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Thursday, September 24, 2015

Meyer May house

Our last outing on our vacation week, was to visit the Meyer May house in Grand Rapids.  This house was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and was built in 1908.  It was used as a private residence until 1985, and was quite run down when the Steelcase corporation bought it and restored it.  It was restored to the way it was in 1916.

 This house is in an area of Grand Rapids called Heritage Hill.  The streets are still cobblestone which I think is so cool!  The houses in this area are old and beautiful!  Here's a few that are on the same street.











There was even this fun, old truck.


Here is the Mercer May house.  It doesn't look like it belongs with the rest of those old beauties, does it?


 This is a photo of the house, with Mr May, his wife and 2 kids in 1916.



 Steelcase spared no expense in restoring this home.  These rugs were specially made, following instructions found in Frank Lloyd Wrights papers on the house.  The colors were specially dyed and this individual run was done for 4 sets of rugs.  They also ended up doing a special run of fabric for upholstering the furniture.


 The windows in the house were just gorgeous!



This mural was hidden under 6 coats of paint, that had to be specially removed so the mural could shine again.


 The dining rom.



 Light switches...



 A shower that was ahead of it's time. It mixes the water to ensure it was at the right temp!



 This is the master bedrooom.  How do you like those little beds?



 Pictures of the kids who lived there.



 This is the young daughters room.  I could stay here!


A section o the living room.
What a fun  place to tour!

15 comments:

Betsy Brock said...

Gorgeous! I think of all the FLW stuff, his windows are what I love the most!

Judy said...

What a beautiful place. I love when they restore the old roads like that.

Brenda said...

Love the June and Ward master bedroom! It's interesting how the house doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the neighborhood. More modern looking.

Changes in the wind said...

Love the Frank Lloyd Wright works....Got to see "Falling Water" and was in awe.

Brooke said...

i would fall out of that tiny little bed!!!

Heather said...

It looks cool to tour, but I think it is too modern for me. I love the other houses in the heritage hill neighborhood, the ones with the old Victorian feel. They are much more my style. I do like the light switches, though. They would be fun to have!

carrie@northwoods scrapbook said...

I just love Frank Lloyd Wright homes - especially his windows! I have been able to tour a few in the past. Just LOVED this Mari! Thanks for sharing. ;)
I want to just go for a walk down that charming street. It looks like a perfect back drop for a movie.
Happy weekend! xoxo

Sally said...

How very beautiful, Mari! I can only imagine how many hours it took to get the mural back. Mercy!

Love the streets also; we have a few here like that. :)

Isn't it just so much fun seeing old houses, and wondering who the owners are & how long they've lived there.

This is just an awesome post. Thank you for sharing!
xoxo

Cherdecor said...

I love the FLW windows, but I am with Heather. I like the Victorian style also. You know, we lived in a house one time that had those same light switches. Yes, they were cool!

Jean said...

What a place!! Those windows are absolutely beautiful!

Bethany Carson said...

I do love the windows as well! It seems a very neat house...though indeed different from the others in the area.

Arlene G said...

Love that house! We have some older friends here in Decatur who have a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired home! It is lovely as well.

Jenny said...

Ahhh, FLW! Keep it glassy! I am a total admirer of his work. This is gorgeous and I wish I could have seen it in person. xoxo

Laura said...

We loved touring it too. Definitely a very different style of house, but interesting to see why it was designed that way. I loved the windows too!

Just A Southern Girl said...

That's a place Ivan and I would love to visit some time! We both enjoy the chance to see houses that have been saved for their architectural influence. Looks like a very interesting house!