Frank Lloyd Wright called architecture "the mother art," explaining: "Without an architecture of our own, we have no soul of our own civilization." Indeed, buildings are both a practical necessity and an artistic expression of a culture. Architects make civilization not only possible, but also beautiful.
As a one time aspiring young architect myself (somehow I ended up in engineering, but that’s a story for another day), it is my belief that Frank Lloyd Wright is the most famous architect of the modern era, if not all of history. Wright promoted what he called organic architecture. This term refers to using both structure and materials to integrate designs with nature and the surrounding environment.
The Jacobs House II was the first to be built under Wright’s concept of what he called the “Solar Hemicycle”. This house utilizes an earthen berm on three sides to protect from the harsh Wisconsin winters, and takes maximum advantage of a passive solar design as it is oriented to the south to allow for lots of natural light along with utilizing the sun’s warmth to assist with warming the house during the winter months.
To find this geocache you will need to acquire a bit of knowledge regarding the background of Frank Lloyd Wright, along with his design, and ultimately the construction of Jacobs House II. I have given it a difficulty of 2.5 (1.0 for the solve, and 1.5 for the find). The final location is located with the public right-of-way. PLEASE BRING A PEN OR PENCIL.
Final Location: N 43 04.ABC W 089 32.DEF
A= The Jacobs House II was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in this year? (fourth digit and subtract 1)
B= The house’s design includes a south facing floor-to-roof wall of this material? (Total number of letters)
C= The original farm property purchased by the Jacobs family, on which the Jacobs House II was built, included this many acres? (Add digits together)
D= Year this house was designated a national historic landmark? (third digit)
E= The foundation walls for the house which were dug by hand are this many feet deep? (and add 2)
F= This house utilized many of the ideologies of this well-known type of Frank Lloyd Wright’s earlier house designs (of which the Jacobs first house was the original model)? (Total number of letters and subtract 3)
