Loving Frank Lloyd Wright

Terry Teachout writes about "The Frank Lloyd Wright Field Guide," a book that explains how to see every house designed by master architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The list includes many private homes. Teachout notes that some of the descriptions imply stories untold:

The island is approachable only by boat. The island is guarded by dogs and a gate prevents getting past the dock. Only a small portion of the building can be seen from the water. The trained dogs are ever-present and have been known to chase passing boats" (A.K. Chahroudi Cottage, Mahopac, New York).

If you'd rather not sneak past the dogs, the novel "Loving Frank," by Nancy Horan, creates a fictional picture of the architect and his mistress, Martha "Mamah" Borthwick Cheney. Our reviewer writes, "Horan does a beautiful job of shading in the portrait of this artist-genius, from the scene of Wright rearranging the furniture in a fancy Berlin hotel room to his justifying all kinds of purchases he can’t afford as things he needs for his work."

If Wright were designing houses today, he might be able to afford a little more. The Millard House, a four-bedroom textile block house also known as La Miniatura, is for sale in Pasadena for $7.7 million. Other Wright houses are for sale as well, but expect to prove you're a serious buyer if you want a walk-through.

Here in Los Angeles, an easier way to see his work is to visit his Hollyhock House at Barnsdall Art Complex. Tonight, UCLA history and architecture professor Thomas Heinz will give free a lecture — in the gallery, not the house. The lecture will be titled "Modern Architecture and the Los Angeles Film Community."  House tours, which, according to staff, have recently been drawing "Loving Frank" readers, are $7.

— Carolyn Kellogg

Photo of Frank Lloyd Wright's Ennis House: Dale Kutzera / For The Times

Behind those books - a secret door!

I don't know if it was Nancy Drew or the board game Clue or Scooby Doo, but at some point I imprinted on secret doors. Particularly secret doors hidden behind bookshelves. Pull a book and - surprise! - the shelf swings open, revealing a hidden room (or secret passage, or steps going down, or something grisly).

Nowadays homeowners can get bookshelf-disguising doors of their own. There are multiple retail versions and at least one custom designer. What the bookshelves hide varies, from saferooms to unsightly laundry rooms to rooms that become wine cellars. Sadly, the products seem too major to try to install in a rental, unless you have a landlord with a sense of intrigue.

One Australian with DIY skills built the shelves above, which, in the spirit of hidden doors, open when you pull on a Sherlock Holmes book. While his shelves conceal nothing more than a broom closet, with his talents I bet he could construct a secret passageway -- maybe to a conservatory.

To see one bookshelf do its thing, check out the video after the jump.