Read about an excursion to the
Dana Thomas House and Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield
Frank Lloyd Wright buildings in Wisconsin
More Journeys
To The Islands
A Double Tribute
New Orleans
Oconomowoc
U505 Submarine
Freedom Trail
Topolobampo
Indian Lakes
Peterson Cottage
Amana Colonies
Bourbon Trail
Spirit of Peoria
Springfield
St. Louis
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 Of course there are many facets
involved in the planning of an excursion; one of the things that makes a
decision easier is to find a destination that requires but a single tank
of gas... for the entire round trip. There are many of those
places available -- some are well-known, while others are often located
right under our nose but often ignored for one reason or another.
One such gem is located just about an hour's drive north of Madison,
Wisconsin on Mirror Lake (located just outside of the Wisconsin Dells,
our round trip excursion totaled 355 miles and took a mere 10.75 gallons
of gas). Our selected destination was a small, one-bedroom cottage
of 880 square feet in size, located on a hilltop overlooking the
placid waters of Mirror Lake, in a remote area of the State Park there.
We were there to enjoy a Fall Color Boat Tour and Reception at the Seth
Peterson cottage, hosted by Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy, Inc.
Frank Lloyd Wright was perhaps the most prolific
and by far most influential architects of the twentieth century.
Over his 70-year career, he designed over 1,000 buildings... of which
over 400 were built (about 300 remain) -- an incredible statistic in and of itself. A
testament to his genius, many of the structures are now over 100 years
old and still standing. Interestingly, there are only four in
which you can actually spend a night or weekend... unless of course you
have the incredibly good fortune and wealth to own a Wright home.
 One of the very last Frank Lloyd
Wright-designed structures ever to be built, the Peterson cottage was
another example of Wright's Usonian homes, commissioned in 1958 by Seth
Peterson while Wright was finishing work on the Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum in New York -- a project that occupied some sixteen years of
Wright's life. Mr. Peterson however, never spent
a night in the cottage as he presumably committed suicide before the
place was finished. Whether or not Wright himself ever visited the
cottage is questionable; on April 9th, 1959 at the age of 91, Frank Lloyd
Wright passed away. For the next twenty-some years, the cottage
was left to the ravages of Mother Nature; time, neglect and the elements
nearly destroyed it. But, as luck would have it, a woman by the
name of Audrey Laatsch was canoeing on Mirror Lake one day when she
somehow spotted the ruins of the cottage up on the hill. Research
indicated that the crumbled cottage was indeed a Frank Lloyd Wright
design.
 Rehabilitation of the Peterson cottage
was not easy, nor was it cheap. But those volunteers dedicated to
the preservation of Frank Lloyd Wright-designed structures are resolute
and determined; many of those who were responsible for the restoration
of the Peterson cottage were local residents, and heading the group was
none other than Laatsch herself. Their efforts, starting with the
founding of the Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy (a non-profit
organization) in 1989 resulted in a $300,000 project that took three
years to complete and included elements (such as a radiantly heated
floor) from Wright's original design that apparently had never been
built. The work was finished and the cottage became available for
guest lodging in June of 1992, the 125th anniversary of Wright's birth.
Important to note is that the Seth
Peterson cottage is actually a rehabilitation ("repair" - perhaps with
different materials) and not a restoration ("return to original
condition") -- the difference being that although the design is the
original, some aspects, such as the thermal-pane windows created
especially for the cottage by Pella, are not. Personally, I think
it is splitting hairs, but I wouldn't want to broach that subject with a
Wright aficionado...
 The cottage is really only two rooms
(not counting the bathroom) but actually seems quite large; the
locally-obtained red sandstone in the walls and on the floor, along with
ambient and electric lighting create a comfortable and welcoming warmth.
A small, open kitchen is just to the right upon entering and is equipped
with a sink, an electric stove and refrigerator. Straight ahead is
the main room: a gorgeous view into the oak woods is available out the
south-facing, floor-to-ceiling windows and a monstrous fireplace can
provide a roaring fire when the mood or the weather demands. A
porch on the west side of the cottage provides a perfect place to enjoy
a view of the sun as it sets over Mirror Lake. The cottage is
perfect for a special getaway and it is available for overnight or for
longer stays. Best for one or two guests, the cottage will
accommodate up to four guests; it can fairly comfortably hold
twenty guests (There were about twenty-five of us in the cottage for the
reception) for special events or perhaps a dozen for special meetings.
 Perhaps one of my favorite parts of
our tour was the actual "Fall Color Boat Tour" portion of the day.
Three pontoon boats awaited us at the small dock at the end of the path
leading down the hill from the cottage. We had the good fortune to
have drawn Waldo Peterson (no relation to Seth Peterson) as our guide.
Easing back from the dock and heading down the narrow portion of the
lake toward the State Park boat launch, Waldo began to describe how
Mirror Lake had gotten its start -- he had actually grown up here as a
boy and had known the area when the land around Mirror Lake was
privately owned. In
1925, he quipped, a concrete dam replaced a wooden one constructed in
the mid 19th century, the purpose of which was to power a watermill to
grind local grain into flour. He also told us about the creation
of the State Park in 1962, pointed out special places of interest, like
"Pulpit Rock" (from where then-governor of Wisconsin Robert La Follette
-- driving force of the Progressive Movement -- spoke prior to his
election
to the U.S. Senate
in 1905),
the secluded cabin where many of the scenes from
Public Enemies
were filmed, and popular Ishnala Supper Club, as well as a unique rock
formation referred to as the "Devil's Post Office".
Perhaps the best "tour guide" (although not paid as such) we have ever
had, Waldo Peterson was one of the most incredibly easy-going and
likeable people I have ever met. Mostly he just smiled as he piloted us
along the stretches of the 137-acre lake that he loved, while he
reminisced about some of the colorful history of the lake and its
residents... The fall
colors from the maples were just beginning to show themselves and the
serenity was all-encompassing as the sun was setting on the placid
waters of Mirror Lake; it was easy to understand how the lake got its
name.
 The chill from the boat ride was
quickly replaced by the warmth from a blazing fire that awaited us back
at the cottage, along with hot cider, sandwiches, and conversation.
The tour had come to an end, but we had one final place to check out
before our day could be over. We stopped briefly at the
Hilton Garden Inn Wisconsin Dells for
a change of clothes and headed to the Del Bar Restaurant... conveniently
right next door. Designed by a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright, it
was a place at which we had always wanted to stop. The Master
Architect's influence is definitely visible -- in the lines of the
structure, in
 the design if the doors and in the interior as well.
It was a fitting way to end the day, just sipping a cocktail and munching on some delicious smoked salmon... and trying to decide when
the best time would be to plan a trip to stay at "The Seth" as Waldo had
referred to the Peterson cottage. And planning is certainly
necessary; the place is booked solid until November of 2010...
Even if you don't have a special event to celebrate, it's never too
early to start planning a reservation at one of the very few Wright
buildings in which you can actually stay -- and take as many pictures as
you like. If simply a tour of the cottage is more to your liking,
a
monthly open house and guided tour is available or, take the Fall
Color Boat Tour & Reception, as we did. Either way, this is a
perfect, one-tank-of-gas excursion!
Staff Writer, On the Fox
Text and photos property of Northern Sky
Designs, LLC ©2009
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