Kenneth Laurent, original, and until last December, sole owner of the Laurent House, has passed away. He was 92.
Jan 262012
Jan 042012
A week after the Laurent House Foundation successfully bid on the house at auction, they have announced their plans and the timetable to open the house to the public — Spring, 2013 is the hoped-for opening. The formal transfer of the property will take place on February 17 (I hope they didn’t use Chicago Title).
A website for the foundation will be ready soon, until then you can follow the Laurent House Foundation on Facebook and Twitter.
Dec 162011
The Laurent House sold yesterday at auction. The Laurent House Foundation was the sole bidder, paying $578,500.
Dec 152011
Today is the day of the Laurent House auction. The sale begins at noon.
Dec 132011
Thursday, December 15 is the day the Laurent House will be auctioned (unless it is sold earlier). This article from the Wisconsin State Journal has a nice summary of the basics, if you haven’t followed the story.
NOt mentioned is the efforts of the Laurent House Foundation to raise enough money to purchase the house and turn it into a museum. The does quote Sidney Robinson who believes the house should remain a house:
Sidney Robinson, Taliesin’s preservation coordinator, believes the house should remain a residence and not become a museum.
“I think it should be lived in,” Robinson said. “It should be somebody who values it and is willing to take care of it.”
Related to yesterday’s story of the Laurent House grant, “Preservation Nation”, the blog for the National Trust For Historic Preservation, has posted an interview of John Groh, a founder of the Laurent House Foundation, the group hoping to buy and open to the public the Laurent House.
From the interview:
Our intention is to showcase the home “as is,” and want visitors to be able to really experience the home as Mr. and Mrs. Laurent and their family have. Mr. Laurent credits the home with helping him live a long, full life. We hope that this home and its design will be an inspiration to the new generation of wounded soldiers returning home from war, and hope it will inspire architects and builders to more fully integrate accessible design moving forward.
Dec 062011
Details are scarce, but the Rockford Register Star is reporting that the Sate of Illinois is offering the group hoping to buy the Laurent House and open it to the public a $500,000 matching grant to purchase the house. To receive the funds the Laurent House Foundation must match the grant dollar for dollar. When listed for sale, the Laurent house was priced at $875,000, and the auction house estimates its auction price between $500,000 and $700,000. So, if matched, the state funds give the Laurent House Foundation a real chance to purchase the house, with possibly significant funds left over to fund the early stages of operation.
The Laurent House Foundation Board is hurriedly trying to arrange large pledges to buy the meticulously preserved home at a Chicago auction Dec. 15.
“We are pleased to support the conversion of the Laurent House into a new tourist destination in Rockford for all Illinoisans and visitors to enjoy, … and we are certain it will attract visitors from far and near,” Gov. Pat Quinn said today in a statement.
“Gov. Quinn’s commitment to this effort is substantial,” said John Groh, president and chief executive officer of the Rockford Area Convention Visitors Bureau. “It puts us in a position to be a credible bidder at auction.”
In another story, the Register Star interviews the Laurent family on living in the Wright-designed house.
Nov 252011
After years on the market, the Kenneth Laurent House in Rockford, Illinois will be auctioned on December 15. A private group in Rockford hopes to raise enough money before that date to buy the house and turn it into a museum.
The Laurent House easily a candidate for one of the best residential buildings in the world. Injured in WWII, Laurent asked Wright to design a home for someone in a wheelchair with a modest budget. The Laurents have lived and beautifully maintained the house since its completion in 1952. The house still has Wright’s built-ins and furniture.
May 172011
A small number of Wright-designed items from the Laurent House in Rockford, Illinois are going to be sold at auction.
The Laurent House (1949), one of Wright’s solar hemicycle houses, was owned by the original clients for more than 50 years.
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