Will be great when it's fully restored!
By A Yahoo! Contributor, 8/28/08
The docent was very knowledgable and I learned a bit about Wright's archetecture and the life of the owner of the home. I am happy to see what I did. However, unfortunately, the house is not worth the full admission price unless you just want to support this worthy cause. The house is still in much disrepair as of 2008, and the tour covered only a portion of the house and grounds. Paint was peeling in places, the fireplace wall covering was completely gone, most of the stained glass windows were missing but showed substitute coloring, and the entire kitchen showed no original (or final) characteristics, to name some of the disrepair. Kitchen cabinets, countertops and floor were all of incorrect materials. The tour didn't include the upstairs, nor the separate house, and the grounds were completely torn up. We saw no bed or bathrooms. Only the conservatory and pergola were in tip top shape. Had I seen the entire property, or had the parts I'd seen been in really good shape, it may have been worth 15/person. Although I wasn't told initially, I learned after starting the tour that there is an extended tour, that included more of the property, so I felt that others may have gotten a better value than I did. Most of the tour involved standing in one place and listening to a lecture, then moving to the next place as a group, with approx 8 stations to stand and listen, most of which were not properly restored, but did show interesting Wright ideas. One room, thankfully, included chairs, which I desperately needed as I have difficulty standing for long periods.
This house really is great, a diamond in the rough, and definitely worth restoration. I personally think the money should all go to the restoration and not into the planned visitor center until the house is completely restored. We had a 2 for 1 coupon, and I would say it may have been worth that half price, but definitely not full price based on the limited areas shown, and the condition of the house and grounds. I highly recommend it, though, for anyone into architecture, art or the like. It is not for small children, who would have difficulty standing through the lectures for an hour. I wish I had seen the upstairs and the separate house (where the visitor bathrooms are), as I saw they were available, and given to longer tours, but were off limits to anyone on my tour. (BTW, if you use the bathrooms you will see more on your way to them, but if you do not ask to use the bath, you will not know that you can see one or two rooms of the other house containing the lavatories). Overall, the experience was enjoyable, although disappointing only as mentioned above, and informative. If you find a half price coupon, a free tour time, and are close by, definitely go to this house. You will enjoy it, as long as you do not pay too much for the value or travel too far expecting more than is there. When fully restored, this house will be tremendous. You may wish to consider donating to the restoration, if you feel so moved and have received a free tour.