The Dana - Thomas House

After years of near misses I was finally able to get a tour of the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, IL today. I had to skip lunch to stay on my work schedule, but it was worth it. The images above are from the web; the ones below from my cell phone.

The quantity of fixtures, furnishings and stained glass that is original is astounding as well as outstanding. A few of the chairs even look comfortable. The place is a maze-like spectacle of the best that things could be in the early 20th Century.

Having been to Fallingwater last week I feel fortunate to have 2 intimate experiences from 2 phases of Wright's work in close proximity. Both are amazing, though the Dana House is more suited to my height (6'3"). They both have well deserved places in our history.

The art glass is mindbogglingly beautiful. In the image above art glass doors are opened and pushed against other art glass doors with a sumac theme. The details, up close, show a human touch and, from a distance, the effect is sublime.

Above is a detail of the entrance. Like many Wright brick projects the horizontal mortar joints are raked and the vertical are filled flush in order to accentuate the horizontal lines.