Hey hey USA - 10th October - Florida Southern College and Frank Lloyd Wright

 Anne wanted to take our niece Emma and us to Florida Southern College in Lakeland, about an hours drive away. We had seen Frank Lloyd Wright's home and studio in Chicago and had developed an interest in him so it was an exciting excursion for us. Nothing like a bit of concrete to enrich the soul!

Florida Southern College was founded in 1852 and moved to Lakeland in 1921, choosing a virgin site to build on. In 1925 Dr Ludd Spivey became the College president. The time had come for the college to expand. Spivey wanted to create a truly modern campus and decided that Frank Lloyd Wright was the man for the job. In 1938 Wright, then aged 71, came down to Florida to survey the ground, which lies on a gentle hill rolling down 80ft to Lake Hollingsworth. He decided to work with Spivey, as long as Spivey could raise the money for the project.

This collaboration has led to a unique campus of Wright buildings interlinked by a series of covered walkways known as the Esplanade, which run to over a mile in length. The five initial Wright buildings were constructed during the Second World War and student labour, mainly women was used to build them.

We parked at the visitor centre and had some lunch in the campus cafeteria which faces a large pond designed by Wright. Wright had always planned for the pond to have fountains producing a water dome, but this could not be done in his lifetime and was not realised until 2007.

The Pfeiffer Chapel was the first Wright building to be erected on the site, between 1938 and 1941 and the Danforth Chapel next door, using Wright stained glass designs, followed but not until 1955.

The E. T. Roux library and some seminar buildings went up in the early 40's.

The Watson Fine Buildings were realised in 1948. A you might expect these old concrete buildings are now very ripe for restoration.

The Lucius Pond Industrial Arts Building (1950-1952) has a circular lecture room, the Fletcher Theatre. This building is said to be Wright's favourite of all he designed for the campus.

The largest Wright building at the College is the Polk County Science Building (1952-58) and was the last to be erected in Wright's lifetime. It is rather strange as a lot of external pipework has been added since it was built. At the far end is a planetarium.

But what impressed me most about the campus was the ribbon of walkways. the Esplanade, that run between the buildings like a concrete river. These and the overhangs of the buildings create infinite small spaces where light can play and people can relax.

We went back to the visitor centre to collect the car. This building was modelled on a house designed by Wright for Spivey as a single family dwelling. The concept was that of his Usonian style, an affordable home for a typical American family. It was never built for Spivey but constructed in 2013 as the visitor centre. There was a water feature and a statue of Wright in the grounds.