water damage. I find it really sad that the building in Richland Center is in the condition it's in too.
It is true that the area has a lot in common with Detroit due to the fact that so many people have left the area because of a lack of jobs.

[Kathleen]

Hey OG!! I looked at the American Players Theatre to see if they had anything in production while we were in the area, but they didn't.

While we were at Taliesin, on a break halfway through our 4-hour Estate Tour, sitting on the patio outside FLW's Master Bedroom, we got to talking about the condition of the house, and the funding that they do and don't receive. We suggested a Kickstarter project to raise some funds to make some essential repairs!! Despite Taliesin's international reputation, they are pretty much on their own to find funding sources.

[p69rrh51]

I think all of FLW's commissions have problems, but then his designs usually were ahead of the technology of the times. Taking on a FLW home is not for the faint of heart and one must have the deep pockets of a company like Steelcase. A link to the video on the restoration of the Meyer May home.

http://meyermayhouse.steelcase.com/house

[p69rrh51]

I thought there would be a few who would be interested in this.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/03/ar....html?_r=2&hp&