Frank Lloyd Wright’s Laurent House featured in Landmark Ornament Collection
The only building in Rockford designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the Laurent House, is the featured ornament in the Rockford Landmark Ornament Collection for the 2012 holiday season at J. R. Kortman Center for Design.
The elegant Usonian home on Springbrook Road is actually represented on two different ornaments, one featuring the front of the house in Summer and the other, a rear view in a Winter setting. The hand-painted images on the ornaments are based on two paintings of the house by Rockford artist Jeanne Ludeke.
According to Doc Slafkosky, co-owner of J. R. Kortman, the two Laurent House ornaments are sold separately for $25. “You can purchase the set of both the Summer and Winter scenes of the house for $45,” says Slafkosky. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Laurent ornaments benefit the Laurent House Foundation.
The Laurent House, a world class architectural treasure, is the latest Rockford property to be designated a National Landmark. Kenneth Laurent, a paraplegic from a World War II injury, commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design the house for him and his wife, Phyllis in 1949. It is the only Wright building designed specifically to be fully handicapped accessible.
For 15 years J. R. Kortman Center for Design has been featuring hand-painted ornaments depicting Rockford landmarks. To celebrate this milestone year, the Kortman Gallery (located on the second level) is presenting a group holiday exhibition simply titled, “Landmarks,” which opened November 23rd. Twenty-four of some of Rockford’s most accomplished artists showcase works inspired by landmarks featured in the Rockford Landmark Ornament Collection.
Besides the Laurent House the Rockford Landmark Ornament Collection includes a special edition of Memorial Hall, the Woodward Governor building, and the North Main Street Armory. Other ornaments available in the Landmark Collection include “Guardians of the Rock” Sculpture by Theresa Agnew, the Beattie Park Gazebo, Sinnissippi Lagoon, the Rockford News Tower, the Faust Landmark Building, Coronado, and Midway Theater Buildings, and the Coronado stage, Sinnissippi Bur Oak tree, Old City Hall, and “Symbol” sculpture, the best selling ornament in the collection.
“Other top sellers include four ornaments depicting different scenes of the beautiful Nicholas Conservatory and Anderson Japanese Gardens,” says Slafkosky.
In addition to the Swedish Historical Society’s “Erlander Home,” other historic houses in the collection include the “Limestone Mansion,” home to the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois, and the “Cobblestone House,” located at 2127 Broadway, one of Rockford’s oldest houses.
All the Landmark ornament images are individually hand-painted on the inside of a glass sphere, utilizing an ancient Chinese technique originally applied to “snuff” bottles. Each collectable ornament is a miniature work of art. All ornaments with the exception of the Laurent House are priced at $22 each.
For more Info contact Doc or Jerry at 968-0123.
