Tag Archives: Frank Lloyd Wright

Jul 11 2017

SBCS Chicago 2017: Places to Go, Sights to See!

Peripatic traveller and souvenir building enthusiast, David Savanyu, reminds us that there are lots of interesting things to see and do around Chicago this August. Filling the days surrounding the SBCS Convention is easy.  Given the various Frank Lloyd Wright special exhibits (150th Birthday anniversary) around the country this year those exhibits near Chicago for this mighty midwesterner are appealing.  The SBCS Convention has a scheduled 4-hour Frank Lloyd Wright tour visiting sites in Illinois from downtown Chicago to Oak Park.  David also recommends sites in  the neighboring state of Wisconsin, all within driving distance and some with free reservations.

Johnson Wax Building and Wingspread, Racine, WI

Taliesin East, Spring Green, WI

Monona Terrace, Madison, WI

SBCS Member paying homage to Frank Lloyd Wright statue at Florida Southern College. Lakeland, FL. 2015.

David also suggests visiting Farnsworth House  (Mies van der Rohe, German/American architect), in Plano, IL

If you collect miniature buildings – not for the architects – but for what they hold or represent – here are some other sites to check out during your Chicago visit as represented by  Kneisel Collection pieces that will be available at the Convention – Shop & Swap, Raffle, or Auction.

 

sb_field_museum.jpg

Field Museum Souvenir Building

Field Museum (marvelous ethnographic collections)

 

Museum of Science and Industry Souvenir Building

Museum of Science and Industry (Robots are in this summer)

 

Shedd Aquarium Souvenir Building

Shedd Aquarium (Jazz program or Amphibian Exhibit)

 

Adler Planetarium Souvenir Building

Adler Planetarium (the night sky over Chicago in 1913 at the historic Atwood Sphere):

 

Picasso Sculpture miniature replica

Picasso Sculpture (the no-name sculpture in big-name Daley Plaza):

Jul 4 2017

SBCS CHICAGO 2017: Early Registration Deadline July 10!

2017 SBCS Convention City – Chicago

Chicago 2017 – 52 Days and Counting!
I hope you’re as excited as we are about the Convention. Our Canadian members just celebrated Canada Day July 1, and it’s July 4th for most of the rest of us… our apologies to The Netherlands! August 25th will be here before you know it, and we will be in Chicago, the windy city.
Ya know, Windy City is not about the breeze coming off Lake Michigan. It’s what New Yorkers thought about the non-stop speaking of the Chicago delegation in NYC who were determined to convince the World’s Fair Committee that they were the right city to celebrate the Columbian Exposition. They didn’t stop talking until they won that honor, earning them the nickname Windy City, and creating the White City in 1893.

 

 

Great Wheel, George Ferris, 1893, Chicago
Great Wheel, George Ferris, 1893, Chicago
The Rookery - Burnham & Root 1888, LaSalle & Adams St. Chicago
The Rookery – Burnham & Root 1888, LaSalle & Adams St. Chicago
1905 Frank Lloyd Wright Renovation of Rookery Lobby
1905 Frank Lloyd Wright Renovation of Rookery Lobby

History of Chicago & Sunday Walking Tour
Chicago native Joan Kane will be at the convention this year. At our Friday night reception Joan will deliver a short talk about the History of Chicago.
On Sunday Joan will lead an early-morning walking tour along Dearborn St. where we will see an architectural history of Chicago, from old to new!
FUN FACT – Grant Park is built on cinders of the 1871 Great Fire of Chicago.

Registration: Early Registration Deadline is July 10!
Fellow SBCS’ers. It’s time to register. In fact, let’s sweeten the pot.
If you have your registration and payment in to Katharine by July 10, not only will you skip the late fee, we will enter all of your names into a draw for one of three Early Bird Prizes! Yes… Prizes! We like that.

The Frank Lloyd Wright bus tour is going to be amazing. No other way to describe it. Three hours of FLW – what else could you ask for? To book this private bus tour we had to promise a minimum of 25 bums in seats, so be sure to sign up for a seat on this fabulous FLW adventure.

Saturday’s Swap and Shop
This past week, the Bob Kneisel Collection Committee sent Michael and I a list of all the Kneisel buildings and monuments that are going to be in Chicago for the Swap Meet and the Auction. Yow! We want them all. Be sure you are in the room when these are unleashed. Here are a few examples.

 

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Pizza Night
For all of you who are arriving before Friday, Michael Emrick will be organizing a Thursday Pizza Night. More time to schmooze. Stay tuned for details.

Registration… Registration ….REGISTRATION!
We are looking forward to a flood of registrations this next week or so.
Please fill out your registration form and send it to Katharine.
Click here to access the Registration Form

Book your room now:  Click here for the Homewood Suites SBCS Member Reservations.             Our block of rooms is almost booked up.
We may be able to add a few rooms, but we’d have to do that soon.
Please book as soon as possible to get SBCS’ amazing rate.   The Homewood Suites are just 350 feet from the GRAND/STATE  STREET Red Line Station and easy connections from the airports and to the famous LOOP.

The Loop

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See you in Chicago…
Mark Fine & Michael Emrick

May 27 2017

SBCS 2017 CONVENTION: Building toward Chicago

Chicago River Cruise. Photos courtesy of Chicago Architecture Foundation
Chicago River Cruise. Photos courtesy of Chicago Architecture Foundation
Frank Lloyd Wright Tour
Frank Lloyd Wright Tour
Hurtley House
Hurtley House

The plans are coming together for the 2017 Convention of the Souvenir Building Collectors Society to be held in Chicago, IL on August 25-26-27. Click here for Mark and Mike’s update letter.

Here is the general outline of the three days.

Friday, August 25:

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Saturday: August 26:

  • EARlY AM: Chicago River Cruise – 50+ iconic Chicago buildings on view.
  • LATE AM: SBCS Business Meeting and Swap Meet (convention hotel). Some of the buildings from Bob Kneisel’s bequest to the Society will be available in the Swap Meet and others in the evening’s auction.
  • EVENING: Saturday Night Banquet (off-site venue) Raffle, Auction and Merriment!

Sunday: August 27:

  • Stay Tuned
Mar 12 2017

Links to Current and Upcoming Exhibitions

Just a reminder that your key link to updates on SBCS 2017 Convention in Chicago is this SBCS website.

1933 Chicago Worlds Fair Keys (8.5 and 10 Inches in length). Labeled buildings pictured include: Travel and Transport, Hall of Science, Fort Dearborn, Lindberg Beacon, Sears, General Motors, Federal and States Building.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME: Architectural souvenirs from the 17th-19th century are being showcased, courtesy of the Piraneseum Collection,  from January 21 – August 13, 2017 in the International Terminal Main Departures Hall of San Francisco International Airport.  The following links take you to the SFO exhibition posting, and to an article in Travel and Tour World.

All Roads Lead To Rome: 17th-19th Century Architectural Souvenirs

Travel and Tour World: SFO January 19, 2017

KLM Delftware Miniature Buildings:  If you have any of the Delftware Houses in your collection, you will probably enjoy this February 2017  blog post on the KLM website.

KLM Collectible Delftware Houses

Frank Lloyd Wright Retrospectives: There are a number of exhibits and articles regarding the 150th anniversary of FLW’s birth.  The International Cryptozoology Museum is planning a mini-exhibit in June 2017.  MOMA, Museum of Modern Art, in NYC is mounting an exhibit which will run from June 12 to October 1, 2017.

International Cryptozoology Museum Blog

ARCHITECT MAGAZINE

Models of Historic and Modern Mosques: In its Architecture Gallery, The Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia has an extensive model collection of mosques throughout the world

Architecture Gallery Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia

 

Jun 22 2016

SBCS 2016 Los Angeles Convention Memories

 

2016 SBCS Convention Commemorative. Hollyhock House. Mfg. InFocus Tech.
2016 SBCS Convention Commemorative. Hollyhock House. Mfg. InFocus Tech.
Hollyhock House. SBCS 2016 Convention Commemorative by InFocus Tech.
Hollyhock House. SBCS 2016 Convention Commemorative by InFocus Tech.
Hollyhock House, Barnsdall Park. View through Courtyard to Living Room. Note the Hollyhocks in the garden.
Hollyhock House, Barnsdall Park. View through Courtyard to Living Room. Note the Hollyhocks in the garden.

The 2016 Souvenir Building Collectors Society Convention in Los Angeles is history. Yet no one who attended will forget the camaraderie, the tours, the member exhibits, the swaps, sales, raffle and auction action. The 2016 Convention Commemorative, made by InFocus Tech, of Hollyhock House will keep the memories bright.

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Besides the Commemorative Souvenir Building of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Hollyhock House in Barnsdall Park, Los Angeles, a handout listing souvenir buildings and monuments in the LA area was distributed. Click here to download a pdf of the listings.

The 2017 Convention will be held in Chicago in October. Planning is underway and updates will be posted on this website on the 2017 Convention page. Keep watching.

Jul 5 2015

SBCS Miscellany

Cast Metal Model of the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

Cast Metal Model of the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

Following the SBCS Convention tour of the Florida Southern College Architectural District, a collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, it was observed that a miniature of the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel had been created as a building fundraiser some time in the 1930s.  Steven and Ethan C have a one in their collection. It was purchased about 2010 from a collector in Atlanta who would only part with one of a pair of bookends.

Photo of Annie Pfeiffer Bookend

Annie Pfeiffer Chapel bookend single. Width – 6 1/2”, Ht. 5 1/2”, Depth – 1 1/2”. Private Collection.

CHECK OUT THIS COLLECTION!

Photo of Community Collections marquee

Community Collections: A Sampling fo Souvenir Buildings. Photo courtesy of Anna Grant

Community Collections: A Sampling of Souvenir Buildings. View at the City Reliquary Museum. Exhibit closes in September 2015.

Community Collections: A Sampling of Souvenir Buildings. View at the City Reliquary Museum. Exhibit closes in September 2015. Photo courtesy of Anna Grant.

The City Reliquary Museum in Brooklyn, NY is showcasing in their Community Collections exhibit: “A Sampling of Souvenir Buildings” from the collection of SBCS President Joe Kopitz.  They can be viewed in person at the Museum, on the City Reliquary Museum Facebook page and on the Souvenir Building Collectors Society Facebook page.

FACE BOOK Friend Days:

Of late, the Souvenir Building Collectors Society Facebook page has been hosting some lively discussions and a spate of interesting souvenir building photo postings requesting and receiving identifications. Carolyn C. kicked off these discussions on a Wednesday some weeks ago with a “Where Is It Wednesday?”.This has morphed into “Who Has It Wednesday?”, “and “What Is It Wednesday?” with resulting ID’s and pictures of the actual buildings.

Photo of Dormition Church
Where Is It Wednesday? Identified as Dormition Church, Kondopoga.
Photo of Maine-Montparnasse
Friday Finds: Resin Replica of Maine-Montparnasse Tower, Paris.

 Added to this ‘Day of the Week’ conversation is “Throwback Thursday” and “Test Tarun Thursday” (Tarun V. having shown an unbelievable rapidity in identifying previously unidentified souvenirs). And Tarun has contributed another category, “Friday Finds.”

Become a member of SBCS and join the conversation. Click here for Membership Information.

May 22 2015

2015 Convention Finds and Membership Alerts

Membership Alerts:

NOW AVAILABLE under the MEMBERS ONLY tab:

  1. Volumes 1 to 5 of the JOURNAL OF THE SOUVENIR BUILDING COLLECTOR SOCIETY are now available for download in the Membership section of the website.  Members Only / SBCS Newsletters / Listing of Back Issues.   Go to the bottom of the page.
  2. Jay M, Michael E, and Joe K have contributed photos from the 2015 Convention that can be viewed at Members Only / Convention Photos / 2015.  Roll over caption to get full captions. If you have pictures to share, please forward them.  Also, check out the public tab, 2015 Convention Redux.  We’ll keep it up for a while and could use some photos.
  3. We could use some more pictures of buildings and monuments acquired during the convention to post and increase the number of buildings that will come up in a internet search.
  4. Lance Oldham’s definitive work Banthrico Buildings, Then and Now. Check it out and download it for your research files.

    Front Cover of Bantrico Buildings, Then & Now

    Front Cover of Banthrico Buildings, Then and Now by Lance G. Oldham

WANTED:

Photos and descriptions of your souvenir buildings / monuments / statues with a Los Angeles City, Los Angeles County, or Orange County location. We will start posting some of these photos as a run-up to the June 10 – 12, 2016 SBCS Convention in Los Angeles. A further intent is to create a locale (LA and Orange Counties) specific checklist for members. Email your photos to bookendcollector@bookendcollector.com.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION:

Head over to the Souvenir Building Collectors Facebook page and keep the conversation lively.

2015 Convention Fun and Finds:

Elizabeth L. and Joe K.  took advantage of the “First to Fly” promotion for the Orlando EYE and got the birds-eye view of the Orlando countryside.  Joe took 2 flights and received 2 commemorative “First to Fly” pins.  Joe said, “While there is not that much to see while up in the sky (after all, it is in central Florida – not on the edge of the Thames), there are several worthwhile sites to discover and see from a different perspective”.

Orlando Eye
ORLANDO EYE
View of Central Florida
View of Central Florida from high up on the rotation of the Orlando Eye.

Katherine and Jerry tickled Frank Lloyd Wrights’ fancy.

Frank Lloyd Wright Statue

Frank Lloyd Wright Statue, Florida Southern College, Lakeland, FL

Donna S. picked up 2 keys to the 1933 Century of Progress, Chicago’s World Fair, at an antique mall in the city of Winter Park.  Of course, the keys had buildings depicted on them.

Keys to the 1933 Chicago World's Fair

Keys to the 1933 Century of Progress, Chicago World’s Fair. Gray Metal, 8 1/2″ and 10″ in length.

On his way out-of-town, Joe K. found a $1 treasure at the Belville Corner Old Time Market in Bushnell, FL.

Photo of Firemen's Memorial Monument
Firemen’s Memorial Monument, Department 56, American Pride Collection, Ht – 4 1/2″, W – 6″, Depth – 2 3/4″. Composite (plastic)
Base of Monument
Base of Monument
Reverse of Monument
Reverse of Monument

The Swap and Shop tables, the after dinner raffle, and the auction yielded more treasures for the 2015 convention attendees.

Photo of Auction/Raffle Items

Checking out the Auction and Raffle Items

Photo of miniature General Motors Building

Even a bashed up General Motors, Detroit, MI miniature building is all good if you don’t have one in your collection. Grey metal, 3 1/2″ in height.

 

 

May 6 2015

2015 SBCS Convention is IN THE BAG!

The Souvenir Building Collectors Society 2015 Convention in Orlando, Florida is in the bag. The next gathering will be June 10-11-12, 2016 in Los Angeles.

As SBCS members trickled out of Orlando, they carried bags of memories and packed suitcases of small buildings.

SBCS 2015 Commemorative, Orlando City Hall, pewter, Height 2 1/4

SBCS 2015 Commemorative, Orlando City Hall, pewter, Height 2 1/4″, Width 3″, Mfg. Infocus Tech.

Early arrivals were treated to a walking tour of historical downtown Orlando, which included the SBCS & SBCCA Exhibit of miniature buildings in the Orlando City Hall Rotunda. This exhibit runs until May 9th.

Photo of SBCS & SBCCA Exhibit Board
SBCS (Souvenir Building Collectors Society) and SBCCA (Still Bank Collectors Club of America) Orlando City Hall Exhibit 2015
Photo of S&P and souvenir buildings
Collection of small building replicas as Salt and Pepper Shakers and other types of souvenirs
Souvenir Buildings and Monuments
Souvenir Buildings and Monuments

SBCS Attendees caught up with each other at our hosts’ Meet & Greet soiree. Many shared stories of their newest or their special souvenir building finds.

Meet_Mingle1

More memories were added to the bag with the fantastic tour of one of the largest collections of buildings by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright at the Florida Southern College campus in Lakeland, FL.

Annie Pfeiffer Chapel, Florida Southern College, Frank Lloyd Wright architect

Annie Pfeiffer Chapel, Florida Southern College, Frank Lloyd Wright architect

Just in case you get lost!

Just in case you get lost!

 

One member found a photo of a cast metal model of the the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel that was sold to raise money for building the chapel.  Have you seen one?

Cast Metal Model of the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

Cast Metal Model of the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel

The Swap Meet on Saturday gave everyone a chance to trade, sell, or buy souvenir buildings. More treasures were added to the suitcases with the annual auction and raffle. It was hard not to go home with more real estate!

Photo of Raffle Participant
Photo of Raffle Winner