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Wisconsin

Wingspread

by Bo Mackison on 06/09/2010

Wingspread in Racine Wisconsin, architect Frank Lloyd Wright

Wingspread © 2010 Bo Mackison

Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built Wingspread as a residence for Herbert F. Johnson and his family in 1938-39. It was his largest and last Prairie style building. Set on property near Lake Michigan in Racine, Wisconsin, the 14,000 square foot home is surrounded by lagoons and ponds, and the home eases gently into the open space. Multiple sculptures and gardens enhance the landscaped grounds.

Statue at Wingsread, Racine Wisconsin, architect Frank Lloyd Wright

Statue on Wingsread Grounds © 2010 Bo Mackison

The home is in the shape of a pinwheel – four wings stretch from the Great Hall, a huge space with floor to ceiling windows and a central fireplace that has five hearths on three different levels. There is also an aerie at the very top of the great room – a circular stairway rises next to the fireplace to reach the glass space – which was requested of Mr. Wright by Johnson’s son. He wanted to have a look out where he could watch for his father’s airplane as he returned home to the family from his many trips.

The pinwheel extensions split the home into zones and housed the bedrooms and the kitchen areas. Johnson’s daughter’s bedroom was in the extension seen in the background of the above photo.

Made almost entirely of natural, organic materials — a warm red brick, wood, quarried limestone, and stucco — the home emphasizes Wright’s embrace of the natural surrounding lands.

One of Extension Wings at Wingspread, Racine Wisconsin

Office Wing at Wingspread

The Johnson family (Herbert was the grandson of SC Johnson of Johnson Wax fame) lived in the home for over 20 years. In 1959, the Johnson’s moved into a smaller home (referred to as “The House”) on the property and gave Wingspread to the Johnson Foundation for use as a conference and education center. Since that time, it has served as a primary think tank for non-profit corporations, and is said to be the birthplace for the ideas for both National Public Radio and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Wingspread was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

The center was one of nine buildings in the Racine/Kenosha, Wisconsin area featured on this year’s Wright and Like Tour held on June 5th. The tour is sponsored by  Frank Lloyd Wright® Wisconsin, a non-profit organization devoted to preserving and sharing Wright’s Wisconsin heritage.

A second Wright landmark, the SC Johnson Administration Building, also a National Historic Landmark, was also featured. (Photos of the Johnson Administration Building including rare photos of the Penthouse floor to be posted soon.)

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Merimac Ferry – The Colsac III

by Bo Mackison on 04/26/2010

Merimac Ferry crosses Wisconsin River

Merimac Ferry © 2009 Bo Mackison

Merimac Ferry season has started again. The free ferry, which crosses the Wisconsin River between Merimac and Okee, Wisconsin, runs between April and November. The dates aren’t exact as the ferry runs until the river ices over, usually in November, when the crossing becomes impossible. Service resumes on ice out, most often in mid to late April.

The ferry, called the Colsac III, connects Columbia and Sauk counties on State highway 113. (Colsac is a combination of the two counties’ names.) Colsac III is operated on a winch using three underwater cables. Not only is it part of the state highway system, it is also a tourist attraction. It is near popular Devil’s Lake State Park and travel destination Wisconsin Dells. There is often a wait to get on the ferry, but both landings are well set with snack bars and other facilities, so most people don’t mind the wait.

Merimac Ferry - Boat, Stairway, and Captain's Box

Barge, Stairway, and Captain's Box © Bo Mackison

A trip across the river takes about 14 minutes. The Colsac III can carry up to 15 cars, assorted bikes, even the occasional semi-trailer truck. It operates 24 hours a day during the open water season.

The first Colsac began crossing the river in 1933 when the state of Wisconsin took over the ferry service and the ferry accommodated eight cars, although the site has been a ferry crossing since 1844. It was replaced with the Colsac II in 1963 and the capacity was increased to 12 cars. The latest Colsac III was put into service in 2003 at a cost of 2.2 million dollrs.

The ferry crossing is on the National and Wisconsin Register of Historic Places.

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Bo Mackison has a series of photographs of the historic buildings in Wisconsin available for licensing and publication.  For information, contact Bo at bo@historicplacesphotography.com.

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Wisconsin’s Capitol in Silhouette

by Bo Mackison on 04/09/2010

State Capitol Building in Madison Wisconsin

Capitol Silhouette © 2010 Bo Mackison

The State Capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin was designed by George B. Post & Sons and built between the years of 1906 and 1917 at a cost of 7.25 million dollars. The Wisconsin State Capitol is 284.4 feet high from the ground floor to the top of the statue on the dome–37 inches shorter than United States Capitol in Washington. The dome is topped by a gilded bronze statue called “Wisconsin” created by Daniel Chester French. This statue was placed atop the dome in 1914, stands over 15 feet tall, and weigh more than 3 tons. “Wisconsin” holds a globe in her left hand with an eagle perched atop the sphere. Atop her helmet is a badger, Wisconsin’s state animal.

Wisconsin has the only granite dome in the United States; it is constructed of White Bethel Vermont granite, one of the whitest and hardest marbles found in the world. It is also the only state capitol built on an isthmus.

The building is open to the public on weekdays from 8 am to 6 pm and on weekends from 8 am to 4 pm. There are frequent tours throughout the day, excluding some holidays.

The State Capitol building is a National Historic Landmark and on the National and Wisconsin Registers of Historic Places.

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Bo Mackison is a Madison based photographer who enjoys shooting historic places. She has a large series of photographs of the Wisconsin Capitol Building, including interior photographs, detailed shots, exterior elevations, and the surrounding grounds. All are available for licensing and publication. Some prints are also available. For more information, contact Bo at bo@historicplacesphotography.com.

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General James Bintliff’s House

by Bo Mackison on 04/08/2010

Bitliff House in Monroe Wisconsin on National Register of Historic Places

General Bintliff's House © 2010 Bo Mackison

Monroe, Wisconsin, a small community tucked into the non-glaciated hills of south-central Wisconsin, has several lovely homes on the National Register of Historic Places. Included in these houses was the home of James Bintliff, who moved to Monroe from the east in 1859.

The house, located at 723 18th Avenue,  was built in 1858 in the Gothic Revival Style. The cross gabled brick home has 9 foot high windows and doors.

Bintliff was an attorney and a co-editor of the Monroe Sentinel, the main newspaper in Green County. In 1862 he recruited a company of volunteers (Company G) and they joined the  Northern troops to fight in the Civil War. He eventually rose to the rank of Brigadier General and commanded the 38th Wisconsin Regiment.

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Bo Mackison travels throughout the Midwest and has an interest in photographing historic places. She has a series of photographs of many of the historic buildings in Monroe, Wisconsin available for licensing and publication.  For more information, contact Bo at bo@historicplacesphotography.com.

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Jacob Regez Sr. House

by Bo Mackison on 04/06/2010

Wisocnsin House on National Historic Places

Regez House in Monroe © 2010 Bo Mackison

What a Great Porch to Spend Summer Evenings!

This Queen Anne style house was built in Monroe, Wisconsin for Jacob Regez Sr. and his family in 1901. Regez was a cheesemaker originally from Switzerland, and owned as many as ten cheese factories in Green and other nearby counties.

The home replaced a similar structure which was destroyed by a lightning strike and resultant fire. The architect was Fridolin Heer of the Fridolin J. Heer & Son architecture firm.

Jacob Regez Sr. Mansion in Monroe Wisconsin

Regiz House Back Yard © 2010 Bo Mackison

The exterior of the home features a large circular porch in the front and a first and second balcony porch in the rear. The interior features a combination of oak, cyprus, and sycamore woodwork, and  the windows are either leaded or stained glass windows.

The home is on both the National and Wisconsin Registers of Historic Places and is a Monroe Landmark.

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Bo Mackison enjoys traveling throughout the Midwest, admiring both large cities and small towns. She has a series of photographs of the historic buildings in Monroe, Wisconsin, all available for licensing and publication.  For information, contact Bo at bo@historicplacesphotography.com.

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Baraboo’s Library – Once a Carnegie Free Library

by Bo Mackison on 04/05/2010

Baraboo Wisconsin "Canegie Library"

Baraboo Public Library © 2010 Bo Mackison

The Baraboo Public Library, located at 230 4th Avenue in downtown Baraboo Wisconsin, was built in 1903. The library was one of over 2,500 libraries throughout the world that were made possible by grants from Andrew Carnegie. Above the doors of the Baraboo Library is the inscription “Carnegie Free Library” in stone.  The library, built and furnished with a $15,000 grant,  opened with a collection of 5,000 books.

The building was designed by Louis Claude, an architect in the Madison, Wisconsin firm of Claude and Stark. Claude grew up in nearby Devil’s Lake, and so his choice as architect for this library so near his childhood home was especially fitting. The building is neo-classical in style and the exterior is constructed of red brick and limestone. The roof is red clay tile. As is typical of Carnegie Libraries, there is an entry staircase, symbolic of a person being elevated by learning, and a lamp post that symbolizes enlightenment by learning.

The interior of the library has a frieze in the east reading room (originally the children’s room) that is a copy of “The Dancing Boys” by 14th century Florentine sculptor Luca Della Robbia.

The Baraboo Public Library is on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Bo Mackison has a series of photographs of the historic buildings in Baraboo, Wisconsin available for licensing and publication.  For information, contact Bo at bo@historicplacesphotography.com. All photographs and written material, ©2010 Bo Mackison.

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