Visual Traveler & Chocolate Blog

                                      Above photo is by Lisa Waterman Gray. ©
What's in This Post
1) Pewabic's National Reputation
2) Touring Pewabic Pottery Studio Slideshow
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As much as I love three dimensional artistry, visiting Detroit-based Pewabic Pottery Studio was a real treat. This Michigan company has produced richly colored tiles and architectural 'ornaments' with iridescent rose, green, gold, deep blue and copper-colored glazes since 1903. Pewabic is a Chippewa Indian term that means "clay with a copper color."
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Pewabic's National Reputation

Pewabic pieces decorate many private residences as well as schools, libraries, and church to museum mosaics. Ceramics artist, Mary Chase Perry, founded the company at the suggestion of her architect friend, William Buck Stratton, who later became her husband.

After crafting tiles for private homes, Pewabic produced specially designed floors and decorations for churches in Detroit, Pittsburgh, Evanston, St. Paul and Philadelphia. The company also crafted decorative ceramic medallions for the crypt - as well as tile for the vaulted ceiling - at The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. And, since taking over this company in 1981, the not-for-profit Pewabic Society has continued to promote and create ceramic design and education.

I could have easily spent several hours perusing all of Pewabic's beautiful pieces. Alas, group travel sometimes moves much faster. Guess I'll have to plan a return trip!

What's in This Post
1) Exploring Taliesen West + Slideshow
2) Touring the Arizona Biltmore Hotel + Slideshow
3) Wright Gem in Iowa + Slideshow
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Established in 1937, Taliesen West was Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home and architectural school in Scottsdale, AZ. This World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark reflected efforts by Wright himself - and his apprentices - over many years. 

Exploring Taliesen West

I loved its natural rock walls, long horizontal lines and expansive windows. Indoor lights glowed amid those walls and a warm color palette juxtaposed with deep blue across Wright-designed furnishings. It seemed there was little need for hanging artwork because of natural elements incorporated across the massive building's footprint. 

​Touring the Arizona Biltmore Hotel

That same visit provided an opportunity to explore public space at the Arizona Biltmore Hotel. Though not crafted by Wright, the 1920s hotel commissioned by Warren and Charles McArthur reflected their brother, Albert Chase McArthur's strong architectural homage to Wright's design aesthetic. In fact he even paid $10,000 to the renowned architect in exchange for permission to use Wright's block design - although it turned out Wright didn't own the patent. The property opened with grand fanfare, in 1929.

Wright Gem in Iowa

In the small Iowa town of Quesqueton, I encountered Cedar Rock (see above; tours by reservation). One of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most complete designs, it was built as a private home for Lowell and Agnes Walter. And nearly every detail of this impressive brick home bears his mark - from ceiling-level planters to a dark, narrow wood-walled hallway that led to several bedrooms which continued Wright's architectural patterns.

During my tour, natural greenery abounded in the 'public space,' and banquette seating invited relaxation, while massive skylights and many floor-to-ceiling windows ushered in plenty of natural light plus views of surrounding trees. Brick and tile floors complemented large, pale area rugs and an enormous fireplace. This property is also known for the Wright-designed boat ramp and adjacent building, below the home and beside the Wapasipinicon River.  

In 1981, Lowell Walter bequeathed Cedar Rock to the Iowa Conservation Commission and the State of Iowa, which have maintained it ever since. Learn more about FLW sites available for visits here. 

​Please note some of these photos are older. While they reflected the character of this area during my visit, specific details may have changed.
 

​I had previously explored Wright's inspiring architecture throughout the Oak Park neighborhood of Chicago, during a graduate internship. My then-boyfriend and an architecture student provided an educated perspective as we saw 21 Wright-designed homes and toured his personal studio, amid the world's largest collection of his architecture.

Above: In the hotel lobby.

Decades later, my trips as a travel writer offered more opportunities to indulge my growing obsession with Wright's architecture. During an Iowa visit, I was privileged to stay at The Historic Park Inn Hotel in Mason City - the last remaining Wright-designed hotel in the world. 

Exploration of Madison, Wisconsin included touring Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center. Full of massive windows, the curvilinear structure began with Wright's design for a building along Lake Monona's shoreline, in 1938. Construction finally occurred in 1997.

I was thrilled at the prospect of visiting Wright's Taliesen during another press trip. With a name that means "shining brow" in Welsh, and celebrates his Welsh heritage, Wright lived here for five decades and taught budding architects onsite. 

Because a huge number of Wright structures remain throughout Wisconsin, the state created its 200-mile Frank Lloyd Wright Trail in 2017. I happily explored it during another press trip. We admired the soaring sanctuary at Wright's First Unitarian Society Meeting House; curvilinear walls and furnishings inside the SC Johnson Administration Building and Research Tower; and cozy surroundings inside the Johnson Foundation at Wingspread.

But this wasn't the end of my explorations. More Wright properties beckoned in Iowa and the Phoenix/Scottsdale areas. I'll share them next week, so stay tuned for Visual Traveler: Chasing Frank Lloyd Wright II.
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Disclaimer: As a travel writer I may receive complimentary stays, admissions, meals, transportation, and, occasionally, products I am asked to review. However, I make every effort to report my experiences fairly and honestly.

​Please note some of these photos are older. While they reflected the character of this area during my visit, specific details may have changed.​

Above: Handcrafted gnocchi with mushrooms, arugula and walnut pesto at Renaissance Cafe in Assaria

My latest article for KANSAS! Magazine recently published so I thought you might enjoy seeing additional photos from my research trips to the three restaurants profiled there. Enjoy!