Observations, photographs, and video of the construction of a Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian house which serves as the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center on the campus of Florida Southern College, located in the South Lake Morton Historic District of Lakeland, Florida. Follow this link for visitor information.

The whole difference between construction and creation is exactly this: that a thing constructed can only be loved after it is constructed; but a thing created is loved before it exists.  |   G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936)
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Scupper time!
By Michael Maguire | June 15, 2012 at 12:43 PM EDT | 2 comments

June Gallery
The house's "flat" roof is really a lot like a shower drain, and each of the three levels is designed to move the rainfall toward copper scuppers (being installed today), that will drop it into a copper "tub" inside the chimney structure. A drain there drops it into a pipe that moves it under the house and into the local drainage system. See more in the June Gallery. You'll also find a tantalizing hint of what's to come for the fascia and soffit.

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1. Bob Sharpe | July 03, 2012 at 08:20 PM EDT

What a great project! Thank you for posting this. A comment on my blog at www.regriding.com from someone familiar with this project directed me here. Thank you for providing a living, real world example of the Usonian home.

2. Michael | July 05, 2012 at 09:56 AM EDT

Bob,

Yup, that was me. Welcome aboard.

Mike

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Wizard
in Wood
Craftsman earns national reputation 
for work on Florida Southern project
 
The whole world is watching! 

More than 50,000 people from 155 countries have visited the site nearly 68,000 times and racked up more than 153,000
page views. 
We are re-telling the story of the project on our facebook page. If you "Like" it, you'll always know what's what as soon as we do!
Traffic Operations sign technician Gary Griffith installs one of the new Frank Lloyd Wright Way street signs at Success Avenue and the former McDonald Street. The address of the house itself is now:
Our Video makeover is complete! Choose the main Video page, or any of the "year" pages to watch all of the project action in full HD. Also see The Blocks, The Glass, The Wood, The Fountain, and 3D Animation in crisp, clear high defintion.
 
With so much happening at once during the final month, we thought you might find it helpful to have these links to our most recent blog posts. Just click the headline to go directly to the post. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It's in all the papers! 
 
And online, TV, and radio. Check out
the News page for more.

And see ...
 
the last 30 Days
in just 30 seconds

Click here for that
and all the October videos
 
The Premiere of the historic Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian House took place October 31st. Dignitaries from the city, the county, and the college joined the donors, craftsmen, and professionals who made it all possible.

Watch our interview with Ken Berman who installed the glass inserts, and see how all of the 10,000 board feet of southern cypress was turned into ceilings, walls, shelves, and doors. 
Click here for the video.

Take a look at the last frenetic month in the October Gallery.
On May 20, 2010, Dr. Anne Kerr announced Florida Southern College's plans to construct a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed "Usonian House" which will serve as a new education and tourism center.

Click here for a slideshow of the announcement posted on flickr in the  fsc.mocs photostream.
The site of Florida Southern College's latest addition to its Frank Lloyd Wright collection - the largest in the world in a single location - is on McDonald Street between Johnson and College Avenues in one of Lakeland, Florida's oldest historic neighborhoods.
2011 Headlines
 
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June
 

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