FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT CHICAGO TO NEW YORK MAY 13-27, 2017 TOUR LEADER: DR MATTHEW LAING

FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT CHICAGO TO NEW YORK MAY 13-27, 2017 TOUR LEADER: DR MATTHEW LAING

Overview Follow the journey of Frank Lloyd Wright from his original Prairie House designs to the magnificent Fallingwater and Guggenheim Museum while at the same time enjoying the wealth of art, architecture and history in some of America s most famous cities. We begin with four nights in Chicago, the second city of the United States, where Wright developed his Prairie style of architecture. It brims with fine buildings, art galleries and exuberant public sculpture. We then travel north to Wisconsin to see some of Wright s most famous works as well as Taliesin East, his beloved estate. Our next stop is Buffalo, near Niagara Falls, to visit the Darwin Martin complex of houses. Travelling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we take a day trip to America s most famous house, Lloyd Wright s Fallingwater. The tour concludes with four days in New York, home to an extraordinary range of cultural sites and experiences. We take architectural walking tours, visit major galleries and attend a Broadway show. The tour ends with Wright s Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue. Accommodation is in comfortable four and five star hotels throughout, with breakfast daily, and several special meals at carefully chosen restaurants are included. Your tour leader Dr Matthew Laing has a PhD in American History from the Australian National University and is currently with Monash University. He has a comprehensive knowledge of the history of the United States, providing vital context for understanding the remarkable art, architecture and design of the 20th century. Frank Lloyd Wright Chicago to New York Tour dates: May 13-27, 2017 Tour leader: Dr Matthew Laing Tour Price: $10,640 per person, twin share Single Supplement: $2,710 for sole use of double room Booking deposit: $500 per person Recommended airline: Qantas or United Maximum places: 20 Itinerary: Chicago (4 nights), Madison (2 nights), Buffalo (2 nights), Pittsburgh (2 nights), New York (4 nights) Date published: June 20, 2016 For Matthew, the art and design of the USA has a global significance. The United States has profoundly influenced modern architectural and design movements, and its echoes can be seen everywhere in Australia, he comments. From Walter Burley and Marion Mahoney Griffin's Chicago-school design for Canberra, to the William Levitt-style post-war surburbia in Melbourne, to the Frank Gehry building at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia owes much to American design ideas. On tour, Matthew particularly likes to point out the link between history, society and the visual arts. Architecture and design are built expressions of historical ideas. The cutting-edge designs of today become the tangible representations of our history and thoughts.. Matthew Laing was brilliant. His knowledge and ability to present it was exceptional. He was also amiable, helpful and well organised. Feedback from Academy Travel s Washington, Chicago and New York tour, October 2014. The majority of photos in this itinerary where taken by tour participants John Sidoti and Iris Wang on our October 2015 Frank Lloyd Wright: Chicago to New York tour. Enquiries and bookings For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Stuart Barrie at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email stuart@academytravel.com.au

Kaufman trio on the bridge at Fallingwater The Kaufmanns of Pittsburgh Fallingwater is an iconic building of the 20th century, and Frank Lloyd Wright s undisputed masterpiece. While the story of Wright s life and work is a compelling one (especially his, er, complicated love life), some of his clients are just as interesting. None more so that the Kaufmanns, who commissioned Fallingwater. If Frank Lloyd Wright were alive today his clients would be the digital aristocracy of Silicon Valley innovators and entrepreneurs looking for an architect whose aesthetic and design would reflect their iconoclastic and forward-looking vision. In their day, Wright s clients were innovators in the industrial and commercial sphere. They were naturally drawn to Wright, and Wright to them. Without such clients, Wright would never have been able to design the way he did. On the face of it the Kaufmanns, owners and operators of prosperous Pittsburgh s largest department store, were traditional people in a traditional industry and unlikely clients for Wright. But it was the way in which they approached retailing that made them stand out. Every year Lilian Kaufmann would travel to Europe, personally selecting the stock and keeping abreast with store design. Indeed, the ladies department on the upper floor of their store was considered second-only to Galleries Lafayette in Paris. And today, Edgar Kaufmann s office desk from the Pittsburgh store is displayed in the V&A Museum in London a supreme example of modern design. Edgar and Lilian s interest in art and design rubbed off on their son Edgar Jr, who became director of the Industrial Design Department at MoMA and later on ensured that Fallingwater was preserved for all via a publically managed conservancy. If you know something of Wright s personal life, then you will not be surprised that his client-architect relationships were not always smooth. Wright was routinely in dispute with his clients, but the following exchange shows how well the experienced businessman Edgar Kaufmann could handle his excitable architect. I don t know what kind of architect you are familiar with but it apparently isn t the kind I think I am. You seem not to know how to treat a decent one. I have put so much more into this house than you or any other client has a right to expect that if I haven t your confidence to hell with the whole thing. Frank Lloyd Wright Dear Mr. Wright, I don t know what kind of clients you are familiar with but apparently they are not the kind I think I am. You seem not to know how to treat a decent man. I have put so much confidence and enthusiasm behind this whole project in my limited way, to help the fulfilment of your effort that if I do not have your confidence in the matter to hell with the whole thing. Edgar J. Kauffman P.S. Now don t you think we should stop writing letters and that you owe it to the situation to come to Pittsburgh and clear it up by getting the facts?

Tour Highlights Four nights in Chicago, discovering some of the city s significant architecture, galleries and museums A tour of Oak Park where we see many of Frank Lloyd Wright s early houses, including an interior tour of his home and studio Tour of SC Johnson Wax Administration Building & Research Tower A visit to Mies van der Rohe s masterpiece, Farnsworth House In-depth estate tour of Taliesin East, his home for 30 years and site of many of the dramas of Wright s life The Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, New York, a superb example of Wright s Prairie Style Niagara Falls Two nights in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the former steel capital that has undergone a startling transformation A private, interior tour of Fallingwater, the magnificent house built by Wright for the Kaufmann family, and arguably his most famous work Four days in New York, with private walking tours and visits to some of the great private and public galleries A private out-of-hours viewing of the Museum of Modern Art your chance to view 20th century masterpieces in private Tour of Philip Johnson s Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut A Broadway musical in New York Above: the Chrysler Building, New York Above: a private interior visit and cocktail reception in Robie House Above: Private viewing of Picasso s Les Demoiselles d'avignon at MoMA Above: completed in 1939, Fallingwater sits in a dramatic setting over a river and revolutionary modernist architecture made the house instantly famous

Detailed itinerary Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D. Saturday May 13 arrive Arrive in Chicago and meet your tour leader and fellow travellers for a welcome drink. Overnight Chicago Sunday May 14 Downtown chicago The Great Fire of 1871 destroyed the entire Chicago CBD, leaving the way open for architects to design a new and modern city. The first steel-framed high rise building rose in 1885 and the skyline today is densely packed with skyscrapers, many by renowned architects. Our walking tour this morning takes us past some of the city s most iconic buildings. We visit the lobby of the Rookery Building, the masterpiece of Daniel Burnham and remodelled by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1905. In the afternoon we take the Chicago Architectural Foundation river cruise to gain an overview of the city s historic and modern architectural styles. Tonight we have dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Chicago (B, D) Above: Anish Kapoor s Cloud Gate, reflecting and distorting the city's skyline in Millennium Park; and American Gothic by Grant Wood in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago Below: the interior of the Johnson Wax headquarters Monday May 15 Frank Lloyd Wright the early years & SC Johnson Today we take a private coach tour of Oak Park. This Chicago suburb is where Frank Lloyd Wright lived and worked and where much of his early work can still be found. We have an interior tour of Wright s home and studio, which Wright used as his architecture laboratory for his early designs. We then view the numerous examples of Prairie Style architecture in the surrounding neighbourhood. In the afternoon we drive north to Racine, Wisconsin to visit the SC Johnson Wax Administration Building and Research Tower. The Administration Building was described by Philip Johnson as the most beautiful room in America. Overnight Chicago (B) Tuesday May 16 Chicago art and architecture We begin our day with a walk through Millennium Park. Originally occupied by railyards and parking lots, the area was redeveloped into a public space featuring an outdoor concert venue, gardens, restaurants and some spectacular art installations. From here we make our way to the highlyregarded Art Institute of Chicago, boasting a fine collection of both European and American painting and over 60 decorated rooms accurately reconstructed furnished interiors from a broad range of times and places. After a private guided tour, there is time to explore the collection independently and a break for lunch. In the afternoon we travel by coach for a private interior visit and cocktail

reception in Robie House, perhaps the fullest expression of Wright s Prairie Style in Chicago. Our trip takes us through the White City the site of the 1893 World s Fair. Schedules permitting, tonight we will attend a concert performance. Overnight Chicago (B) Wednesday May 17 FarNSWORTH HOUSE This morning we will travel to Plano to visit Farnsworth House designed by Mies van der Rohe and considered a masterpiece of the International Style of architecture. We then travel north to see Jacobs House I, considered the first Usonian home, Wright s ideal of the new world architecture free of previous conventions. We arrive in Madison, Wisconsin, our base for two nights. Tonight we dine in our hotel. Overnight Madison (B, D) Thursday May 18 Taliesin East This remote site on land owned by Wright s family was the architect s home from 1911, and is of central importance to understanding Wright. Taliesin East was twice burned down and rebuilt. It was also the scene of the horrific 1914 axe murder of Wright s lover, her children and several employees. A complex building, combining Prairie Style and oriental influences, it was here that Wright designed Fallingwater, the Guggenheim Museum and other key works. We tour the house, the grounds and the studio, today an important training centre for emerging American architects. In the afternoon we visit the Unitarian Meeting House, designed by Wright and recognised as one of the most innovative examples of church architecture. Tonight is a free evening. Overnight Madison (B) Above: Mies van der Rohe s Farnsworth House in Oak Park Below: Niagara Falls and the large and highly innovative Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, New York Friday May 19 Upstate New York This morning we take a flight from Madison to Buffalo, New York. Located on the shores of Lake Erie, Buffalo rose to prominence in the early 19th century, when the Erie Canal was completed, connecting the Chicago and the Mid-West with the Hudson River, New York and the world beyond. After New York City, Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state. It has many significant buildings, including Louis B Sullivan s Garanty Building and Daniel Burnham s Ellicott Square building. This afternoon we tour some of these sites and dine in a local restaurant. Overnight Buffalo (B, D) Saturday May 20 Wright in BUFFALo, Niagara Falls Between 1903 and 1908 Frank Lloyd Wright built a number of fine examples of his Prairie Style houses in Buffalo, and we survey these today, and visit the Darwin D. Martin House. Most of the houses were built for executives of the Larkin Soap Factory and are located in the Parkside East Historic District, a neighbourhood laid out by renowned American

landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in 1876 (Olmstead is also largely responsible for New York s Central Park). This afternoon we relax at Niagara Falls, one of America s foremost natural wonders. Overnight Buffalo (B) Sunday May 21 Pittsburgh We travel along the shores of Lake Erie to visit Graycliff, the summer home built by Wright for Darwin Martin, which is undergoing extensive renovation. We continue onto Pittsburgh this morning, a city whose name is synonymous with the coal and steel industry. The city s wealth contributed to its rich cultural heritage and few patrons were as generous as Andrew Carnegie, a Pittsburgh-based industrialist who made his fortune out of steel and endowed many of the city s cultural institutions. Tonight we have dinner in the hotel. Overnight Pittsburgh (B, D) Monday May 22 Private tour of fallingwater We depart Pittsburgh early today and make our way to Frank Lloyd Wright s Fallingwater where we enjoy a private interior tour of the house. Completed in 1939, its dramatic setting over a river and revolutionary modernist architecture made the house instantly famous. Built for the wealthy Kaufmann family, who made their fortune in retail, Fallingwater was a private retreat until the early 1960 s, when the house and several hundred acres of land around it were entrusted to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. We also visit nearby Kentuck Knob, a private house built for the Hagen family in 1954 and a good example of Wright s later style. The current owner, Lord Palumbo, has also installed an impressive contemporary sculpture garden on the property. We return to Pittsburgh this evening. Overnight Pittsburgh (B) Tuesday May 23 Warhol and New York Before departing Pittsburgh today we visit the Andy Warhol Museum. The sometimes controversial artist was a Pittsburgh native, and the recently-opened museum contains a broad sampling of his oeuvre. We then head to Pittsburgh airport for our afternoon flight to New York. After checking into our centrally located hotel we ll enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. Overnight New York (B, D) Moving around New York Most of our travel from site to site in New York will be in taxis. Taxis are much faster than buses and give us total flexibility in the program. On one or two occasions we will also use the city s subway system. Please note that there is considerable walking in the New York section of the tour. Images left: Frank Lloyd Wright s Kentuck Knob; the view from the living room towards the west terrace at Fallingwater; and Andy Warhol s self portrait at Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh

Wednesday May 24 MidTown Art Deco This morning we explore some of the Art Deco modern architecture of New York s Midtown district. We explore icons such as the Chrysler Building, the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and the General Electric Building. We enjoy lunch at Cipriani Dolci, located in the main hall of Grand Central, a magnificent Beaux Arts building. The afternoon and evening are free. Overnight New York (B, L) Thursday May 25 How the other half lives 9/11 monument This morning we enjoy a private tour of MoMA, New York s famous Museum of Modern Art, enjoying the museum s greatest works before the museum opens its doors to the public. Following the tour you have free time to explore the museum s collections. In the afternoon we head downtown to walk down Wall Street and visit the moving September 11 memorial at the World Trade Center site. This evening we head to the theatre district for a top-flight Broadway show. Overnight New York (B) Friday May 26 GLASS HOUSE and LOWER EAST SIDE We travel by train to Connecticut for a tour of Philip Johnson s Glass House. Designed by Johnson for his own residence, the house was derived from Mies van der Rohe s Farnsworth House and is an essay in minimal structure and the effects of transparency and reflection. The afternoon is free. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight New York (B, D) Saturday May 27 guggenheim On our final morning we take a detailed look at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue, Frank Lloyd Wright s final architectural masterpiece and a New York icon. Mid-afternoon we transfer to New York s JFK airport, where the tour ends. (B) Extend your stay in New York Our four days in New York concentrates on the city s architectural heritage. There is much, much more to see, so please contact us if you would like to book additional nights accommodation in New York. Images right: the main hall of Grand Central, a magnificent Beaux-Arts building; and Philip Johnson s Glass House, built in 1949 in New Canaan, Connecticut Hotels Hotels have been selected principally for their central location. Chicago, The Palmer House Hilton (4 nights) www3.hilton.com/en A comfortable walk from Millennium Park, the Art Institute of Chicago and Symphony Center. Madison Wisconsin, Madison Concourse Hotel (2 nights) www.concoursehotel.com Located in the heart of downtown Madison, close to the lakefront and State Capitol. Buffalo, Hotel Lafayette (2 nights) www.buffalobrewerydistrict.com French Renaissance-style building incorporating a brewery, 3 restaurants, apartments and boutique hotel. Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Omni William Penn Hotel (2 nights) www.omnihotels.com The last building venture of industrialist Henry Clay Frick, the hotel is a stunning example of Art Deco style. New York, Warwick Hotel (4 nights) www.warwickhotelny.com The hotel sits adjacent to MoMA, in walking distance to Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center.

Tour Inclusions Included in the tour price All accommodation in carefully selected four star hotels All breakfasts, and selected lunches and dinners in hotels and local restaurants Land travel by air-conditioned coach, rail or taxi as required Economy class air travel from Madison to Buffalo and Pittsburgh to New York Extensive background notes Background talks Services of Australian tour leader throughout tour All entrance fees to sites mentioned on itinerary Tickets to performances in Chicago and New York Qualified local guides Tips for all services stated as included in the itinerary Porterage of one piece of luggage at all hotels Not included International air fares, taxes and surcharges (see below) Travel insurance Visa costs Meals not mentioned in itinerary Expenses of a personal nature Air travel OPTIONS The tour price quoted is for land content only. For this tour we recommend Qantas or United who have regular flights to the East Coast. Please contact us for further information on competitive Economy, Business and First Class airfares. Transfers between airport and hotel are included for all passengers booking their flights through Academy Travel. These may be group or individual transfers. Enquiries and bookings For further information and to secure a place on this tour please contact Stuart Barrie at Academy Travel on 9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email stuart@academytravel.com.au Weather on Tour May is a great time to travel to the United States. Spring has definitely arrived, but not the summer heat and humidity. Expect daytime temperatures of 20-25 degrees Celsius, dropping to 8-10 in the evenings. It is likely to rain on a few days of the tour, so be sure to pack an umbrella and waterproof jacket. Fitness Requirements of THIS tour Grade Two It is important both for you and for your fellow travellers that you are fit enough to be able to enjoy all the activities on this tour. To give you an indication of the level of physical fitness required to participate on our tours, we have given them a star grading. Academy Travel s tours tend to feature extended walking tours and site visits, which require greater fitness than coach touring. We ask you to carefully consider your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour. Participation criteria for this tour This Grade Two tour is designed for people who lead active lives and can comfortably participate in up to five hours of physical activity per day on most days, including longer walking tours, challenging archaeological sites, climbing stairs, embarking and disembarking trains and/or boats, and a more demanding tour schedule with one night stops or several internal flights. You should be able to: keep up with the group at all times walk for 4-5 kilometres at a moderate pace with only short breaks stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and museums tolerate uncomfortable climatic conditions such as cold, humidity and heat walk up and down slopes negotiate steps and slopes on archaeological sites, which are often uneven and unstable get on and off a large coach with steep stairs, train or boat unassisted, possibly with luggage move your luggage a short distance if required A note for older travellers If you are more than 80 years old, or have restricted mobility, it is highly likely that you will find this itinerary challenging. You will have to miss several activities and will not get the full value of the tour. Your booking will not be accepted until after you have contacted Academy Travel to discuss your situation and the exact physical requirements of this tour. While we will do our best to reasonably accommodate the physical needs of all group members, we reserve the right to refuse bookings if we feel that the requirements of the tour are too demanding for you and/or if local conditions mean we cannot reasonably accommodate your condition.