Frank Lloyd Wright Trust celebrates 50 Years of community

Fifty years ago this week, on July 17, 1974, the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust opened the doors of Wright’s Home and Studio in Oak Park to the public for tours for the first time. The nonprofit was founded as the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation in June of 1974 when a group of determined preservationists planted the seeds for what is today a model of historic preservation, education and tourism.

On the 40th anniversary of the founding in 2014, Wednesday Journal spoke with architect John Thorpe about the history of Oak Park’s most famous foundation. Thorpe, who died in 2016, recalled that he started a walking tour of Oak Park for the Chicago Architecture Foundation in 1971. 

Through his tours, he met the owner of the Home and Studio, Charlotte Nooker. In 1972, she listed the home for sale for $400,000. The Historical Society of Oak Park River Forest and the Landmarks Commission of Oak Park formed a committee to explore purchasing the home.

Committee member Dawn Schumann, who would become the founding president of the organization that would eventually be known as the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and Department of Housing and Urban Development regarding the home.

Negotiations continued for almost two years with Thorpe working as a go-between for Nooker and the preservation groups. Eventually, in 1974, a purchase price of $168,000 was agreed upon, and on June 17 the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio Foundation officially became a 501(c)3 organization.

A group of volunteers began the work of creating a foundation dedicated to education, restoration and tours. In 1977, four board-member architects (Thorpe, Bill Dring, Carl Hunter and Don Kalec) developed a master plan as a guide to restoring the Home and Studio, and the book was used by the National Trust as a model for other restoration programs across the country. 

Not all of the original founders are still around, but a fair number of them were in Oak Park on the second weekend in July to celebrate the institution now known as the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.

 “The 50th anniversary dinner brought together past directors, presidents, founding members and current volunteers,” said Celeste Adams, president and CEO of the trust. “Everyone shares in the achievement.”

Three speakers at the dinner included Dawn Schumann, the founding president; Bill Dring, a founding Board member; and Carla Lind, a founder and director, each of whom played a key role in establishing the legacy of Wright in Oak Park. Nine additional founders attended, including John and Theresa Bruun, Patrick Cannon, Jan Dressel, Jack Lesniak, Gail Orr, Susan Remington, Alice Sinkevitch and David Sokol. Lesniak was recognized for 50 years of volunteer service.

Adams described the significance of the 50th anniversary: “Since 1974, the trust has brought approximately 3 million cultural tourists and preservation enthusiasts to Oak Park to tour Wright’s Home and Studio and discover the architectural treasures of this community. This is a moment to look back with gratitude to those who established the trust and those who have contributed their talent over the years.”

While it celebrates the past, Adams said the anniversary also is an opportunity to look forward. She paraphrased Lind’s speech, which emphasized the importance of evolution in an organization: “To thrive, an organization must evolve and continue to be nourished.”

To that end, Adams said that the Trust’s commitment to the community is growing stronger, as more than 200 volunteer interpreters educate an expanding and diverse audience at four Wright sites, fulfilling the trust’s vision “to preserve the universal value of the arts for all people.”

In June, the Home and Studio hosted more than 300 visitors with a two-day community open house, which offered parent and child activities, and featured speakers on architecture, landscape architecture and preservation. Many of the visitors enjoyed complementary tours of the Home and Studio.

Expanding the trust’s reach into the community is a key part of the trust’s planned expansion and the rehabilitation efforts of the historic buildings at 925 and 931 Chicago Avenue on the site of the Home and Studio.

Site preparation is underway for the new learning center, and Adams said the trust is moving full speed ahead with the capital campaign to raise the funds necessary for construction. (See https://www.oakpark.com/2024/04/03/frank-lloyd-wright-trust-plans-learning-center-expansion/)

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