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Only weeks before the former Dorothy Turkel home was bought by Norman
Silk and Dale Morgan, co-owners of Blossoms Flower Boutique in
Birmingham, DAADS members were treated to a rare tour of the only Frank
Lloyd Wright built home within the Detroit city limits.
Located on West Seven Mile in the stately Palmer Park neighborhood, the 4,000 square foot "Usonian" house (Frank Lloyd Wright coined the name but no one seems to know what it stands for or what it means) has been vacant and in disrepair since its last owners defaulted several years ago. Built in 1955 for Dorothy S. Turkel, an ardent admirer of Wright's architecture, the two-story, long and narrow residence was constructed entirely with concrete blocks. It was Wright's intention to use this home as a model for low cost housing but the structure cost over $65,000, which was a large amount in the 1950s. Dorothy Turkel lived there with her four children for 22 years. After her death, the home remained empty for several years before being sold to a succession of different entities, none of who cared much about the historic home or its significance. In the late 1980s, Tom Monaghan, of Domino Pizza fame, bought the house and left it in the care of the University of Detroit's architectural school. However for a variety of reasons, that venture proved unworkable and the house was again vacant until it was sold in 1997. It then passed through several owners with none putting any money into repairing or upgrading its condition. DAADS leaders arranged to have a tour for its members for what they thought may be the only chance to see this unusual structure before it was sold and perhaps even torn down. About 60 persons gathered on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in June and were treated to a short dissertation about the site by DAADS president, Rebecca Binno Savage. The DAADS members and guests then toured the house at their leisure. Many of them remarked how unique and different the layout and design was and in spite of being neglected for many years, the Turkel house was in remarkably good condition. The new owners of the only Frank Lloyd Wright designed and built house within the Detroit city limits plan on restoring the home to its original condition and reside there. The structure is sound and with the exception of the roof and the elevator, (Yes, there is an elevator in the building!) most of the repairs would be cosmetic. The three bathrooms have the original tile intact and the main bath has Vitrolite blue glass tile that still awes most visitors. DAADS applauds Norman Silk and Dale Morgan for having the courage and dedication to work towards restoring and preserving a bit of Frank Lloyd Wright's legacy. |
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