2023 Road Trip: FLW: Florida Southern College (5/2/2023)

Tuesday, May 2, 2023 (continued)

Why visit Florida Southern College? The reknowned architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, designed several buildings for the campus, making it the largest single-site collection of Wright's architecture, and his only executed design for a college campus.

Faculty House (1939, by Frank Lloyd Wright
in Usonian Style; built in 2013) constructed with
local cypress wood that resists insect infestation

Wright-inspired fountain next to the Usonian House

Although the house is considered to be of the Usonian style, the rest of the buildings were designed with the climate and landscape in mind. Wright essentially made up a style to fit in Florida, and it is sometimes called the block style. Sand from Daytona Beach and coquina, a Florida limestone made of crushed seashells, were used to make the concrete blocks.

Emile E Watson Administration Building (1948)

Watson Administration Building detail

Esplanades(1940-1946) connect most of
the Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, and
act as arcades alongside some

Benjamin Fine Administration Building (1948)

Three Seminars (1940-1942) were connected with
an arcade as the L A Raulerson Building (1941)

Water Dome (1948) is the fountain in front of the new
Roux Library (1968, by Wright apprentice Nils M Schweizer)

The Esplanade showing that the land is not flat

Esplanade detail

Lucas Pond Ordway Building (1950-1954)

One of the courtyards of the Ordway Building (KSS)

Ruth's Rose Garden, where Florida Southern College
has developed varieties free of the rose mosaic virus

Pearce Centennial Tower (1985) with
the Campus Carillon (1991) (not FLW)

Polk County Science Building (1952-1958) has since
been "decorated" with lab vents on the roof

William H Danforth Chapel (1955, in Prairie style)

The iconic Annie Pfeiffer Chapel (1938-1941)
with a unique tower

Thad Buckner Administration Building (1945) started
out as the E T Roux Library, but was outgrown

Examples of the decorative concrete blocks

Blocks at higher levels retained their
colored glass accents

Door with sidelights in Prairie style

Kent and Tamiko with Frank Lloyd Wright
(2013, by Don Haugen and Teena Stern)

Polk Museum of Art (1988, by Ernie Straughn);
because the Auto Train was so late, we skipped this museum

Now it was time to get to Sarasota to visit Kent's brother Mike, and his wife, Donna. We are grateful for their hosting us for two nights (and being so accommodating!)!

We all had a pre-birthday dinner celebration for Mike at Dan & Maggie's house, with their kids Alex and Wes, and Maggie's mother, brother, and nephew. Our large group of 11 enjoyed barbacoa tacos (some on jicama tortillas), salad and Spanish rice, ending with a dessert of key lime pie! It was great to spend the evening with this high-octane family!
Next: Ringling Museums.