Once again master storyteller Tim Totten will delight and entertain you about Florida’s connection to Frank Lloyd Wright on Wednesday, August 5 at 6:30pm at the W. T. Bland Public Library in Mount Dora. Many thanks to the Mount Dora Library Association for sponsoring this program.
Begun in 1938 and continuing until Wright’s death, the relationship between this American architectural genius and a small Methodist college (Florida Southern College, Lakeland) in Central Florida is one of the longest of his career and turned out to be the one “experiment in community planning” that came to full fruition for the artist. Today, 14 of his structures anchor the campus, rising from the rolling grounds like a “Child of the Sun” as Wright so eloquently decreed.
A Personal Memory from Tim:
Even though I’ve visited more than 150 of the architect’s structures, Florida Southern College is, perhaps, the Wright site that means the most to me. When my mother bought my 13-year old self that first Frank Lloyd Wright book, my imagination was overtaken by his use of geometry and space. I knew I had to see more.
When I finally got a car and gained the trust of my parents, I sneaked away to Lakeland, where even dilapidated buildings and crumbling textile blocks held the promise of a better and more intelligently-designed future.
During the years in between, I’ve had the great fortune to travel across this country visiting sites and sharing the story of Wright and his revolutionary ideas about Architecture. Still, when I think about the one that excited me the most and jump started my journey, I always come back to Florida Southern College.
When Tim first visited Florida Southern College in the 90’s, the campus was falling apart. Fortunately, the current administration has been working to reverse the years of neglect and has embarked on a sustained, multi-million dollar project to restore the campus.
Join Tim for a tour of Florida Southern College on Saturday, August 8th. Call 352-242-8111 or visit www.nightwithwright.com to reserve your tour.
Wright in Your Backyard will be held at the W. T. Bland Public Library located at 1995 N. Donnelly Street in Mount Dora. All Library programs are free and open to the public. For additional information, call (352) 735-7180 option 5.