A CHILD OF THE SUN:
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT AND
FLORIDA SOUTHERN COLLEGE

INTRODUCTION

Annie Pfeiffer Chapel under construction

The Florida Southern College campus in Lakeland, Florida is notable for, among many other attributes, being the home of the largest collection of Frank Wright Lloyd Wright designed buildings on one site anywhere in the world.  How the world renowned architect was persuaded to come to Lakeland and design a unique campus for the small Methodist college nestled amidst the orange groves bordering Lake Hollingsworth is an interesting and unusual story in itself.  It is the story of a college president, Ludd Spivey, dedicated to building a "great education temple in Florida; and a brilliant architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, energized by the challenge of designing an architecturally integrated college campus.

The story is told in fascinating detail by Florida Southern alumnus Stephen B. Rogers the Summer 2001 issue of the Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly.  (See Rogers, Stephen B. "The Frank Lloyd Wright Campus at Florida Southern College:  A Child of the Sun." Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly V. 12, No. 3, summer 2001 4-23)

Florida Southern College will host the annual conference of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy this year from October 31 to November 4.  Information about the conference is available from the Frank Lloyd Building Conservancy, 5132 South Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, IL 60615.

To see some examples of Wright's work at Florida Southern and to see images of Wright himself on the campus, follow the links to the left. or click on Next.