With its nearly flat roofs
and floor-to-ceiling art glass windows, the Purcell-Cutts house
is often referred to as one of the most outstanding examples of
Prairie School Architecture in the country.
The Purcell-Cutts House and The Prairie School Collection
at The Minneapolis Institute of Art
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. -- Prior to the turn of the Twentieth Century,
noted architect Louis Sullivan foresaw and ultimately set into
motion the evolution of a uniquely American style of
Architecture. His disdain for the reliance on the prevalent
European and ancient architectural motifs of the period led
Sullivan and his contemporary firms, Frank Lloyd Wright and
Purcell and Elmslie among them, to redirect the face of American
architecture. They moved in what at the time was considered a
most unconventional direction -- using sweeping horizontal lines
to emulate the American landscape, subsequently creating a style
known today as the Prairie School of Design.
To celebrate the movement and its renewed popularity over the
past couple of decades, The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has
launched an exhibition entitled ": The Architecture and Design of
the Prairie School." The exhibition explores not only the
institute's extensive collection of American Arts and Crafts
Movement iconic objects, but also the architectural styles of the
period so aptly captured through its Prairie School gem of a
home, the Purcell-Cutts House. This exhibition is not only open
to the public for live viewing, but also through the museum's
state-of-the-art website where the furniture, fixtures, the
architects and their designs are extensively chronicled.
Employing Sullivan's principles of unified design, Wright,
William Gray Purcell, George Grant Elmslie and others created
numerous Prairie School structures across the United States
between the years 1895 and 1918. These houses, churches, banks
and other structures gave a physical body to the Prairie School
ideals. And while the style grew in popularity across the nation,
a number of the best architecturally designed examples exist in
the institute's back yard, the Twin Cities region.
The Purcell-Cutts House, a 1913 Prairie School home designed by
Purcell and Elmslie, is the crown jewel of the museum's
collection and is often referred to as one of the most
outstanding examples of Prairie School architecture in the
country. Architect William Purcell, in collaboration with
Elmslie, designed and constructed the home for himself, his wife
and family. Purcell desired a home that would support a modern
way of life for his family, yet also conform to the organic
architectural principles that had been set in motion by Louis
Sullivan.
Designed by Purcell for the Purcell-Cutts house is this
circular ceiling lighting fixture, circa 1913.
In 1913 Minneapolis was a city in transition as the modern era
began to make its mark. Automobiles and electric trolleys were
rapidly replacing the horse and cart and the fledgling styles of
a new America began cropping up everywhere. The Purcells built
their home south of the downtown area, with a view of Lake of the
Isles, which by that time was in the process of being
incorporated into a city park. The surrounding rural area was
rapidly being replaced with neighborhoods, many of which
presented an architectural smorgasbord of English cottage and
castle-style homes, Mediterranean villas and a few avant-garde
architecturally designed homes in the Prairie Style. "The
Purcells' modern house was starkly unlike its neighbors," states
Minneapolis Institute curator Jennifer Komar Olivarez, "with a
buff-colored façade, nearly flat roof and floor-to-ceiling
art-glass windows." The house, Purcell would later recall, "was
somewhat of a spectacle at the time and the neighbors never got
wholly used to it."
Purcell put his home on the market just six years after occupying
it and moved his family to Philadelphia, a move that ultimately
proved to be a godsend for the structure. Anson Cutts and his
wife Edna purchased the home and immediately recognized the
architectural relevancy. Throughout their 66 years of residency,
the home was never significantly altered. In 1985,
theCutts'son, Anson Cutts, Jr, bequeathed the house to the
Minneapolis Institute of Arts along with funds earmarked for
restoration. Five years later, after the completion of a thorough
restoration project, the home was opened to the public.
Purcell and Elmslie received more commissions than any other firm
of progressive architects after Frank Lloyd Wright. The
partnership began when two Cornell architecture school
classmates, William Gray Purcell (1880-1965) and George Feick,
Jr, (1881-1945) opened a practice in Minneapolis in 1907.
"The early work of Purcell and Feick is characterized by a
building's progressive space and layout and is rarely accompanied
by elaborate decoration," states Olivarez. "Elmslie's entry into
the partnership [1909] brought an added complexity of composition
and ornamental design, tying their work more directly to Louis
Sullivan's decorative tradition. Elmslie's delicate, often inlaid
or carved furniture provides a wonderful foil to Wright's
heavier, more masculine take on the Prairie School. Purcell
contributed his imaginative sense of space and the ideal of
developing a better living environment for the middle class,
quickly establishing a national reputation for the firm,
propelled by journals such as the Western Architect."
"When I'm asked how Purcell and Elmslie's work relates to that of
Frank Lloyd Wright," Olivarez states, "my explanation is that the
influence of Louis Sullivan, considered the father of the Prairie
School, went in two directions -- one being Frank Lloyd Wright,
who Sullivan fired after he was caught designing houses on the
side, and one being George Grant Elmslie (1869-1952), who stayed
with Sullivan until 1909 and learned Sullivan's organic
ornamentation firsthand. Purcell was raised in Oak Park, where
Frank Lloyd Wright located his architectural practice and built
many Prairie School houses, and for years Purcell had admired the
work of Sullivan in Chicago's loop, but it was Elmslie that
befriended Purcell and mentored him in his early independent
work. So, when Sullivan could no longer pay Elmslie, Purcell
quickly jumped to offer him a partnership with his firm, and
Elmslie accepted. While Feick left the group in 1913, the firm of
Purcell and Elmslie continued until 1921."
Purcell and Elmslie's architecture is characterized by open floor
plans with dramatic hearths as a focal point, versatile rooms
that served multiple functions, custom designed built-in and
free-standing furniture and large bands of windows to take
advantage of the light at various times of the day. Consistent
organic schemes of ornament inside and out, including stencils,
sawed-wood ornament and integrated artwork, helped unify the
design. The Purcell-Cutts House combines all these elements into
a successful design for modern living.
In addition to more than 30 built structures in the
Minneapolis/St Paul area, the firm is also famous for its
jewellike Prairie banks in small towns in southern Minnesota that
carry on the organic tradition of Sullivan and Elmslie's National
Farmers Bank in Owatonna, Minn., of 1909. In addition, the firm
created buildings for Chicago and Madison, Wis., as well as a
spectacular house on a promontory in Wood's Hole, Mass. Long
underrecognized, the firm of Purcell and Elmslie is only now
being fully understood for its important contributions to modern
architecture and design.
While the architectural aspects of the Purcell-Cutts house are
captivating, the furnishings and other items in the institute
collection are equally enticing. The exhibition showcases a
plethora of items that through their simple shapes, organic
motifs and handmade character complement the progressive
architecture of the time. Exhibited items include the work of
Purcell and Elmslie, Sullivan, Wright, George Washington Maher,
Gates Pottery, Grueby and the Kalo Shop.
Architectural elements designed by Sullivan include an assortment
of decorative panels, ornamental relief friezes, art glass leaded
windows and the most striking of the objects, a pair of elevator
grills, frieze and overgrill from the Chicago Stock Exchange.
Designs by Wright are well represented and include such icons as
the large molded and hand hammered copper urn. "The urns were
among Wright's favorite objects and fit in with his desire for an
integrated environment that blended exterior and interior
elements and brought nature indoors," writes Corine A. Wegner in
the Catalogue of Objects. Perhaps the most impressive of
all of Wright's designs on view, however, are the imposing high
back spindled dining chairs and dining table from the George
Barton house of the Darwin Martin Complex in Buffalo, N.Y.
Some of the most interesting pieces are the Purcell and Elmslie
designs that bear striking influences from both Wright and
Sullivan. Classic examples include the spindled oak cube-type
office chairs designed for the Merchants National Bank, a set of
four side chairs with slab and spindled backs and architectural
stiles designed for the Edward Decker house in Wayzata, Minn.,
and accessories such as the prominent interior light fixtures
designed for the Minnesota Phonograph Shop.
While Grant Wood certainly is a recognizable name within the fine
art world, few know of his achievements as a designer. Wood, in
1913, while taking night classes at the School of the Art
Institute of Chicago, worked days at the Kalo Shop. There he met
Kristopher Haga, a Norwegian silversmith, and in 1914 the two
opened a shop of their own, the Vouland Shop, producing modest
silver and gold items and occasionally larger, more complex
items. Two notable examples are displayed; a sterling and ivory
coffee and tea service designed by Wood and Haga, and a sterling
hors d'oeuvres tray. The business was short-lived, lasting only
about 18 months, after which Haga returned to the Kalo Shop and
Wood went on to become a celebrated painter, best known for
"American Gothic" executed in 1930.
To coincide with this exhibition, the Minneapolis Institute has
created an innovative resource and virtual exhibition that brings
Prairie School architecture and design to life online. ": The
Architecture and Design of the Prairie School" offers an in-depth
look at the Prairie School through the furnishings, buildings and
history of the movement's founder, Louis Sullivan, and its
significant innovators including Wright, Purcell and Elmslie.
Focusing on the institute's significant permanent collection of
Prairie School objects, the "" program uses photography,
commentary and virtual tours to tell the stories of the
architects and the buildings, fixtures and furniture they
designed.
"We've outdone ourselves," says Jim Ockuly, senior producer in
the department of interactive media. "Almost nothing is left out
of this comprehensive online program, which is our way of
expanding the reach of this institution."
A pair of elevator grilles, frieze and overgrille, circa 1893,
designed by Louis Sullivan for the Chicago Stock Exchange
Building. Cast iron, wrought iron and copper-coated iron.
The "" website is divided into three comprehensive sections: the
Collection, the Purcell-Cutts House Tour and the Architectural
Tour. The Collection serves as virtual gallery in which visitors
can view nearly 50 Prairie School objects, many of which are on
display in the institute's Ulrich Architecture and Design
Gallery. The Collection also includes biographies of the major
architects and a timeline of their significant career
developments.
The Purcell-Cutts House comes alive with 360-degree virtual room
views, historical photographs, commentary and design plans. It
also provides an in-depth view into the home's design, including
architect/owner Purcell's "own house notes." Written around 1915,
the notes express Purcell's personal view on the relationship
between the design of the house and daily family life. The
virtual tour also provides detailed images of the home's "nuts
and bolts," such as a specially designed gate hinge and a
sawed-wood screen, which express the unified design scheme of
architects Purcell and Elmslie and the influence of Sullivan.
The final section of the "" website is the Architectural Tour.
Using historical photos, maps and audio interviews, the website
guides visitors through some of Minnesota's finest examples of
Prairie School architecture. The "razed structures tour" includes
images of remarkable Prairie School buildings now lost, such as
the Francis Little House, built between 1912 and 1914 in
Deephaven, Minn., and designed by Wright. Although the house was
razed in 1972, portions still exist, including a hallway
installed in the galleries at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
An exhibition catalog, Progressive Design In The Midwest: The
Purcell-Cutts House and The Prairie School Collection at The
Minneapolis Institute of Arts, is available from the
museum.
The website and gallery installation are accessible online at
www.artsmia.org/unified-vision. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
is open Sunday, noon to 5 pm; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday,
10 am to 5 pm; Thursday and Friday, 10 am to 9 pm; closed Monday.
Call 612-870-3000 for further information.
