Exhibition Catalog - Lawrence Technological University
Exhibition Catalog - Lawrence Technological University
Exhibition Catalog - Lawrence Technological University
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Photograph by Megan Smith<br />
Photograph by Megan Smith<br />
out water” – suggested further problems with the<br />
existing house. 65 Despite the considerable amount<br />
of work invested in the drawings, the Afflecks never<br />
followed through with construction of the Pergola<br />
House, and no extra rooms were ever added to the<br />
original structure.<br />
The reason for this increased need for space, in addition<br />
to the knowledge gained from living in the<br />
residence for a decade, seemed to have much to<br />
do with unexpected circumstances in the Afflecks’<br />
personal life. When they originally commissioned<br />
the house, the couple told Wright they had “only<br />
three persons in our family, our son is 15, and in a<br />
couple years there will only be two.” 66 So Wright no<br />
doubt designed the house to be used in the long<br />
term by only two people. But shortly after completion,<br />
Mary Ann’s arrival boosted the occupancy<br />
once more to three. And at almost the same<br />
time a tragic event occurred in young Gregor<br />
P.’s life when a chemical explosion nearly blinded<br />
him while a student at Olivet College. Years later,<br />
Gregor P., now in his mid-twenties, was still undergoing<br />
periodic surgeries to remove glass from his eye,<br />
was unable to drive a car, and was living with his<br />
parents. Gregor and Elizabeth therefore conceived<br />
the Pergola House with the knowledge that they still<br />
had a young girl to raise and a semi-incapacitated<br />
young man to house indefinitely.<br />
Despite the temporarily crowded conditions,<br />
Gregor and Elizabeth Affleck loved their house and<br />
spent the rest of their lives in it. But like many Wright<br />
homeowners, enjoyment of their house came at<br />
a price. As an object of curiosity, the house attracted<br />
a constant stream of visitors and trespassers<br />
eager to glimpse Wright’s work. The Afflecks<br />
good-naturedly accepted their role as stewards of<br />
a work of art. In the late 1970s, Gregor P. estimated<br />
that his father’s visitors’ register contained nearly<br />
10,000 names, while Mary Ann recalled the special<br />
circumstances of owning a landmark house: “As<br />
I was growing up that was probably the biggest<br />
drawback; we could never sleep in on Saturday<br />
mornings because of the likelihood that someone<br />
would want to see the bedrooms – and mother insisted<br />
the rooms be spotless. I think we had people<br />
visit from almost every country.” She also claimed<br />
that “mother and dad enjoyed the unusual. . . And<br />
dad liked nothing better than to have his puttering<br />
around interrupted by a visitor who wanted to talk<br />
about the house.” 67 Wright himself came by whenever<br />
he was in town or at Cranbrook and the Afflecks<br />
hosted him on more than one occasion.<br />
Gregor was particularly fond of mentioning his<br />
wife’s regard for the house. Less than a year after<br />
moving in, he related to Wright that “the house has<br />
changed her outlook on life a lot and we even<br />
24