Progressive Dinner in Usonia

Photo courtesy of Roland Reisley.
Progressive Dinner in Usonia
Experience Usonia as never before with a private tour and
gourmet meal hosted by local owners Roland Reisley, Tony
Maddalena, Julie Wilsker and Michael Pinkus.
Saturday, September 7, 2013
4:00 p.m.
Pleasantville, New York
Proceeds benefit the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy.
Immediately following the Second World War, a group of New Yorkers
had a vision of modern cooperative living that differed vastly from the
suburban tract housing that was sweeping the nation. Today their legacy
lives on in Usonia—a National Register Historic District.
Encouraged by Frank Lloyd Wright, Usonia Homes, Inc. was founded in 1945.
In 1947 the young group purchased 97 acres in Pleasantville, New York and asked
Wright to design a site plan and be the supervising architect. The site, located just
35 miles north of Midtown Manhattan, was an idyllic setting close enough to the
city to commute but far enough away to be in a beautiful natural environment.
Wright responded with a series of 55 circular lots, similar to those he also used at
Okemos, the Acres and Parkwyn Village in Central Southwest Michigan. Although
the Town Board would adjust these lots to form polygons, the general outline of
Wright’s design approach remained unchanged.
Refund Policy: Due to the exclusive nature of the event and the
limited number of participants we
are not able to provide refunds for
cancellations received after Friday,
August 23 unless the reservation
can be refilled.
For more information,
contact the Conservancy:
preservation@savewright.org
312.663.5500
Seating is very limited.
Donation is $1,000 per person ($750 tax deductible).
Image courtesy of Roland Reisley.
Wright produced plans for five Usonia houses (two were not built). David Henken,
a former Taliesin apprentice and the driving force behind Usonia, served as general contractor for the Serlin and
Reisley Houses. The Serlin House
is constructed on a five-footsquare grid and the Reisley House
has a grid of four-foot equilateral triangles—emphasized by a
hexagonal rug. The basic elements
of both buildings are similar: local
stone, tidewater cypress and glass
over a red concrete slab. The Sol
Friedman House (1948), Wright’s earliest design for Usonia comprised of two interlocking cylinders, will be seen on
the walking portion of the tour.
Usonia is rarely open to the public. This will be an extraordinary opportunity to fully experience the community
with Roland Reisley, one of its original members. A walking tour will be followed by hors d’oeuvres at the Serlin
House. A multi-course gourmet dinner and wines selected especially for the event will be hosted at the Reisley
House. Dessert will conclude the evening at the Maddalena House. Once guests arrive at Usonia, on-site transportation will be provided as needed.
53 West Jackson Boulevard, Suite 1120
Chicago, IL 60604
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT
tel 312.663.5500
BUILDING CONSERVANCY
fax 312.663.5505
www.savewright.org