Exhibition Catalog - Lawrence Technological University

to keep inside the house – a problem compounded
by Wright’s aversion to basements. A storage room
accessible only from the outside, which does not appear
on existing drawings, stands next to Gregor’s
workshop but it is not clear if this was a last minute
addition during construction or a later adjustment.
23
In the summer of 1943, Gregor indicated to Wright
that “the space below the house is quite complete
except for something by Carl Milles.” 60 He was referring
to the internationally famous Swedish sculptor
who had been in residence at nearby Cranbrook for
over a decade. Milles specialized in fountains, and his
work typically featured sinuous bronze depictions of
mythological beings. Wright was quite fond of Milles,
describing him as “probably the greatest” contemporary
sculptor and “the power behind the throne at
Cranbrook.” 61 There is no indication, however, that
Milles created any work for the Afflecks.
Gregor also inquired about an outdoor fireplace and
a nursery, the latter necessitated by Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
62 She would give birth to a daughter, named
Mary Ann, on June 8, 1944, Wright’s seventy-seventh
birthday. This query was the first indication that the
Afflecks needed more space. Gregor followed with
two letters to Wright in 1947 and another in 1951,
all claiming that Elizabeth wanted two additional
rooms. 63 During that time the Afflecks even began
to purchase some of the surrounding lots to the north
and west. Then in the early fifties Gregor came right
out and requested a new house to be located on
the recently-purchased properties. Gregor outlined
their requirements for Wright and in the process provided
insight into some of the existing house’s shortcomings.
He asked for “a really large living room,”
a hobby room for Elizabeth, a guest room, a larger
workshop for himself (without a washer and dryer in
it), a more distinct dining area as in Wright’s nearby
Melvyn and Sara Smith house (1946), and a kitchen
that could be accessed without going through the
living room. 64
Wright’s office responded with a set of detailed
drawings for a house in 1952. Named the “Pergola
House,” the residence was to be located on the Afflecks’
property up the hill to the northwest of the first
house. The Pergola House’s dominant theme was the
circle, and there was to be a long colonnade connecting
the house’s interior and exterior, semi circular
walls at all ends, a circular master bedroom, and a
circular outdoor terrace. The scheme was actually a
slightly altered version of an unbuilt house Wright designed
for Gerald Loeb of Redding, Connecticut, in
1944. The Afflecks reviewed Wright’s plans and made
some corrections, including two closets in Mary Ann’s
room, four bathrooms overall, more storage space,
and a well and pump. Gregor’s handwritten note to
the letter – “I am not so good at having sky lights keep
Photograph by Gregor Affl eck
Photograph by Sarah Denoyer