WRITINGS NEWSLETTER OF THE SETH PETERSON COTTAGE CONSERVANCY Volume XXXI, Issue 2 Fall 2019 DRAWINGDRAWING FRANKFRANK © Michael Pipher By Brian R. Hannan puts me in direct contact with the build- ONGOING ing, and it forces me to be more accurate or Michael Pipher, imitation is with what I’m seeing or what once was. F more than mere flattery. In mak- “When I sit and start to draw a Wright PROJECT ing ink-and-paper renderings of project, it is a learning experience each the buildings Frank Lloyd Wright de- time. As I draw, I am working out how CONNECTS signed — the ones that were built, lost everything works together.” along the way or never realized — he Pipher began making his drawings — ARCHITECT wants to learn. now numbering into the thousands — in “There is something special about the 1981. Among them are several el- physical act of sitting at a drafting table evations of the Seth Peterson Cottage, WITH WRIGHT’S and seeing a drawing come to life from which he first saw in 1996. He made his a blank piece of paper,” the New Jersey- most recent visit for a weekend stay in TECHNIQUES, based architect said. “A computer may July 2019. give you the ability to render a project “I remember being so excited about as almost life-like, but you don’t get the seeing the cottage brought back to life – VISION sense of the project — how one part re- lates to another, in my opinion. The pen continued on page 4 2 - WRITINGS FALL 2019 - 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT Camping is certainly a very popular activity at the park, but By Kermit Traska there a lot of things going on. One area of park activity that I would like to highlight is our WRITINGS park naturalist program. This year we hired a new naturalist, onsider the responsibility of leading a group, a board of C directors responsible for the maintenance, operation and Cindy Cseri. Cindy brings a great deal of enthusiasm to the po- WRITINGS is a semi-annual publication of the preservation of a work of art created by Frank Lloyd sition in addition to many years of experience here at Mirror Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy Inc. Wright. Responsible for the building not just for now but for Lake. Prior to accepting the part-time, limited-term naturalist the future as well. We have a diverse doard of directors from position, Cindy spent many years as the president and secre- • Editor/designer: Brian R. Hannan many backgrounds, including those that have studied at Talie- tary of the Friends of Mirror Lake State Park. • Coordinator: Kermit Traska sin. We were excited for Cindy to join our staff and saw a great • Submit articles and pictures to: The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy is a nation- boost to our programming because of her efforts. In 2019 the [email protected] wide organization devoted to the historic preservation of build- park hosted 58 naturalist programs serving more that 1,500 ings designed by Wright, as well as to the study of Wright’s visitors. That was a slight increase in total number of pro- career. The conservancy has an office in the Chicago area and grams, but a 40% increase in attendance at those programs. SETH PETERSON COTTAGE is beneficial to both Wright home owners and Wright public Cindy’s programs and the outside groups that she brought in CONSERVANCY INC. site administrators. There is an annual conference that includes were highly enjoyed by campers, day visitors and local res- tours of Wright homes and informational seminars on main- idents. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE taining Wright structures. Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy Some of the highlights include: International Crane Founda- board members have annually attended these conferences and tion, International Wolf Center, Ancient Instruments, kayak • President: Kermit Traska brought back helpful information as we consider the continued tours, guided hikes, geocaching and story times by the fire. She • First Vice President: Bill Martinelli preservation of the cottage. also hosted a full moon hike that saw close to 200 attendees! • Second Vice President: James Booth I had the opportunity to attend the Frank Lloyd Wright We are excited to see how 2020 turns out — Cindy already has • Treasurer: Catherine Sperl Building Conservancy conference in Los Angeles in early Oc- a lot of great plans in the works! • Secretary: Paul Wagner tober. There was a dinner for Wright home owners and public While we are excited about the programing, I also want to site administrators, including short presentations on six Wright acknowledge the generous support of the Seth Peterson Cot- MEMBERS buildings and seminars on maintaining Wright buildings. Em- tage Conservancy. Part of the conservancy’s work is to support phasis was placed on disaster preparedness and succession the park. To that end, the conservancy has generously sup- Claire Barnett, Jim Draeger, Tim Heggland, planning. ported the naturalist program through an annual donation to the Melissa Kincaid, Dr. Steven Kincaid, Carolyne The conference offers an opportunity to meet with other Friends of Mirror Lake State Park, which matches or exceeds Kotchi, Marc Londo and Beth Zondag-Traska Wright public site administrators and share experiences about those funds to pay the wages for the naturalist position. With- making the Wright experience for our visitors. We find that out the generous support of the conservancy, the park would Ex-OFFICIO MEMBERS having the rental income is a great asset for us as most of the not be able to provide this valuable and appreciated service to other public sites rely mostly on tour revenue and limited our visitors. • Mark Blakeslee, President grants. We are fortunate! I often talk about all the groups and partnerships that are as- Mirror Lake Association The 2020 Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy annual sociated with Mirror Lake. This partnership between the con- • Ryder Will, Superintendent conference will be held in late September in Buffalo, New servancy, Friends of Mirror Lake State Park and Mirror Late Mirror Lake State Park York. We will have someone there. State Park is one of my favorite examples. Thanks to all those who have helped in this partnership over the years. CONSERVANCY STAFF COTTAGE PLAYS CAMEO ROLE While fall is a little slower time for visitation, we keep very MIRROR LAKE STATE PARK REPORT busy catching up on projects and preparing for the winter. We • Office Manager: Ron Dakter By Ryder Will, Park Supervisor see a lot of visitors enjoying our ski trails and snowshoeing op- • Marketing Coordinator: Gail Kohl IN NEW WRIGHT BIOGRAPHY portunities. F all is steadily easing into the park. Our fall colors are We also will partner with the Friends of Mirror Lake State RESERVATIONS I n researching his biography nearby Lake Delton. approximately a week or so behind where we would ex- Park to again host two torch-lit ski/snowshoe events this winter on Frank Lloyd Wright, au- Hendrickson devotes roughly pect them to be, but we are still seeing several visitors that are scheduled for the first Saturday in January and the first Sand County Service Co.: (800) 822-7768 thor Paul Hendrickson re- three pages — from a bit more out for the nice fall days. Saturday in February. lied on the assistance of Bill than 600 — to the cottage, telling Despite cool evenings and some raining days, we also are Please take some time to stop out and enjoy the park in the Martinelli, our first vice president readers about Peterson and relat- still seeing a good number of campers — particularly on week- winter. Vendors in the area rent skis and snowshoes, so just CONTACT US at the Seth Peterson Cottage Con- ing the cottage’s story of sad de- ends. Most of the campgrounds will start to close down this give us a call and we can point you in the right direction for servancy. While Hendrickson was cline and eventual rehabilitation. month, and we will be set for our winter camping season. gear. Website: www.SethPeterson.org initially interested in learning “I believe that this simple-seem- Yes, that’s right: There are people who camp all year round. As always, thanks for your support and interest in the Seth Email: [email protected] more about the Herbert and Kath- ing structure,” he writes, “can be We see campers almost every weekend throughout the year, Peterson Cottage. Cottage voicemail: (877) 466-2358 erine Jacobs House in Madison, thought of as one of Wright’s unless the weather is really bad. Even then, some folks still If you’re in the area, we hope you’ll stop by the park any- he was soon planning an outing to greatest works, bar none.” come out to camp. We leave six sites open all year. time to say hi to the staff. 4 - WRITINGS FALL 2019 - 5 DRAWING FRANK continued from page 1 from the first glimpse to stepping inside what is a little jewel box of architecture,” Pipher said. “There is something special about all Wright buildings, but Peterson has that little extra — a small, intimate space that’s so big and rich in architecture and his- tory. “For me, it doesn’t matter how many times I visit a Wright building. I am still moved emotionally and intellectually. You can never truly appreciate or understand a Wright space until you get to live in and in- teract with the space. The Peterson cottage is still heartwarming for me. It was a real treat to be able to spend two days at the cottage, wake up and be greeted by the cottage like an old friend.” When did you first become interested in Wright’s work? What appealed to you about his architecture? I first became aware of Wright in the early 1980s.