A New Car and a Visit to The Laurent House

This is a bit of a different kind of post. It isn’t really about food though we did eat and drink. It is about a travel adventure. It is, I think, an interesting story worth sharing.

We (very) recently bought a new car. Our former car had seen many travel adventures and was letting us know that she was tired by displaying a new warning light almost daily. We bit the car payment bullet and came home with a brand new Kia Forte. Besides providing safe transportation for ourselves and the grandkids, we wanted it to be the vehicle for new road trip adventures. First we had to learn about all of its “special features.” The learning curve has been a bit steep, but we are getting there. We decided to put our still limited knowledge to the test this past weekend.

It was another oppressively hot and humid day, one of too many we have had this summer. We wanted to go somewhere far enough to feel away (and see how the car performed), but close enough to make it home before dark. Our destination also needed to be mostly indoors, because, as noted, it was hot and humid. Rockford came to mind. It’s about 70 miles away and has a few museums we have not been to. There were also some interesting dining and brewery possibilities ( see the end of this story). After scrolling through a number of museums, I came to the Laurent House. Not a museum in the literal sense, but a house designed by Frank LLoyd Wright. There were tickets available for a tour that afternoon, so off we went.

We have visited a number of FLW buildings, but this one might be our new favorite. It is a Usonian design completed in 1952. It is unique for several reasons; most importantly, it is the only home to be designed by Frank Lloyd Wright as wheelchair accessible. I also think it is unique in the fact that FLW allowed clients (Kenneth and Phyllis Laurent) to dictate their needs and wants (that was never Mr. Wright’s strong suit). The result is as FLW called it a “Little Gem.”

The home originally only 1400 square feet feels much larger. Several additions were made at the request of the Laurent Family and approved and designed by FLW. These were to create a bedroom for their adopted daughter at one end of the original house.An expanded dining space for entertaining was also added. The Laurent’s welcomed visitors from all over the world to see what FLW had created for them (many invited by the architect himself).Kenneth Laurent wanted a house that focused on his capabilities not his disability. He also wanted to be the “tallest man in the room”. One of the things that I love about this house is that all of the furniture is the original built in and most of the movable pieces are original as well. Very few FLW homes I have seen, can claim this.

Heights of closets, tables, and chairs were adjusted to accommodate a wheel chair. Even some of the windows were placed high so that Kenneth in his wheelchair would see the trees and plants instead of the traffic. It seems that every possible limitation was addressed and adjusted (40 years before ADA). Even the grid design of the floor(a feature of all Usonian designs) was adjusted to not catch the wheels of the chair.

The living space featured a wall of floor to ceiling windows that let in the light and showcased the beautiful simplicity of a Japanese inspired garden and pond surrounded by the third element, stone.The banquette offered a tranquil place to reflect on the beauty of nature and was used by the Laurent’s daily. Kenneth Laurent lived in the house until he died at the age of 91. Perhaps the tranquility and accessibility of this “Little Gem” prolonged his life.