May 19, 2012

After touring the Affleck House, I drove over to the Smith House & it was love at first site (hopefully I can tour it at some point). 

“The Melvyn Maxwell and Sara Stein Smith House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1946 and constructed in 1949. It is a prime example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian design philosophy for housing the “common” man. The house is a one story structure of approximately 1,800 square feet. It embodies Wright’s design principle of “organically” blending with the house with the site and surroundings. The use of strong horizontal roof planes, cantilevers, and the landscape emphasize the integrated relationship of the structure.” (text from michigan modern; to learn more/see interior photos go there)

May 19, 2012

Today I toured the Affleck House in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.  The tour was meh, but it is always interesting seeing how a university runs/uses a historic home. (this may be my least favorite FLW house I’ve toured so far)

April 28, 2012
Historic Fort Wayne in Detroit, MI - for more information on what is currently happening at the site go here.  If you get the chance, you should go visit and support the preservation efforts being done at Fort Wayne.
“Fort Wayne is located in the city of Detroit, Michigan, at the foot of Livernois Avenue in the Delray neighborhood. The fort is situated on the Detroit River at a point where it is about a mile to the Canadian shore. The original 1848 limestone barracks (with later brick additions) still stands, as does the 1845 star fortification (renovated in 1863 with brick exterior facing). On the fort grounds but exterior to the original star fort are additional barracks, officers quarters, hospital, shops, recreation building, commissary, guard house, garage, and stables. Building continued on the site until 1931.
The fort sits on 96 acres. Since the 1970s, 83 acres, including the original star fort and a number of buildings, has been operated by the city of Detroit. The remaining area is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers as a boatyard. The fort was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.”

Historic Fort Wayne in Detroit, MI - for more information on what is currently happening at the site go here.  If you get the chance, you should go visit and support the preservation efforts being done at Fort Wayne.

“Fort Wayne is located in the city of Detroit, Michigan, at the foot of Livernois Avenue in the Delray neighborhood. The fort is situated on the Detroit River at a point where it is about a mile to the Canadian shore. The original 1848 limestone barracks (with later brick additions) still stands, as does the 1845 star fortification (renovated in 1863 with brick exterior facing). On the fort grounds but exterior to the original star fort are additional barracks, officers quarters, hospital, shops, recreation building, commissary, guard house, garage, and stables. Building continued on the site until 1931.

The fort sits on 96 acres. Since the 1970s, 83 acres, including the original star fort and a number of buildings, has been operated by the city of Detroit. The remaining area is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers as a boatyard. The fort was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1958 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.”

April 21, 2012

I made a tour reservation to go see the Affleck House next month (they only offer tours one day each month). 

“The first Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house to be built in the Detroit metropolitan area, the Affleck House represents one of the finest examples in the world of the architect’s Usonian style, the last great period of Wright’s career. Designed to exist in harmony with the home’s site and nature, the Affleck House was a part of Wright’s attempt to meet the need for low-cost housing for the average American. The importance of the house is borne by the fact that it was placed on the Michigan Register of Historic Places in 1978 and the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The Michigan Society of Architects includes the house among Michigan’s 50 most significant structures.”

(Source: ltu.edu)

April 11, 2012

I’m making a list of things to do before I leave Michigan/ the Midwest (Summer 2013).  The list currently consists of the following: go to the Renegade Craft Fair, go to Cleveland, go to Pewabic Pottery, go to the Farnsworth House, and go feather bowling.  What do you think should be on my list (keep in mind I’m on a graduate student budget, so nothing too outrageous)? 

February 22, 2012

Being a historic preservation graduate student has perks!  Today I got a tour of the Palmer House in Ann Arbor, MI.  The Palmer House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1950; currently the house serves as an informal (very expensive) hotel and is not open to the public.  I’m writing a paper where I re-imagine the site as a functioning historic house museum. For more information and photos click here. Oh, and almost all of the furnishings are original & the majority of them were designed by FLW; the built-ins made me drool.

January 18, 2012
Dear, Michigan People,

Be my friend.  The majority of the people in my graduate program are not interested in similar recreational activities.  I am interested in the following (not limited to this list): movies, historic houses, museums, punk/hardcore/motown, going to shows, books, hiking, karaoke, FOOD… blah blah lots of stuff.  This is kind of pitiful, but I’m here until end of summer 2013 & I would really like to meet some awesome people.

Sincerely,

Sarah

PS. Come hang out at the Bleached show next week.

January 14, 2012
winter finally arrived

winter finally arrived

8:47am
  
Filed under: winter michigan ypsilanti snow 
November 5, 2011

Today I went to: The Heidelberg Project, The Guardian Building, Detroit Eastern Market, Brush Park Historic District.  I also went to: Michigan Central Station, Slows Bar BQ, El Tovar Apartments, and a bunch of other historic homes.  Every time I visit Detroit, I fall in love a bit more.

October 31, 2011

Is anybody else on Yelp… let me read your food reviews?

October 22, 2011
I’m not ready for cold weather.

I’m not ready for cold weather.

October 17, 2011

I know that going to MEN tomorrow night would really make me beyond happy, but it’s $15 & 45 minutes away & I have nobody to go with.  tumblr, what should I do? suck it up because I’ll get to be near JD Samson/awesome music or accept that financially it is a bit of a stretch (extra info to calculate into your answer.. MEN is just the opener & for CSS)?

2:08pm
  
Filed under: Michigan MEN 
October 11, 2011
I just got an internship at Henry Ford Estate Fair Lane!

October 8, 2011

I’m an island within a peninsula.