A Slice of Life
Bill Lites
Day 15 – Tuesday August 6
This morning Brian, Karen, and I had a great visit over breakfast and coffee, before Karen had to leave for work. Brian took the time to follow me back into Chicago to turn in my rental car. When that was out of the way, he took me around parts of the Oak Park area of Chicago where Frank Lloyd Wright had lived and worked. Wikipedia tells me that Wright’s 1889 home was remodeled in 1895, and his studio was added to the house in 1898. The house was then restored and registered as a National Historic Landmark in 1976, and is now operated as a museum by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust.
This part of the Oak Park area also boasts of an additional 25 Wright-designed structures, including the Frank Thomas House (1901), the Arthur B. Heurtley House (1902), the Edward R. Hills House (1906), the Laura Gale House (1909), and the Harry S. Adams House (1913), many of which Brian pointed out as we drove past them.
Frank Thomas House (1901)
Arthur B. Heurtley House (1902)
Edward R. Hills House (1906)
Laura Gale House (1909)
Harry S. Adams House (1913)
It has been said that Wright was heavily influenced by his first architectural “mentor” Louis H. Sullivan (who Wright called the Father of Modernism). Wright worked for the firm of Adler & Sullivan from1888 to 1893, where he was Sullivan’s assistant. During this time, he was introduced to the Prairie School style of architecture. Wright has been quoted as saying of that style, “We were striving to establish simplicity and a real American form of architecture we could call our own.” Note: The internet photos of Sullivan and Wright (below) are thought to have been taken of the two men in the late 1880s, during the time they were working together.
Louis H. Sullivan Frank Lloyd Wright
After this interesting and informative tour of the Oak Park area, Brian drove me to the Midway International Airport were he dropped me off at the Southwest curb-side check-in area. By the time I got processed through Security and made my way to the gate for my 1:00 pm flight I didn’t have to wait long. The Southwest loading and departure for Orlando was right on time. The non-stop flight was uneventful and the pretzels and mini- cookies were still fresh.
DiVoran was there to pick me up at the Orlando International Airport, and we had a great Colombian taste treat dinner at the Oh! Que Bueno Restaurant on SR-436. Then we made that familiar trip on SR-50 to Titusville, and home, for a good night’s sleep in my own bed for the first time in two weeks.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about this Great Lakes Road Trip as much as I have, reliving these exciting adventures into some of these areas of our beautiful country. Stay tuned for another one-of-a-kind trip to places you may or may not have ever been to, as I take to the road on my next adventure in the near future. Happy travels to one and all.
—–The End—–
Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 61 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing. He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville. Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.
One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is: John 10:10
Old Things R New 
Brian, Karen, Fred and I walked around this same area last year. Fascinating…beautiful homes. And quite unique. Thanks for your trips – we love living them through you.
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And at the end our own beloved home.
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