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Iconic architectural gem

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nicholas bonham-carter
nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
in THE MAIN WALL
Any Chicagoans know how this was heated in its day:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/ct-farnsworth-house-kamin-met-0619-20150619-column.html

Or how would you heat it if rebuilt today?--NBC

Comments

  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,530
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    Yes, radiant coils in concrete: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsapp/BT/GATEWAY/FARNSWTH/farnswth.html
    Retired and loving it.
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
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    Thanks Dan-you had to wander way off the wall for that!--NBC
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,530
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    Happy to help!
    Retired and loving it.
  • Paul48
    Paul48 Member Posts: 4,469
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    I'm afraid that type of architecture is lost on me. It was probably revolutionary for its day, but could be slapped together in no time today. I have always been more impressed by the classic structures that took years to construct, and in some cases had 100's of craftsman working on decorative details. I guess the existence of IKEA proves there are plenty of fans of that style though.
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,578
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    It's more like sculpture than a convenient and liveable house.
    The lady Doctor owner discovered when she began to use it for weekends, that there was no clothes closet, and complained to Mies Van Der Rohe.
    "It's only a weekend house, hang your clothes on the bathroom door!", said Mies.
    When mr. Johnson (of Johnson and Johnson), had a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, he moved in and had a dinner party for his friends. During the dinner, it rained and the roof leaked.
    He telephoned Frank Lloyd Wright, and said water was dripping on his head.
    "Well John, why don't you move your chair", said the esteemed architect!
    These iconic architects were not big on customer service!--NBC
    ttekushan_3
  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,062
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    Springfield Ill, the Dana-Thomas house gives tours. It is a FLW design. They tell the story that he came to visit and they found him moving the furniture around at night to place it where HE had drawn it's position on the original plan.
  • DanHolohan
    DanHolohan Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 16,530
    edited April 2016
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    Good FLW story here.

    https://heatinghelp.com/blog/frank-lloyd-wrights-talesin/
    Retired and loving it.
    SWEI
  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
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    DanHolohan said:

    None of the heating at Taliesin works anymore. All the people that live there go to Taliesin West in Arizona during the winter, and Taliesin is allowed to go ambient, which is a shame because the place is falling apart, and I'm sure the extreme changes in temperature have much to do with that. Our guide told us that a heating engineer from Madison offered to do the work for free, but they would have to supply the equipment. They weren't able to raise the money, so it closes for the winter and everything freezes. What a project this would be for the hydronics community if we could somehow get this done. What a showcase for what we can do.

    Anyone interested in pursuing this? Huge FLW fan here -- count me in!

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