Transcript
June 19, 1956
Dear Mr. Wright
I am a boy of twelve years. My name is Jim Berger. You designed a house for my father whose name is Bob Berger. I have a paper route which I make a little bit of money for the bank, and for expenses.
I would appreciate it if you would design me a dog house, which would be easy to build, but would go with our house. My dog's name is Edward, but we call him Eddie. He is four years old or in dog life 28 years. He is a Labrador retriever. He is two and a half feet high and three feet long. The reasons I would like this dog house is for the winters mainly. My dad said if you design the dog house he will help me build it. But if you design the dog house I will pay you for the plans and materials out of the money I get from my route.
Respectfully yours,
Jim Berger
Transcript
Dear Jim:
A house for Eddie is an opportunity. Someday I shall design one but just now I am too busy to concentrate on it. You write me next November to Phoenix, Arizona and I may have something then.
Truly yours,
Frank Lloyd Wright
Transcript
Dear Mr Wright
I wrote you June 19, 1956 about designing my dog Eddie a dog house to go with the house you designed for my dad. You told me to write you again in November so I ask you again, could you design me a dog house.
Respectfully yours,
Jim Berger
(Sources: Architizer & Deborah Wright; Image: Frank Lloyd Wright, via Wikimedia.And Letters of Note)
Eddie's House was a doghouse designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for the Berger family of San Anselmo, California, to be used by their dog Eddie. Wright designed Eddie's House to be in keeping with the family's home, known as the Robert Berger House, which he had previously designed. The plans for the doghouse were completed by Wright in 1957, and the four square foot triangular house was built in 1963. In 1973 Eddie's House was removed and thrown away, but in 2010 Jim and Eric Berger, sons of Robert Berger, rebuilt Eddie's House from the original plans for a segment in Romanza, a documentary film by Michael Miner about Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural works in California. The doghouse remains the smallest structure Frank Lloyd Wright ever designed. (here)
Information about FLW: here
great story, so sweet. Can't believe they decided to throw it away though. i'll be sharing this
ReplyDeleteJim and his brother rebuilt the doghouse years later, but yeah, what a shame to destroy it in the first place. This was a touching letter though
ReplyDelete