The Seth Peterson Cottage on Mirror Lake (Wisconsin) was one of Frank Lloyd Wright's last commissions and is available to rent by the general public. At only 880 square feet, the cottage was designed as a variation on Wright's Usonian theme.
We have rented the cottage 3 times since 2005, always in August. Mark and I got engaged there the first time we stayed in 2005. We spent our honeymoon there in 2006. And stayed one night in 2009 to celebrate our 3 year anniversary. If I could build a cottage today, I would want it to be exactly like this one. The design is breathtaking. The interior layout is perfect. I love all the rustic slate floors and that fireplace is beyond amazing. What I don't love is the current decor. Since it was restored in the early 90s, the accent colors reflect that time period and IMO are awful - like mauve, teal, and seafoam green. By our second visit in 2006, they did update all the dishes and glassware so maybe by the next time I go, it will be stripped of the 1991 color pallett - yes even you, mauve countertop... seriously, who decided on the mauve countertop?? Wow, Im starting to feel pretty lame going on about such minor details like ugly throw pillows. The place really is an architectural masterpiece. I definitely have a problem with wanting to re-decorate everything!! They did do a nice job with the bedroom. It has a comfortable bed usually made with a simple white bedspread. It's located in the back of the cottage where it's quiet and a little dark and feels like it could have been exactly this way in 1962. And although I wouldn't put it in MY dream cottage, I can appreciate the wooden, somewhat primitive, furniture. Apparently these pieces were made from Wright's original furniture designs for the cottage, none of which were ever built until the restoration. This cottage is described as "sleeps 4" because of the built-in couch. If you plan to stay with another couple, bring a blow up mattress. One reason: the built-in couch is not very comfortable and what couple wants to sleep in "L" formation. Second reason: I found the biggest spider living under one of the throw pillows. I'm talking thick and gigantic, not daddy long legs style. I may never sit on that couch ever again after that discovery.
Even the storage shed is a work of art.
The cottage comes with a cute canoe docked on Mirror Lake. There is also an amazing supper club called Ishnala that is a short drive away - soooo worth the drive!!
some history...
Originally from Wisconsin, 21-year-old Seth Peterson purchased an old cottage and some land at Mirror Lake for $7500 in 1958. Due to a faulty space heater, this cottage burned down only months after Peterson moved in. A huge fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, Peterson somehow convinced the 90 year old and his then apprentice John Howe to design a cottage for him on his Mirror Lake property. In 1960, 23-year-old Peterson committed suicide before the cottage was completed. It is believed he took his own life as he was distraught over financial problems stemming from the cottage when the original construction costs escalated to almost $26,000. The cottage sat empty until 1962 when it was purchased for $15,000. The new owners toyed with the idea of expanding however scrapped the idea and put the cottage up for sale just a few years after purchasing it. Mirror Lake State Park was established nearby in 1962, and in 1966 the land on which the cottage stood was purchased by the state of Wisconsin (for $38,400) and added to the park. Although park officials knew the structure was historically and architecturally important, they were unable to find a park-related use for the cottage. It was boarded up, neglected, and fell into disrepair. In the late 1980s. Audrey Laatsch, a local resident, noticed the run-down cabin while canoeing on Mirror Lake and became interested in the structure. Upon discovering its origin, she spearheaded a grass-roots campaign among local residents and Wright-aficionados to restore the cottage. They founded a non-profit organization, the Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy, in 1989. Their efforts funded a $300,000, three-year restoration that included elements from Wright's original designs that had never been built. The work was finished in June 1992, the 125th anniversary of Wright's birth.
Oddly enough, Wright himself never visited the cottage as it was being designed and built - FLW passed away in 1959.
http://www.sethpeterson.org/http://www.franklloydwrightsites.com/wisconsin/lakedelton/sethpeterson.htmThe Palmer House in Ann Arbor, MI has just become the second FLW available to rent.
