Wright in Lakeland, FL

We plan to visit several Frank Lloyd Wright homes on this trip, but had no idea that his greatest concentration of work is at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. The college was in financial trouble and ready to close when Wright was invited to design a collection of buildings known as “Child of the Sun.” This is the largest collection of his buildings in one place and typical of his designs, like placing ceilings so low that the very tall student answering our questions had to cock his head. The work in which the students participated in design and construction turned the college around and, according to them, helped the school to become successful.

The buildings include two chapels, a planetarium and several classrooms. They are built of wood and cement. Unfortunately, like many of his structures, they are suffering from some disrepair.

The main feature touted on the tour is the Dome Fountain outside the library. It sprays several times a day and, on this mostly sunny day, the water color created by the fountain consisted of various lovely shades of blue. Other buildings on the campus are designed by fellows from Wright’s Taliesin Institute.