Author to share story of growing up in Frank Lloyd Wright house
What is it like growing up in a house designed by renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright? Kim Bixler, whose parents purchased the Wright-designed E.E. Boynton House in Rochester, NY in 1977, knows firsthand that the daring 1908 home is as unconventional as its architect.
Living with the public’s curiosity, playing hide-and-seek, coping with the habitually leaky roof and managing constant renovations make for an unforgettable story that inspired her book, “Growing Up in a Frank Lloyd Wright House.”
Bixler will recount the joys and pitfalls of living in the Boynton House at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 29 in a virtual presentation hosted by Skaneateles Library. The event is free, but registration at SkanLibrary.org is required to receive the link needed to attend. The 40-minute Zoom presentation will be followed by a question and answer session.
Despite the excitement of living in such famous quarters, Bixler witnessed the impracticality of some of Wright’s wondrous designs.
“The beauty of the house was indisputable,” she said, “but repair and restoration projects were underway non-stop at our house. My parents raced to keep one step ahead of the deterioration speeded by the elements. No stranger to harsh weather himself, Wright designed the Boynton House in an unforgiving climate that forced my parents to repeatedly open their checkbook.”
The Boynton House was purchased in 2009 and underwent a massive restoration and rehabilitation. The transformation was detailed in the PBS documentary Frank Lloyd Wright’s Boynton House: The Next Hundred Years.
Aware that Bixler was working on a book, the producers contacted her at the start of their project requesting her expertise on the home’s largely unknown history.
In addition to contributing her research findings, historical documentation and family photos, Bixler and her mother were filmed visiting the house several times during construction.
“Stunned amazement,” best sums up the reaction of both Bixler and her mother Karen Brown. “My folks kept the house together with Band-Aids and love,” Bixler said. “Thanks to the current owners, the Boynton house received the attention from expert craftspeople and financial support necessary to keep it standing for another 100 years.”
