Wisconsin History Day By Day

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"Frank Lloyd Wright's Monona Terrace" by David Mollenhoff and Mary Jane Hamilton

"The Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright" Neil Levine

Vocabulary:

convention center

controversy

unveiled

modified

Interesting Fact:

The proposal of the Monona Terrace plans resulted in five referenda, 10 lawsuits, 10 legislative bills, and over four-thousand newspaper articles.

Study Questions:

If Wright first had the plans for the Monona Terrace in 1938, why did it take until 1997 to have the convention center built?

How many other Wright-designed buildings are located in Madison?

What was Wright's reputation in 1938?

U.S. historical events that occurred on July 18:

1947: The Presidential Succession Act is signed into law by President Harry Truman.

July 18

July 18, 1997: Frank Lloyd Wright's Monona Terrace convention center opened after nearly sixty years of controversy. Wright originally unveiled his "dream civic center" on Lake Monona in November 1938. Though modified greatly from the original plans, the convention center once again drew national attention to Frank Lloyd Wright.

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