You Learn Something Everyday

So I am relaxing on the Friday after Thanksgiving and my brother mentions that there are two Frank Lloyd Wright homes in Oskaloosa a small town located approximately 15 miles from my hometown of Lovilia. For reference Lovilia is all of 580 people and Oskaloosa is aroud 10,000.

So on our way back to Chicago we decided to take a drive past the Carroll Alsop house which is located in a very nice section of Osky. The Alsop house was pretty intresting and definitely stood out in the neighborhood it was situated...perched on a hill with a ravine running through the rear of the property and the house seemed to be in very good condition. The triangle home with numerous windows must provide a sense of being a part of the surrounding nature similar to what van der Rohe and Johnson achieved via their masterpieces.

As we drove past the house several times it reminded me of the day we were biking around New Canaan and stumbled upon Johnson's Glass House and had the opportunity to peak over the brick fence surrounding the property. Obviously, the Glass House has much more significance, regardless it is pretty cool to stumble upon the work of a true master.

Growing up I was not interested in architecture, and for that matter the architecture in Iowa is not the interesting. Now that I have a better appreciation I am amused that there are two homes so close designed by someone of Wright's stature. 

Now on to another fact I learned as I researched the Alsop house. I was a big fan of the HBO series Deadwood and specifically of the character Al Swearengen played by Ian McShane. So not only does Osky have great architecture but it is also home to a very colorful character from the Wild West days, and if even half of the dialogue on the HBO show is accurate, Swearengen was smart, cunning and master of the English language.

My grandfather spent some time in and around Oskaloosa in his early years, I wonder if he ever encountered the notorious Mr. Swearengen in his youth?