Exhibition Catalog - Lawrence Technological University

Photograph by Harvey Croze
Photograph by Harvey Croze
Photograph by Harvey Croze
a privacy too, afforded by the general arrangement
here that is unknown to the current ‘boxment,’
Wright boasted of the Usonian houses.
“Withal, this Usonian dwelling seems a thing loving
the ground with a new sense of space, light, and
freedom – to which our U.S.A. is entitled.” 48
This vista from the living room, accentuated from
the outdoor terrace, takes advantage of the site’s
unique characteristics and enables the occupants
to view natural surroundings from deep within the
house. And in so doing it may tap into something
rooted in our subconscious minds. One of the most
interesting of Wright’s design techniques is his use
of what has been termed “prospect and refuge.”
Popularized by British geographer Jay Appleton
in the 1970s, prospect and refuge theory relates
to what appears to be an innate human attraction
to places that are secure and hidden (refuge)
while also offering a protected and elevated view
of the surroundings (prospect). The theory postulates
that this attraction evolved on the African savannah
during Homo sapiens’ earliest days, helping
our ancestors survive in a hostile environment. 49
Wright began to experiment with prospect and
refuge in his “Prairie Style” houses and continued
in the Usonians. The Affleck house demonstrates
the concept well. Inside the low-ceilinged living
room, looking out through the transparent wall at
the trees beyond, one gains a sense of safety and
solitude.
Another design element Wright incorporated
into the Affleck house is the principle of compression
and release. Actually an ancient technique,
seen as far back as megalithic tombs of prehistoric
times, compression and release deals with
the viewer’s psychological experience of space.
It involves leading the visitor in sequence from a
small, constricted space to a larger, open one.
The psychological effect of this series of experiences
makes the second, larger space appear even
more spacious. Wright may have learned the
technique from Louis Sullivan, his acknowledged
mentor from the early days of Wright’s career. In
the Affleck house this can be seen at work when
entering through the main door. After walking under
the extremely low carport roof, which imparts
a feeling of compression, and through the entry,
the visitor encounters the loggia, which explodes
to two stories and is full of light. A similar sensation
is conveyed when walking through the living room
– which is dark and enclosed with a rather low ceiling
– and out onto the terrace and thus to a place
without walls or ceilings.
The living room’s northern end was for dining.
Wright attached a row of shelves to the wall for the
Afflecks’ to display their dinnerware, and made a
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