You might have caught on that I am just a bit of a feminist. Now, for many people this brings up negative thoughts but for me the definition of a feminist is someone who “believes women should have the same rights and opportunities as men.” I think women can wield the coolest power tools and I think men can raise and wrangle the craziest kids. It’s all about who you are as a person. Anyway, now that you know a little more about me, I’ll tell you how that bit of information fits in with this post.
Many people see Valentine’s Day as a man’s opportunity to romance his wife. But I am fair with my feminism, so every other year I take on the task of coming up with some V-Day festivities. However, this year it was Tim’s turn and he did a fantastic job!
Being the design focused couple that we are, Tim figured that I would really enjoy a little day trip out of town to visit the Price Tower. The Price Tower is the only “skyscraper” built by Frank Lloyd Wright (a famous American architect). Over the years, the building has served different functions, and right now part of it acts as a hotel. Here’s what our room looked like.
And here is a pic of a slightly larger room.
The hotel rooms were designed to resemble Frank Lloyd Wright’s style. He LOVED angles.
On a little tour of the building we learned all sorts of interesting facts. The building was completed in 1956 and at the time had retail space, office space, and living space (8 apartments).
Here are a few pics of what the apartments looked like.
You can’t tell from these photos, but the entry into the apartment is VERY narrow (we’re talking maybe 2ft wide). People weren’t able to move in furniture, but that wasn’t really a problem because everything you would need was already built into the space. The apartments came fully furnished.
Two lovely ladies we were on the tour with kept saying, “Well no wonder the apartments never caught on.” But as a designer, I knew exactly why Mr. Wright built all the furniture in and made the entry so narrow. He didn’t want anyone messing up his design with their stuff! 🙂 I can completely identify with Mr. Wright’s feelings of not wanting his creation to be tarnished in any way. He was an artist and believed his work was perfect the way it was. The tour guide told us he would get very upset if people wanted to bring in their own furniture.
The Price Tower was actually built for a The Price Company and Mr. Price’s office was located on the top floor. Here is a photo of it.
Once again you see all the angular design elements. Some of the elements almost look futuristic, like the office chair for example. Mr. Price had a huge globe that he wanted to display in the space, but Frank hated the huge cylinder being seen in his room full of angles. So Frank told Mr. Price he would make a special stand for it and can you guess where he placed that stand? In the corner of the room behind the door. That made me laugh.
Another “issue” that Mr. Price and Mr. Wright dealt with was the telephone. Mr. Price felt he really needed one on his desk for everyday business calls. Mr. Wright felt the phones at that time were hideous and could not stand the thought of one being placed on top of the beautiful, custom built-in desk he had created. So, he placed the phone in one of the desk drawers and wired it to be completely invisible. In later photos of Mr. Price in his office, the phone had made it’s way onto the desk top.
Tim and I really enjoyed our time at the Price Tower and highly recommend it to anyone interested in design or architecture. It is located in Bartlesville, a short 45 minute drive from Tulsa. What did you do for Valentine’s Day? Ideas for next year are always appreciated! 🙂
We had a low key Valentine’s Day – sushi dinner. I made some cute cards on Tiny Prints and gave them to my husband. He is not a (giving) card guy.
Then again, just about anything we could have done would likely pale in comparison to your great getaway! I had no idea Wright had designed a skyscraper!
WOW That is amazing- What a great night away!
It was a great time! But sometimes all you need is a low key dinner at home. Whatever it takes to make sure you are still taking time to appreciate each other, right!? I’m sure your sushi night was lovely Amanda!
That trip sounds amazing! I am just dying to visit any and all of Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations. His work is amazing. My hubby and I tend to stay in on V-Day. We are definite home bodies. Just a home cooked meal, a bottle of wine, and a movie. Always good in my book!
If you like this style of architecture, check out Trellick Towers in London. It’s a really similar style to the Frank Lloyd Wright skyscraper. They were designed by Erno Goldfinger, and they are only one apartment wide, so you get views all over London from each flat. http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/trellick/index.htm
What an amazing place! I’m a fan of his architecture but had no idea he had built something so large. Pretty funny about the narrow doorways…you were going to use his furniture and you were going to like it! 🙂