Ultimate Plus Weekend Package
May 16-19, 2013
Spend a long weekend with Wright Plus and extend the magic of the renowned Housewalk into six spectacular events. Ultimate Plus is your all-access invitation to one-of-a-kind architectural experiences.
Featuring:
- Invitation-only Chairman's Reception in the spectacular lobby of Chicago's Rookery Building and private tour of the Rookery vault.
- Private Passage to Jens Jensen's Landscapes and Frank Lloyd Wright's Avery Coonley Estate, a delightful all-day excursion to explore the legendary landscape architect's legacy at three historic Chicago locations, followed by a private tour of the famous Wright-designed Coonley estate in the exclusive suburb of Riverside. Ultimate Plus Exclusive.
- The celebrated Wright Plus Housewalk. Fast Pass allows immediate access to all Housewalk homes. No waiting in lines.
- A private lunch and tour of the historic Elizabeth F. Cheney Mansion exclusively for Ultimate Plus guests on the day of the housewalk.
- Exclusively Wright Dinners, private dining at an exquisite Wright-designed home.
- A gourmet breakfast at the hotel and a private tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's Frederick C. Robie House.
- Three nights' accommodation in a deluxe room (double occupancy) at the historic Carleton of Oak Park, Official Hotel of Wright Plus 2013. Includes welcome basket.
- Transportation to and from all events as well as a Sunday drop-off at Chicago's O'Hare airport.
Ultimate Plus Weekend Package:
SOLD OUT
$2400 FLWPT member; $2650 non-member
Single room supplement: $350
Purchase a membership today to receive member pricing.
Chairman's Reception
Thursday, May 16.
5:30 to 7:30 pm.
Private tour of The Rookery Vault, 5 to 5:30 pm. Ultimate Plus Exclusive.
Start your Wright Plus experience with an elegant reception in the beautiful 1905 Wright-designed lobby of The Rookery Building in the historic financial district of downtown Chicago. Tour the Rookery Vault storage – usually closed for public access – and view catalogued architectural items from recent renovations, including ornamental ironwork. Mingle with fellow Ultimate Plus guests, Wright enthusiasts, and VIP guests at this invitation-only event and silent auction. Enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, and live music.
Private Passage to Jens Jensen's Landscapes and Frank Lloyd Wright's Avery Coonley Estate
Friday, May 17.
9 am to 5 pm.
Departs from: The Carleton Hotel, Oak Park, Illinois
Garfield Park Conservatory. Courtesy of Chicago Park District.
Your day begins with an exploration of three historically important Chicago Parks designed by famed landscape designer Jens Jensen. Chicago Park District Historian Julia Bachrach will lead a private tour of Jensen's naturalist approach, as expressed in Humboldt Park, Garfield Park Conservatory and Columbus Park. After lunch, we proceed to the grand Coonley residence in Riverside, a suburb planned by another pioneering landscape architect, Frederic Law Olmsted.
Courtesy of Dr. and Mrs. Eastman.
A rare opportunity to tour the privately owned Avery Coonley House will include access to the estate's sunken garden and elegant lily pool, carefully restored by the current owner. Built from 1907 to 1911 on a full city block along the Des Plaines River, the Coonley Estate was one of Wright's first large commissions and among his best efforts. The Coonleys admired "the countenances of principle" in Wright's work. "This was to me a great and sincere compliment. So I put my best into the Coonley House," Wright stated his autobiography. The all-day excursion includes breakfast, lunch and transportation via deluxe motor coach.
Ultimate Plus Exclusive.
Wright Plus Housewalk & Luncheon
Saturday, May 18.
9 am to 5 pm.
Elizabeth F. Cheney Mansion. Courtesy of Park District of Oak Park.
Ultimate Plus guests will receive Fast Passes to the Housewalk. Walk right into each home and avoid waiting in line. Join us at 12 noon at the Elizabeth F. Cheney Mansion (220 North Euclid Avenue, Oak Park) for a luncheon and tour of the property.
Luncheon and tour are Ultimate Plus Exclusives.
Exclusively Wright DinnersSM
Saturday, May 18.
6 pm to 10 pm.
Limited number of seats available for individual purchase.
Please contact Lise at 312.994.4012 for pricing.
Join current owners of a Frank Lloyd Wright home and dine on exquisite cuisine prepared by an acclaimed chef. The evening will include private tours, cocktails and live music as well as a chance to experience what it's like to dwell in a work of art. Limited number of guests per home. Transportation provided from the Carleton of Oak Park.
Please return to this site for additional Exclusively Wright Dinner homes and chefs.
Participating Frank Lloyd Wright Homes:
Isabel Roberts House (Frank Lloyd Wright, 1908/1956), River Forest, IL
Photograph: James Caulfield.
A remarkable blend of Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie and Usonian styles, the Isabel Roberts House spans Wright's career. The house was built in 1908 for his secretary and design assistant. In 1955, the owners hired Wright to renovate the house. Characteristics of the home include horizontal interior and exterior lines, a soaring interior balcony space and a Usonian-style stepped ceiling. The current owners have added a Prairie-style garage to the property.
Arthur B. Heurtley House (Frank Lloyd Wright, 1902), Oak Park, IL
Photograph: James Caulfield
Widely acknowledged as a masterpiece – also a National Historic Landmark – the Arthur Heurtley House was designed for a neighbor of Frank Lloyd Wright. With its broad chimney, low-hipped roof, and banded art-glass windows, the Heurtley House represents Wright's classic Prairie style in full bloom. Vaulted ceilings in the living and dining rooms make this home an unforgettable setting for a dining experience.
Peter A. Beachy House (Frank Lloyd Wright, 1906), Oak Park, IL
Photograph: James Caulfield
Few homes offer the warm, inviting and gracious atmosphere you will experience at the Beachy House. Reflecting Japanese influences from Wright’s 1905 trip, the design couples a cohesive Prairie-style interior with an atypical exterior. Will you marvel more at the evening’s delectable cuisine or the ambiance, with its glowing chevron-shaped lights and harmonious blend of indoors and outdoors?
Hills-DeCaro House (Frank Lloyd Wright, 1906), Oak Park, IL
Photograph: James Caulfield
Relish a rare opportunity to be in a home whose exterior exactingly recreates historic photos but whose interior now appears more as Wright intended than during his clients’ residence. Relax with drinks in a newly and exactingly recreated pergola that originally stood on the grounds and admire a piece of Chicago history – a restored ticket booth from the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.
Participating Chefs:
Chef Dan Smith
Dan Smith and Steve McDonagh, better known as The Hearty Boys, are trend-setting Chicago caterers. Hosts of Food Network’s Party Line with The Hearty Boys, they were the original winners of Search for the Next Food Network Star. The partners founded HB restaurant in 2005. They opened HEARTY in 2009, where Smith’s menu was lauded for its “inspired and deft twists on iconic dishes.” The pair regularly contributes to Better Homes and Gardens and appears frequently on ABC’s Windy City Live. Smith and McDonagh are co-authors of Talk with Your Mouth Full and The New Old Bar.
Chef Daniel Herskovic
Daniel Herskovic is the founder of the catering business www.chefdaniel.com and creator of Mayana Chocolate. A graduate of Oberlin College, where he discovered his interest in the culinary arts, and The California Culinary Academy, Chef Herskovic has trained in the kitchens of the finest restaurants in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. He attributes his artisan approach to his apprenticeship in pastry and cooking under Chef Paul Bertolli, a leader of the International Slow Food Movement. While Chef Herskovic works closely with local farmers and purveyors who are committed to sustainable practices, his cuisine is inspired by the many vibrant food cultures of the world. A passionate chocolatier, his confections have received numerous awards, including "Best Chocolate" by the Chicago Reader's "Best of Chicago 2010" issue.
Chef Dave Esau
Chef Dave has an extensive background in French cooking, having studied in Lyon, France with Michelin 2-star Chef Michel Chabran and worked in the kitchens of Le Titi de Paris and Charlie Trotter's, two renowned French restaurants. He has been a chef at fine restaurants in Wisconsin and Illinois and helped open Retro Bistro in Mt. Prospect, Illinois. He now runs Dave’s Specialty Foods, catering large and small events, hosting cooking classes and serving lunch and private dinners at his Mt. Prospect location. Voted Best Caterer in the Daily Herald readers poll, Chef Dave has won culinary awards, appeared on television and been featured on radio.
Breakfast and Private Tour of Wright's Frederick C. Robie House
Sunday, May 19.
Tour at 9 am.
Photographer: Tim Long.
Enjoy a gourmet buffet breakfast at the Carleton Hotel before departing for your private tour of Wright's Frederick C. Robie House. One of the 10 most important buildings of the 20th century, according to the American Institute of Architects, the Robie House is a masterpiece of the Prairie style and an icon of early modernism. Transportation will be provided back to the Carleton Hotel and then to O'Hare International Airport. Ultimate Plus Exclusive.
For more information about Ultimate Plus Weekend Package, . Program subject to change.