Classroom Journey
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT LAURENT HOUSE AND ANDERSON JAPANESE GARDENS, ROCKFORD
Thursday, September 25
7:00 am – 6:00 pm
$95 for members | $115 for non-members
Lunch provided by Fresco at the Gardens. Cost includes transportation, site fees, snacks and lunch.
The bus will depart from ISU’s Office of Parking and Transportation lot, 709 N. Main St., Normal.
The Kenneth and Phyllis Laurent House is one of only 11 hemicycle Usonians in Frank Lloyd Wright’s extensive portfolio of work. It is also the only home designed by Wright to be wheelchair accessible. In the fall of 1948, the Laurents commissioned Wright to design a home that would allow Ken, a paraplegic, to move about freely in his wheelchair.
Forty years before the Americans with Disabilities Act, Wright created a blueprint for an open-plan, single-story home that could accommodate Ken’s unique needs. In reflecting on the functionality of his home, Ken shared, “This house helps me focus on my capabilities, not my disabilities.” This site is considered to be one of the most well-preserved Wright homes in existence.
Also tour the beautiful Anderson Japanese Gardens, a peaceful outdoor setting that has been carefully designed and patiently pruned according to aesthetic principals to create a work of natural art that inspires calm, renewal, discovery and an invigorated soul. Rated as one of North America’s highest quality Japanese gardens for more than a decade, enjoy stunning landscapes of streams, waterfalls, winding pathways, bridges and koi-filled ponds. A flat path option is available upon request.
Anderson Japanese Gardens is an authentic Japanese Garden maintained by the highest standards. With grace, elegance and gentle awareness it exemplifies the Japanese cultural heritage of respectful humility in service to people of all cultures. Three essential elements used to create a Japanese garden are stone, which forms the structure of the landscape; water, representing life-giving force; and plants, which provide the color and changes throughout the seasons.