Location: Quasqueton, Iowa
Attraction: A house Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright

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When I was in Oral Communications in college, a gentleman did his speech on the architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Since then, I’ve had a deeper appreciation of architecture and an admiration for Frank Lloyd Wright. I’ve driven by a sign on highway 20 probably 100’s of times that mentions the Cedar Rock house by Mr. Wright, but haven’t been able to make it over to tour it until recently.

Jill and I both wanted to check it out so we decided to make a day date out of it. The tours are actually completely free of charge as the Walter’s donated the property to the people of Iowa since they had no children. It is well worth the drive to visit the house and we were lucky enough that the weather was nice, even though the flooding of Wapsipinicon River kept us from getting a good view of the boathouse.

The tour begins at a newer building that is part museum and part gift shop. It started with a guide talking about the property next to beautiful wooden boat that was owned by the Watlers and actually driven on the Wapsi River. The guide spoke about how the Walters earned their fortune, how they helped their neighbors during the depression by buying their properties but allowing them to still farm and many other facts about the couple. We were then directed over to a wagon pulled by a tractor and were given a ride to the actual home built by Frank Lloyd Wright (FLW).

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Once there, I was extremely surprised to see how simple the house was on the outside. It seemed very plain and unimpressive. But once we walked in, my opinion changed drastically. Nearly everything in the house was designed by FLW including the furniture. When you first walk in, there is a dark entry way with some neat looking decor including a cool desk. It was later explained that the other rooms were purposely give less light and design detail so the living room area was more impressive when you walked in.

And it was impressive. Heated floors, skylights, delightful furniture, plant life stemming from the actual dirt openings in the floor, all wrapped in glass windows and doors. I’m sure there were a lot of interesting parties held in this room. There is also a connecting thread that is strewn throughout the house. You’ll see different familiar shapes and treatments in the furniture and decorations.

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We followed the guide into the kitchen to see a very interesting 1950’s kitchen with the most high tech appliances of the time. The kitchen lead to a hallway where the bedrooms and bathrooms were tucked away. Each bedroom had a glass door that led to the beautiful yard. My favorite part of the yard was their huge fire pit. I’m sure hours and hours were spent relaxing by a warm fire by the Walter’s and their guests.

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We then walked to their boat house, but since the Wapsi was flooded, we couldn’t see the first floor. The second floor was another bedroom type of area. I’m sure this was a favorite spot for people to sleep and have the babbling river peacefully in the background.

After the tour, we decided to stop by Wolfies for some pizza and drinks. Both were delicious. It was another great date in the books.