Pew House by Wright © 2009 Bo Macksion
The Pew House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1938-40, is seldom available for public tours, so it was with great enthusiasm that I explored this home, inside and outside, during the Wright and Like Tour held in June, 2009. For those of you Wright fans who are in the Midwest, the next Wright and Like tour will be held in Racine/Kenosha, Wisconsin on June 4-6, 2010. There are great homes on the tour and an opportunity to see the Johnson Wax Company’s campus, one of Wright’s more iconic projects. For more information, contact the Wright and Like Tours.
Hidden from View © 2009 Bo Mackison
Not much of a view of the Pew House from the dock or from Lake Mendota. The view from a boat on the lake would give no clue that a Wright home was tucked into this hillside.
The home is a two-story Usonian design, unusual but delightfully compact and full of Wright’s built-ins. In one of the small bedrooms, tiny in size, the room worked well because everything was built into the room – bed, desk, storage.
I read a delightful story about an interview with Ruth Pew who voiced unhappiness with the home for the first two years she lived there. It seems she felt that Mr. Wright did not take her wants and needs into consideration when he designed the home, and she was nearly ready to put the home on the market. Instead, she decided she would “give the house a year without struggling with it.” And in that year, she discovered that the home had been built not for the woman she was, but for “the woman I could become.” Talk about self-discovery!
Camp Randall @ 2010 Bo Mackison
If you are familiar with Madison and the name Camp Randall comes up in conversation, You can be nearly sure this is NOT the Camp Randall being discussed. That Camp Randall, the home of the University of Wisconsin football team, the Badgers, is across the street. But this is the originail Camp Randall, and the namesake of the stadium.
Camp Randall served as a training grounds for 70,000 men who fought for the North in the Civil War. Later, the camp was utilized as a prison and hospital for Confederate soldiers.
Old Abe, the Eagle, on Watch © 2010 Bo Mackison
This arch was built and dedicated in 1912 to the soldiers who fought in the Civil War. The land was deeded to the University of Wisconsin in 1893 and part of the land is used for athletic facilities. Camp Randall, the football stadium, was built in 1917.
The memorial area was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Lafayette County Courthouse © 2010 Bo Mackison
The Lafayette County Courthouse is in Darlington, the largest town in this south central county of Wisconsin. It was built between the years of 1905 and 1907 at a cost of over $136,000. The money for construction was bequeathed to the county by Matt Murphy of Benton, Wisconsin. In his will, he provided that 70% of his estate be used to construct a County Courthouse.
A note for historical trivia buffs: Lafayette County Courthouse is the only county courthouse in the United States fully funded by a single person.
The courthouse was designed by the architects Kinney & Detweiler from Minneapolis-St Paul, a team that designed many courthouses throughout the Midwest. These included Clay County Courthouse in Spencer, IA; Plymouth County Courthouse in La Mars, IA; Winneshiek County Courthouse in Decorah, IA; Beltrami County Courthouse in Bemidji, MN; Plymouth County Courthouse in Austin, MN; Brown County Courthouse in Aberdeen, SD and Langlade County Courthouse in Antigo WI.
Courthouse - Look Up © 2010 Bo Mackison
The courthouse was built in the Classical Revival style popular for government buildings, as it embodied the spirit of ancient Athenian democracy combined with aspects of Republican Rome. Columns were a must as were domes and entrances with many stairs. These buildings generally took on massive, mathematically precise proportions, what was then thought as fitting for the duties of the governing bodies.
The interior of the courthouse features marble walls, tiled flooring and a Tiffany glass rotunda. There are period murals and statues from the early 1900s throughout the building. There are also decorative copper and brass lighting fixtures on the grounds.
Tours are available on Mondays through Fridays from 8:oo am until 4:30 pm.
The Courthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.
American Exchange Bank © 2010 Bo Mackison
Built in 1871, the old American Exchange Bank is one of the last remnants of the three or more story sandstone block buildings that surrounded the Capitol Square from the 1850s to the 1950s. It was in this building that the first session of the Wisconsin Legislature was held.
The architect was Stephen V. Shipman; the architectural style of the building is Italian Renaissance Revival. The building originally extended over five store fronts along the Square (along Pinckney Street), but much of the structure was damaged by fire in the 1940s.
Founded 1871 © 2010 Bo Mackison
The pioneer bank opened its doors for business in 1871 and contributed greatly to the inital financial growth of the city. Throughout the years, the building has seen many tenants. It was home to Park Savings Bank, insurance agencies and other businesses over the course of nearly 140 years.
The building is a Madison Landmark, and is on the National and Wisconsin Registers of Historic Places.