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You Can Rent This Inspired Frank Lloyd Wright Cottage ... For An Intimate Evening In The Wisconsin Woods
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This tiny cottage has been described as “…a triumphant shout of the spirit in the quiet of the landscape.” |
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Nestled into the lush woods of Wisconsin’s Mirror Lake State Park, this tiny 880 square foot cottage, designed in 1957 two years before his death, was one of the last commissions undertaken by the noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It has been said that the only reason he undertook such a small commission is the fact that he had cashed the $1,000 retainer from young and persistent Seth Peterson and, when faced with a shortage of cash and without the means to refund the payment, Wright was forced to complete the design. Peterson, a computer programmer with limited resources himself, began construction in 1958 doing much of the work on his own. However, when confronted with mounting financial and personal problems, Peterson committed suicide shortly after Wright’s death and before the cottage was completed. It was subsequently purchased by a Milwaukee family who completed the home and occupied it for about ten years. It was later acquired in the expansion of state park land by the State of Wisconsin, which let it remain vacant and deteriorating for the next twenty years.
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In 1989, Audrey Laatsch, a fiery and energetic neighbor, dreamed of restoring the cottage and making it available to the public as a vacation rental. Organizing a non-profit group, she spearheaded a drive to raise the funds necessary to acquire the structure and restore it to Wright’s original design, even to the point of including the built-in furniture and kitchen appliances specified by the architect.
In a 1994 article in The New York Times, the cottage was cited as “…one of the most remarkable things that Wright ever designed.” The writer noted that it “…confers on its visitors both the gift of architecture and the gift of privacy, and together these two things create an experience that is equaled by no other Wright building.”
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Today, the Seth Peterson Cottage can be rented for $195 per night with a two-night rental. However, it should be noted that, currently, the cottage is almost completely booked for the next year. For reservations and complete information, contact: Sand County Service Company Or visit: Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy
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