V.C. Morris Gift Shop by Frank Lloyd Wright

Oh, Frank Lloyd Wright… I’m not sure how livable or practical his buildings are, but experiencing them in person has an almost spiritual effect on me, and the V.C. Morris Gift Shop in San Francisco is no exception.

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Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park Home and Studio

On a recent visit to Oak Park, the leafy suburb just outside Chicago, I took a guided tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright home, built in 1889 with several expansions and renovations over the years, including the connected studio in 1898.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oak Park

Recently, I had the chance to take a guided bicycle tour of Oak Park, the Chicago suburb where Frank Lloyd Wright lived and practiced for a number of years. The 2-hour tour includes 22 structures designed or renovated by Wright, scattered throughout the town.

Coral Castle by Ed Leedskalnin

Edward Leedskalnin was born in Riga, Latvia and, at 26, became engaged to 16-year old Agnes Scuffs. She ditched him the day before their wedding. He eventually landed in Homestead just outside of Miami, where he spent the rest of his life building Coral Castle as testimony of his love for his “sweet sixteen.”

Elsewhere

Art: Autocomplete: A Collaborative Coloring Book Exhibit: thanks for the shout-out, CityBeat!

10 Reasons to Visit Cincinnati: nice roundup of local highlights.

Is Cincinnati the Greenest City in America?: not yet, but improvements are definitely being made.

Springfield High STEM Students Develop Art, Math Skills at Session: very cool — a curriculum centered around the Westcott House by Frank Lloyd Wright.

And Now, Let’s Start Digging into the NYC Municipal Archives Online Gallery: EV Grieve checks out historic photos of the Lower East Side.

The Smuttiest Cities in America: Orlando comes in at #1, Jackson, MS at #100, and Cincinnati is #81.

A World Map of Heavy Metal Density: “heavy metal” as in music, and “density” as in “per capita.”

Elsewhere

A Tale of a Tailor: Digging Cincinnati History checks out a home at 24 Findlay St. in Over-the-Rhine.

Seed Bomb Favors to Bloom Forever: Emmaline Bride likes our personalized seed bomb wedding favors.

Cocktail Garnish Seed Bomb Kit: the Ministry of Alcohol likes our Cocktail Garnish Seed Bombs.

Get Gardening This Spring: DownEast Home likes our Wildflower Seed Bombs.

Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield: big news for fans of The Simpsons.

Welcome to Ikea-land: Furniture Giant Begins Urban Planning Project: cray-cray in London.

Ghost Signs: NYC eye candy.

Looking Back: Best VL Posts of 2011

This year, VL work kept us really busy, but we were able to squeeze in a few quick trips. I found plenty of inspiration in Cincinnati and beyond, and here are my favorite posts of my adventures. Pictured above is the glorious Guardian Building in downtown Detroit.

Elsewhere

Vertical Panorama: The Rhine and the Birth of Tourism: map eye candy featuring the other Rhine.

Stranger Helps Emily Rauh Pulitzer Save Childhood Home: in Springfield Township, a Moderne home is saved from ruin.

Christie Blocks Tax Credit for ‘Jersey Shore’: for once, mad props to the Governor of New Jersey for his refusal to foot a “$420,000 bill for a project which does nothing more than perpetuate misconceptions about the state and its citizens.”

One Track Mind: a documentary that “chronicles an obsessive love affair — that between one man and the New York City subway system.”

No More Summers: The End of the Coney Island Mom-and-Pops: an era came to a close at the end of this summer.

Overunder Completes Astounding Tiled Piece: “Living Walls: Albany”: seriously amazing work of public art.

3′-By-4′ Plot of Green Space Rejuvenates Neighborhood: incredible news from Detroit.

Hartman Rock Garden in Springfield, OH

The Hartman Rock Garden in Springfield, OH was a completely accidental find for us on a recent outing, and I’m so glad we came across this labor of love. The project dates back to 1932, when H. G. “Ben” Hartman was laid off from his job and started filling his garden with structures and figurines made of broken stone, pottery and mirror bits.

Westcott House by Frank Lloyd Wright

Completed in 1908, the Westcott House in Springfield was Frank Lloyd Wright’s first residential commission in Ohio. It’s both a prime example of his Prairie Style of architecture, and evidence of the inspiration he drew from a trip to Japan.