John & Kay Rattenbury,
"Living With Frank Lloyd Wright"
Summer Solstice: June 16-21,1996
Written by Debra Pickrel, Board of Directors, Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy
For five remarkable days in June, Wright enthusiasts from across the country convened
at the Sims' Frank Lloyd Wright hemicycle home in Waimea, Hawaii, to hear firsthand the life experiences of John & Kay Rattenbury. The Rattenburys have spent nearly all of their lives at Taliesin as "disciples" of Frank Lloyd Wright. John Rattenbury is the architect of record on the Sims house (adapted from a design by Frank Lloyd Wright), and Kay was the interior designer of the home.
Kay came to Taliesin at age 14 and "never wanted to leave." She says her
talents "blossomed there as nowhere else" and those talents are many,
including sculpting, costume design and painting. Kay was Mrs. Olgivanna
Wright's assistant for years.
John is the son of a Canadian architect, was an apprentice at Taliesin, and
is now a principal of the Taliesin Architects, a practice that developed from
Wright's original practice. He was first drawn to Wright and organic
architecture by a magazine photograph of a series of trusses at Taliesin
West. "I thought it was the most beautiful architecture I had ever seen."
John believes that the "very rich life" he has led at Taliesin could never
have been realized elsewhere.
Our time with the Rattenburys was magical, fascinating, joyous, revealing and
enlightening. Taliesin west had requested that the seminar be taped for
inclusion in the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives so future generations can
experience the memories of those who knew and worked with Mr. Wright. For
that week, we were all a part of history! We were treated to fascinating
lectures and captivating slide presentations each day, and even though I made
copious notes, I failed miserably at capturing the feeling of the week...one
I will always remember. Here, at least, some of the textual highlights...
John was nearly expelled from the fellowship during his years at Taliesin,
when he accepted a commission to build a doghouse for some Phoenix clients in
order to pay a dental bill. Mr. Wright happened upon the doghouse while John,
hearing Mr. Wright approaching, hid behind a column in the room where he was
working. While John was not discovered, he observed the wrath of Mr. Wright
from his hiding place, abated only by Mrs. Wright's soothing words. John got
a lecture from Mr. Wright the next day, but his position as an apprentice was
secured due to Mrs. Wright's intervention.
John became the "electrician" at Taliesin when Kay delivered Mrs. Wright's
radio to him and asked him to have it repaired. John "simply hit it" after
Kay left the room, and it began to work. The next day, John's name appeared
on the Taliesin chore roster as "electrician." In actuality, he "didn't know
one wire from the other," but he "quickly learned!" According to John, an
environment of encouragement and accomplishment was and is the true essence
of Taliesin. This and many other experiences brought out "talents I didn't
know I had!"
Mr. Wright was less than pleased with the work of sculptor Oscar Stoneroff,
who was creating a bust of Mr. Wright while the Wrights were in Europe. Every
night, Mr. Wright would sneak into the sculptor's studio and alter something
on the bust! Kay was along for the trip, and observed with amusement Mr.
Wright's clandestine operations. Of course, the sculptor caught on rather
quickly! Kay had much better luck years later, sculpting a picture perfect
bust of Mr. Wright, which pleased him greatly (the bust has since been
destroyed).
John has recently received a commission to design the 1997 Life Magazine
"Dream House," and we were lucky enough to view and discuss his preliminary
designs. He also treated us to an in-depth tour of the
Sims' house enlightening us on Mr. Wright's original plans for the structure. Several
days during lunch on the Sims' Cherokee Red patio that overlooked the Kohala
Coast, we were treated to tapes of Mr. Wright's Sunday lectures to his
students at Taliesin. The marriage of our experience with nature during those
lunches combined with the voice of the master was one I shall not forget. The
week culminated in a hastily-conceived (yet highly amusing!) "Taliesin-style"
skit based on Mr. Wright's architectural principles, including Susanne Sims'
"wedding to the earth" ( a world globe) and a "replication" of Fallingwater's
waterfall from the second floor balcony of the house!
Hawaiians believe that a creator's spirit lives in his creations for all
time, and that in one's creation is one's soul. Mr. Wright's spirit and soul
are alive in the Sims' House, and we were privileged to live within that
genius for one precious week. Mr. Wright once said, "When you have the
luxuries, you don't need the necessities." My experience with the Rattenburys
was truly one of life's luxuries at its finest.
This program will be offered again in 1998.
For more information on Frank Lloyd Wright
visit the All Wright Site.
