The School
[Hillside Home School (1903) Frank Lloyd Wright, architect /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
We're going to close our visit into the valley of Frank Lloyd Wright with a building he
designed for his aunts Nell and Jennie in 1903, the Hillside Home School. It bears a resemblance to his home just up the hill from here Taliesin, and predates that structure by eight years.
[Taliesin Fellowship at Hillside School /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
Wright's aunt's Elinor (Ellen or Nell) and Jane (Jennie) were the youngest of 10 children
and never married. They were dedicated teachers and were early proponents of Froebel's Kindergarten theories on education. When their father (Wright's grandfather) died in 1885 he willed his daughters a portion of his farm and they decided to start a co-educational boarding school for children from the ages of five through seventeen. It was very daring and quite unorthodox, segregating the sexes was much more common. Also being on a farm out in the country gave the students an opportunity to work and play on the land which would create healthier, more well-rounded individuals. In 1886 Wright had assisted Chicago architect Joseph Silsbee in designing the family chapel down the road and Frank's aunts asked him to design a school building for them. It was a very typical two-story, dark-shingled Victorian, reminiscent of the materials used in the chapel design.
[Hillside School Building details /Images & Artwork: designslinger]
By 1902, Ellen and Jane's nephew was a famous architect and they asked him to design
a new school complex for them in his now signature Prairie style. Completed in 1903,the building was as innovative as the curriculum. Unfortunately money seemed to flow out of the hands of his aunts as much as it did out of Franks, who was always notoriously in debt. By 1915 they were broke and the school closed. Frank purchased the property and in 1932 began an extensive renovation in preparation for the new school he was creating, the Taliesin Fellowship. Students still attend classes in the drafting room Wright built, and although the building is worse for wear it still provides shelter for those interested in following in Wright's footsteps.
[The Valley of the God -almighty Joneses /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
Wright's family dominated this valley, in much the same way he dominated everything
he came in contact with. The Lloyd Joneses owned all the land as far as the eye could see, and all of them strictly adhered to the family credo "Truth Against the World." So much so, that for decades neighbors referred to this place as "The Valley of the God-almighty Joneses." And it was into this family, and in this place, Frank Lloyd Wright entered the world on June 8, 1867 and began his remarkable life.
You can see the two previous posts about our visit at: Taliesin and The Chapel.
Posted by designslinger at 6/3/2010 1:06 AM 
Categories: Architecture, Architects, History
Tags: Ellen Lloyd Jones Jane Lloyd Jones Taliesin Fellowship Frank Lloyd Wright
Categories: Architecture, Architects, History
Tags: Ellen Lloyd Jones Jane Lloyd Jones Taliesin Fellowship Frank Lloyd Wright
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