Herbert and Katherine Jacobs Residence and Frank Lloyd Wright Records, 1924-1974

Herbert Austin Jacobs was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1903, and grew up in a settlement house run by his parents. After he received his B.S. degree from Harvard University in 1926, he spent a year at the Sorbonne. Jacobs worked briefly in public relations before becoming a police reporter for the Milwaukee Journal in 1931. He spent thirty years as a journalist with the Madison Capital Times. During this time Jacobs was an editorial writer, a columnist, a photographer, a city editor, and news editor. From 1962 until his retirement, Jacobs taught journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of seven books, including a biography of Frank Lloyd Wright.

Katherine Wescott Jacobs was born on a farm near West Bend, Wisconsin. She graduated from Ripon College, and married Jacobs in 1934; the couple started their married life in an apartment in Madison. It was shortly thereafter that their long association with Wright began. Katherine Jacobs became an articulate advocate of Wright's work and often spoke on the experience of living in his innovative houses. She was also instrumental in organizing the group of women who wove the wall hangings for the Unitarian Church in Madison.

This collection is the result of both a professional and personal relationship between Herbert and Katherine Jacobs and Frank Lloyd Wright that spanned three decades, culminating in the book Building With Frank Lloyd Wright, an Illustrated Memoir. Frank Lloyd Wright designed three houses for the Jacobses, two of which were built. The first house, known as Usonia #1, was built in 1937 in Madison, Wisconsin. The second house, the Solar Hemicycle, was built in 1948 in Middleton, Wisconsin. This collection documents the construction of these houses through correspondence, annotations, newspaper articles, photographs, periodical literature, and drawings. The collection is augmented by photographs of other buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, newspaper articles about Wright's architecture and life, and brochures on Taliesin projects.

SERIES I: JACOBS RESIDENCES, PAPERS. The first house was known as Usonia #1 and the material which corresponds to the planning and building of that structure falls within the period 1936-1938. The collection includes correspondence between the Jacobses and Frank Lloyd Wright/Taliesin Associates. The Jacobses prepared annotations to each of these documents which include very specific information about plans, changes, cost, site, construction, materials, work crew, furnishings, and the heating system. This information is augmented by photographs taken during the construction of the house. There is also additional correspondence with annotations from individuals throughout the United States interested in this low-cost house. The collection also includes newspaper articles written about Usonia #1. The design and construction of the second house is fully documented through correspondence, annotations and photographs 1944-1961. There is a complete photographic history of the Solar Hemicycle, including construction, interior, and exterior photographs 1947-1961.

SERIES II: TALIESIN PROGRAMS, PUBLICATIONS AND PROJECTS. In addition to the materials relating to their own homes the Jacobses included other documents in the collection. Their professional relationship to Wright developed into a warm friendship and the Jacobses attended many functions at both Taliesin East and West. The collection contains an assortment of Taliesin publications 1938-1956; a series of programs from Taliesin productions 1959-1971, and various other memorabilia. The Jacobses' eldest daughter Susan lived a number of years at Taliesin and was very active in musical productions there.

SERIES III: FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT-MISCELLANEOUS PAPERS The Jacobses collected newspaper and magazine articles about Wright, and some unpublished writings by Wright. Mr. Jacobs also carefully documented his personal search for the exact date of Wright's birth. There was a question of two years and in anticipation of Wright's birthday centennial Jacobs conducted thorough research on the disputed birthdate. These documents include correspondence with the Chicago Tribune, the census bureau and Wright's daughter, Mrs. Catherine Baxter.

SERIES IV: FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT WORKS AND PROJECTS. The Jacobses also included in their collection newspaper and magazine articles about other Wright buildings, arranged by project name.

SERIES V: PHOTOGRAPHS AND SLIDES. Herbert and Katherine Jacobs documented the construction of both residences and the completed exteriors and interiors. They also photographed Taliesin on their numerous visits, as well as taking candid photos at social events. The series ends with images of other Wright buildings.

SERIES VI: ARCHITECTURAL DRAWINGS. The collection contains drawings of the first and second schemes for both Jacobs residences.

SERIES VII: NEGATIVES The original 35mm black and white negatives for some of the photographs in Series V are restricted.

• Names
  • Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959.
  • Jacobs, Herbert Austin, 1903-
  • Wright, Olgivanna Lloyd.
• Subject
  • Jacobs, Katherine Wescott.
  • Architecture, Domestic--Wisconsin.
  • Solar houses--Wisconsin.
  • Taliesin (Spring Green, Wis.)--History--Sources.
  • Taliesin West (Scottsdale, Ariz.)--History--Sources.

AIC

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c.

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n.d.

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Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archive (Columbia University, Avery Library).

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archive (Columbia University, Avery Library).

Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation Archive (Columbia University, Avery Library).

Portions of this collection are restricted, as noted in the series inventories. The remainder of the collection may be accessed by users in the Reading Room of the Ryerson and Burnham Libraries at The Art Institute of Chicago. Collections maintained on-site are available for patron use without prior arrangement or appointment. Collections maintained in off-site storage will be retrieved with advance notification; please consult the Archivist for the current retrieval schedule. For further information, consult https://www.artic.edu/archival-collections/contact-usage-and-faq.

The Art Institute of Chicago is providing access to the materials in the Archives’ collections solely for noncommercial educational and research purposes. The unauthorized use, including, but not limited to, publication of the materials without the prior written permission of the Art Institute is strictly prohibited. All inquiries regarding permission to publish should be submitted in writing to the Director, Art Institute of Chicago Archives. In addition to permission from the Art Institute, permission of the copyright owner (if not the Art Institute) and/or any holder of other rights (such as publicity and/or privacy rights) may also be required for reproduction, publication, distribution, and other uses. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of any item and securing any necessary permissions rests with the persons desiring to publish the item. The Art Institute makes no warranties as to the accuracy of the materials or their fitness for a particular purpose.

Herbert and Katherine Jacobs Residence and Frank Lloyd Wright Records, Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives, The Art Institute of Chicago.

The collection was a gift from Herbert and Katherine Jacobs to the Ryerson and Burnham Archives in 1977.

This collection was processed by the Ryerson and Burnham Archives. This finding aid was revised and expanded by Amy Babinec and Annemarie van Roessel in 2004.

Some items have existing AIC copy negatives, as indicated in the inventory listings. Copies of these images may be ordered through the Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives.