FRANK LLOYD
WRIGHT
CHICAGO TO NEW YORK
MAY 13-27, 2017
TOUR LEADER: DR MATTHEW LAING
Overview
Follow the journey of Frank Lloyd Wright from his original Prairie House
designs to the magnificent Fallingwater and Guggenheim Museum while
at the same time enjoying the wealth of art, architecture and history in
some of America’s most famous cities.
We begin with four nights in Chicago, the ‘second city’ of the United
States, where Wright developed his Prairie style of architecture. It brims
with fine buildings, art galleries and exuberant public sculpture. We then
travel north to Wisconsin to see some of Wright’s most famous works as
well as Taliesin East, his beloved estate. Our next stop is Buffalo, near
Niagara Falls, to visit the Darwin Martin complex of houses. Travelling to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we take a day trip to America’s most famous
house, Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater. The tour concludes with four days in
New York, home to an extraordinary range of cultural sites and
experiences. We take architectural walking tours, visit major galleries and
attend a Broadway show. The tour ends with Wright’s Guggenheim
Museum on Fifth Avenue.
Accommodation is in comfortable four and five star hotels throughout, with
breakfast daily, and several special meals at carefully chosen restaurants
are included.
Your tour leader
Frank Lloyd
Wright
Chicago to New York
Tour dates: May 13-27, 2017
Tour leader: Dr Matthew Laing
Tour Price: $10,640 per person, twin share
Single Supplement: $2,710 for sole use of
double room
Booking deposit: $500 per person
Recommended airline: Qantas or United
Maximum places: 20
Itinerary: Chicago (4 nights), Madison (2
nights), Buffalo (2 nights), Pittsburgh (2 nights),
New York (4 nights)
Date published: February 7, 2017
Dr Matthew Laing has a PhD in American
History from the Australian National University
and is currently with Monash University. He
has a comprehensive knowledge of the history
of the United States, providing vital context for
understanding the remarkable art, architecture
and design of the 20th century.
For Matthew, the art and design of the USA
has a global significance. “The United States
has profoundly influenced modern architectural
and design movements, and its echoes can be seen everywhere in
Australia”, he comments. “From Walter Burley and Marion Mahoney
Griffin's Chicago-school design for Canberra, to the William Levitt-style
post-war surburbia in Melbourne, to the Frank Gehry building at the
University of Technology in Sydney, Australia owes much to American
design ideas.”
On tour, Matthew particularly likes to point out the link between history,
society and the visual arts. “Architecture and design are built expressions
of historical ideas. The cutting-edge designs of today become the tangible
representations of our history and thoughts..”
“Matthew Laing was brilliant. His knowledge and ability to present it was
exceptional. He was also amiable, helpful and well organised.” Feedback
from Academy Travel’s Washington, Chicago and New York tour, October
2014.
The majority of photos in this itinerary where taken by tour
participants John Sidoti and Iris Wang on our October 2015 Frank
Lloyd Wright: Chicago to New York tour.
Enquiries and
bookings
For further information and to
secure a place on this tour
please contact Jemma York
at Academy Travel on
9235 0023 or 1800 639 699
(outside Sydney) or email
[email protected].
au
Kaufman trio on the bridge at Fallingwater
The Kaufmanns of Pittsburgh
Fallingwater is an iconic building of the 20th century, and Frank Lloyd Wright’s undisputed masterpiece. While the story of
Wright’s life and work is a compelling one (especially his, er, complicated love life), some of his clients are just as interesting.
None more so that the Kaufmanns, who commissioned Fallingwater.
If Frank Lloyd Wright were alive today his clients would be the digital aristocracy of Silicon Valley – innovators and entrepreneurs
looking for an architect whose aesthetic and design would reflect their iconoclastic and forward-looking vision. In their day,
Wright’s clients were innovators in the industrial and commercial sphere. They were naturally drawn to Wright, and Wright to
them. Without such clients, Wright would never have been able to design the way he did.
On the face of it the Kaufmanns, owners and operators of prosperous Pittsburgh’s largest department store, were traditional
people in a traditional industry and unlikely clients for Wright. But it was the way in which they approached retailing that made
them stand out. Every year Lilian Kaufmann would travel to Europe, personally selecting the stock and keeping abreast with
store design. Indeed, the ladies department on the upper floor of their store was considered second-only to Galleries Lafayette in
Paris. And today, Edgar Kaufmann’s office desk from the Pittsburgh store is displayed in the V&A Museum in London – a
supreme example of modern design.
Edgar and Lilian’s interest in art and design rubbed off on their son Edgar Jr, who became director of the Industrial Design
Department at MoMA and later on ensured that Fallingwater was preserved for all via a publically managed conservancy.
If you know something of Wright’s personal life, then you will not be surprised that his client-architect relationships were not
always smooth. Wright was routinely in dispute with his clients, but the following exchange shows how well the experienced
businessman Edgar Kaufmann could handle his excitable architect.
I don’t know what kind of architect you are familiar with but it apparently isn’t the kind I think I am. You seem not to know how to
treat a decent one. I have put so much more into this house than you or any other client has a right to expect that if I haven’t
your confidence — to hell with the whole thing. — Frank Lloyd Wright
Dear Mr. Wright, I don’t know what kind of clients you are familiar with but apparently they are not the kind I think I am. You
seem not to know how to treat a decent man. I have put so much confidence and enthusiasm behind this whole project in my
limited way, to help the fulfilment of your effort that if I do not have your confidence in the matter— to hell with the whole thing.
— Edgar J. Kauffman
P.S. Now don’t you think we should stop writing letters and that you owe it to the situation to come to Pittsburgh and clear it up
by getting the facts?…
Tour Highlights
 Four nights in Chicago, discovering some of the city’s significant
architecture, galleries and museums
 A tour of Oak Park where we see many of Frank Lloyd Wright’s early
houses, including an interior tour of his home and studio
 Tour of SC Johnson Wax Administration Building & Research Tower
 A visit to Mies van der Rohe’s masterpiece, Farnsworth House
 In-depth estate tour of Taliesin East, his home for 30 years and site
of many of the dramas of Wright’s life
 The Darwin D. Martin House in Buffalo, New York, a superb example
of Wright’s Prairie Style
 Niagara Falls
 Two nights in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the former steel capital that
has undergone a startling transformation
 A private, interior tour of Fallingwater, the magnificent house built by
Wright for the Kaufmann family, and arguably his most famous work
 Four days in New York, with private walking tours and visits to some
of the great private and public galleries
 A private out-of-hours viewing of the Museum of Modern Art – your
chance to view 20th century masterpieces in private
 Tour of Philip Johnson’s Glass House in New Canaan, Connecticut
 A Broadway musical in New York
Above: the Chrysler Building, New York
Above: a private interior visit and cocktail reception in Robie House
Above: Private viewing of Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d'Avignon at MoMA
Above: completed in 1939, Fallingwater sits in a dramatic setting over a river and revolutionary modernist architecture made the house instantly famous
Detailed itinerary
Included meals are shown with the symbols B, L and D.
Saturday May 13
arrive
Arrive in Chicago and meet your tour leader and fellow
travellers for a welcome drink. Overnight Chicago
Sunday May 14
Downtown chicago
The Great Fire of 1871 destroyed the entire Chicago CBD,
leaving the way open for architects to design a new and
modern city. The first steel-framed high rise building rose in
1885 and the skyline today is densely packed with
skyscrapers, many by renowned architects. Our walking tour
this morning takes us past some of the city’s most iconic
buildings. We visit the lobby of the Rookery Building, the
masterpiece of Daniel Burnham and remodelled by Frank
Lloyd Wright in 1905. In the afternoon we take the Chicago
Architectural Foundation river cruise to gain an overview of
the city’s historic and modern architectural styles. Tonight we
have dinner in a local restaurant. Overnight Chicago (B, D)
Monday May 15
Frank Lloyd Wright – the early
years & SC Johnson
Above: Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, reflecting and distorting the city's
skyline in Millennium Park; and American Gothic by Grant Wood in the
collection of the Art Institute of Chicago
Below: the interior of the Johnson Wax headquarters
Today we take a private coach tour of Oak Park. This
Chicago suburb is where Frank Lloyd Wright lived and
worked and where much of his early work can still be found.
We have an interior tour of Wright’s home and studio, which
Wright used as his architecture laboratory for his early
designs. We then view the numerous examples of Prairie
Style architecture in the surrounding neighbourhood. In the
afternoon we drive north to Racine, Wisconsin to visit the SC
Johnson Wax Administration Building and Research
Tower. The Administration Building was described by Philip
Johnson as the “most beautiful room in America.”
Overnight Chicago (B)
Tuesday May 16
Chicago art and architecture
We begin our day with a walk through Millennium Park.
Originally occupied by railyards and parking lots, the area
was redeveloped into a public space featuring an outdoor
concert venue, gardens, restaurants and some spectacular
art installations. From here we make our way to the highlyregarded Art Institute of Chicago, boasting a fine collection
of both European and American painting and over 60
‘decorated rooms’ – accurately reconstructed furnished
interiors from a broad range of times and places. After a
private guided tour, there is time to explore the collection
independently and a break for lunch. In the afternoon we
travel by coach for a private interior visit and cocktail
reception in Robie House, perhaps the fullest expression of
Wright’s Prairie Style in Chicago. Our trip takes us through
the ‘White City’ – the site of the 1893 World’s Fair. Schedules
permitting, tonight we will attend a concert performance.
Overnight Chicago (B)
Wednesday May 17
FarNSWORTH HOUSE
This morning we will travel to Plano to visit Farnsworth
House designed by Mies van der Rohe and considered a
masterpiece of the International Style of architecture. We
then travel north to see Jacobs House I, considered the first
Usonian home, Wright’s ideal of the new world architecture
free of previous conventions. We arrive in Madison,
Wisconsin, our base for two nights. Tonight we dine in our
hotel. Overnight Madison (B, D)
Thursday May 18
Taliesin East
This remote site on land owned by Wright’s family was the
architect’s home from 1911, and is of central importance to
understanding Wright. Taliesin East was twice burned down
and rebuilt. It was also the scene of the horrific 1914 axe
murder of Wright’s lover, her children and several employees.
A complex building, combining Prairie Style and oriental
influences, it was here that Wright designed Fallingwater, the
Guggenheim Museum and other key works. We tour the
house, the grounds and the studio, today an important
training centre for emerging American architects. In the
afternoon we visit the Unitarian Meeting House, designed
by Wright and recognised as one of the most innovative
examples of church architecture. Tonight is a free evening.
Overnight Madison (B)
Friday May 19
Upstate New York
This morning we take a flight from Madison to Buffalo, New
York. Located on the shores of Lake Erie, Buffalo rose to
prominence in the early 19th century, when the Erie Canal
was completed, connecting the Chicago and the Mid-West
with the Hudson River, New York and the world beyond. After
New York City, Buffalo is the second most populous city in
the state. It has many significant buildings, including Louis B
Sullivan’s Garanty Building and Daniel Burnham’s Ellicott
Square building. This afternoon we tour some of these sites
and dine in a local restaurant. Overnight Buffalo (B, D)
Saturday May 20
Wright in BUFFALo, Niagara Falls
Between 1903 and 1908 Frank Lloyd Wright built a number of
fine examples of his Prairie Style houses in Buffalo, and we
survey these today, and visit the Darwin D. Martin House.
Most of the houses were built for executives of the Larkin
Soap Factory and are located in the Parkside East Historic
District, a neighbourhood laid out by renowned American
Above: Mies van der Rohe’s Farnsworth House in Oak Park
Below: Niagara Falls and the large and highly innovative Darwin D. Martin
House in Buffalo, New York
landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted in 1876
(Olmstead is also largely responsible for New York’s Central
Park). This afternoon we relax at Niagara Falls, one of
America’s foremost natural wonders. Overnight Buffalo (B)
Sunday May 21
Pittsburgh
We travel along the shores of Lake Erie to visit Graycliff, the
summer home built by Wright for Darwin Martin, which is
undergoing extensive renovation. We continue onto
Pittsburgh this morning, a city whose name is synonymous
with the coal and steel industry. The city’s wealth contributed
to its rich cultural heritage and few patrons were as generous
as Andrew Carnegie, a Pittsburgh-based industrialist who
made his fortune out of steel and endowed many of the city’s
cultural institutions. Tonight we have dinner in the hotel.
Overnight Pittsburgh (B, D)
Monday May 22
Private tour of fallingwater
We depart Pittsburgh early today and make our way to Frank
Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater where we enjoy a private interior
tour of the house. Completed in 1939, its dramatic setting
over a river and revolutionary modernist architecture made
the house instantly famous. Built for the wealthy Kaufmann
family, who made their fortune in retail, Fallingwater was a
private retreat until the early 1960’s, when the house and
several hundred acres of land around it were entrusted to the
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. We also visit nearby
Kentuck Knob, a private house built for the Hagen family in
1954 and a good example of Wright’s later style. The current
owner, Lord Palumbo, has also installed an impressive
contemporary sculpture garden on the property. We return to
Pittsburgh this evening. Overnight Pittsburgh (B)
Tuesday May 23
Warhol and New York
Before departing Pittsburgh today we visit the Andy Warhol
Museum. The sometimes controversial artist was a
Pittsburgh native, and the recently-opened museum contains
a broad sampling of his oeuvre. We then head to Pittsburgh
airport for our afternoon flight to New York. After checking
into our centrally located hotel we’ll enjoy dinner at a local
restaurant. Overnight New York (B, D)
Moving around New York
Most of our travel from site to site in New York will be in
taxis. Taxis are much faster than buses and give us total
flexibility in the program. On one or two occasions we
will also use the city’s subway system. Please note that
there is considerable walking in the New York section of
the tour.
Images left: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Kentuck Knob; the view from
the living room towards the west terrace at Fallingwater; and
Andy Warhol’s self portrait at Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh
Wednesday May 24
MidTown Art Deco
This morning we explore some of the Art Deco modern
architecture of New York’s Midtown district. We explore
icons such as the Chrysler Building, the Waldorf-Astoria
Hotel and the General Electric Building. We enjoy lunch at
Cipriani Dolci, located in the main hall of Grand Central, a
magnificent Beaux Arts building. The afternoon and evening
are free. Overnight New York (B, L)
Thursday May 25
MoMA
This morning we enjoy a private tour of MoMA, New
York’s famous Museum of Modern Art, enjoying the
museum’s greatest works before the museum opens its
doors to the public. Following the tour you have free time to
explore the museum’s collections. In the afternoon we head
downtown to walk down Wall Street and visit the moving
September 11 memorial at the World Trade Center site.
This evening we head to the theatre district for a top-flight
Broadway show. Overnight New York (B)
Friday May 26
GLASS House
We travel by train to Connecticut for a tour of Philip
Johnson’s Glass House. Designed by Johnson for his own
residence, the house was derived from Mies van der Rohe’s
Farnsworth House and is an essay in minimal structure and
the effects of transparency and reflection. The afternoon is
free. Tonight we enjoy a farewell dinner in a local
restaurant. Overnight New York (B, D)
Saturday May 27
guggenheim
On our final morning we take a detailed look at the
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum on Fifth Avenue, Frank
Lloyd Wright’s final architectural masterpiece and a New
York icon. Mid-afternoon we transfer to New York’s JFK
airport, where the tour ends. (B)
Extend your stay in New York
Our four days in New York concentrates on the city’s
architectural heritage. There is much, much more to
see, so please contact us if you would like to book
additional nights’ accommodation in New York.
Images right: the main hall of Grand Central, a magnificent
Beaux-Arts building; and Philip Johnson’s Glass House,
built in 1949 in New Canaan, Connecticut
Hotels
Hotels have been selected principally for their central
location.
 Chicago, The Palmer House Hilton (4 nights)
www3.hilton.com/en
A comfortable walk from Millennium Park, the Art
Institute of Chicago and Symphony Center.
 Madison Wisconsin, Madison Concourse Hotel
(2 nights) www.concoursehotel.com
Located in the heart of downtown Madison, close to
the lakefront and State Capitol.
 Buffalo, Hotel Lafayette (2 nights)
www.buffalobrewerydistrict.com
French Renaissance-style building incorporating a
brewery, 3 restaurants, apartments and boutique hotel.
 Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Omni William Penn Hotel
(2 nights) www.omnihotels.com
The last building venture of industrialist Henry Clay
Frick, the hotel is a stunning example of Art Deco style.
 New York, Warwick Hotel (4 nights)
www.warwickhotelny.com
The hotel sits adjacent to MoMA, in walking distance to
Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center.
Tour Inclusions
Included in the tour price
 All accommodation in carefully selected four star hotels
 All breakfasts, and selected lunches and dinners in
hotels and local restaurants
 Land travel by air-conditioned coach, rail or taxi as
required
 Economy class air travel from Madison to Buffalo and
Pittsburgh to New York
 Extensive background notes
 Background talks
 Services of Australian tour leader throughout tour
 All entrance fees to sites mentioned on itinerary
 Tickets to performances in Chicago and New York
 Qualified local guides
 Tips for all services stated as included in the itinerary
 Porterage of one piece of luggage at all hotels
Not included
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International air fares, taxes and surcharges (see below)
Travel insurance
Visa costs
Meals not mentioned in itinerary
Expenses of a personal nature
Air travel OPTIONS
The tour price quoted is for land content only. For this tour
we recommend Qantas or United who have regular flights
to the East Coast. Please contact us for further information
on competitive Economy, Business and First Class airfares.
Transfers between airport and hotel are included for all
passengers booking their flights through Academy Travel.
These may be group or individual transfers.
Enquiries and
bookings
For further information and to secure a place on this tour
please contact Jemma York at Academy Travel on
9235 0023 or 1800 639 699 (outside Sydney) or email
[email protected]
Weather on Tour
May is a great time to travel to the United States. Spring has
definitely arrived, but not the summer heat and humidity.
Expect daytime temperatures of 20-25 degrees Celsius,
dropping to 8-10 in the evenings. It is likely to rain on a few
days of the tour, so be sure to pack an umbrella and
waterproof jacket.
Fitness Requirements
of THIS tour
Grade Two
It is important both for you and for your fellow travellers that
you are fit enough to be able to enjoy all the activities on this
tour. To give you an indication of the level of physical fitness
required to participate on our tours, we have given them a
star grading. Academy Travel’s tours tend to feature
extended walking tours and site visits, which require greater
fitness than coach touring. We ask you to carefully consider
your ability to meet the physical demands of the tour.
Participation criteria for this tour
This Grade Two tour is designed for people who lead active
lives and can comfortably participate in up to five hours of
physical activity per day on most days, including longer
walking tours, challenging archaeological sites, climbing
stairs, embarking and disembarking trains and/or boats, and
a more demanding tour schedule with one night stops or
several internal flights.
You should be able to:
 keep up with the group at all times
 walk for 4-5 kilometres at a moderate pace with only
short breaks
 stand for a reasonable length of time in galleries and
museums
 tolerate uncomfortable climatic conditions such as cold,
humidity and heat
 walk up and down slopes
 negotiate steps and slopes on archaeological sites,
which are often uneven and unstable
 get on and off a large coach with steep stairs, train or
boat unassisted, possibly with luggage
 move your luggage a short distance if required
A note for older travellers
If you are more than 80 years old, or have restricted mobility,
it is highly likely that you will find this itinerary challenging.
You will have to miss several activities and will not get the
full value of the tour. Your booking will not be accepted until
after you have contacted Academy Travel to discuss your
situation and the exact physical requirements of this tour.
While we will do our best to reasonably accommodate the
physical needs of all group members, we reserve the right to
refuse bookings if we feel that the requirements of the tour
are too demanding for you and/or if local conditions mean
we cannot reasonably accommodate your condition.