Period
1938 – 1959
Florida Southern College: Campus Heritage Plan
Location
Lakeland, Florida
Notables
National Historic Landmark
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The overarching goal of this Campus Heritage Plan is to ensure that the building and landscape fabric of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed campus is properly maintained, restored and protected.
Frank Lloyd Wright
RESEARCH & ANALYSIS
The research and analysis phase of the Florida Southern College campus heritage plan began with an initial site visit in August 2006, where the team toured the campus and reviewed the college’s archives. Over the course of five, three-day site visits, MCWB conducted a thorough survey of the buildings and landscapes. This included both exterior and interior inspections, with written documentation of existing conditions and digital photographs to capture representative features. Floor plans were meticulously measured and drawn to record the buildings’ state at the time of the survey. The search for original records also played a crucial role in the process, as the team utilized collections from the Frank Lloyd Wright Archives at Taliesin West and the Research Library at the Getty Research Institute. These invaluable resources were key to creating a comprehensive and accurate heritage plan.
FINAL PLAN
This plan, which was completed in the fall of 2007, recorded changes made to the buildings and their landscapes since their construction and made recommendations as to how to re-establish Wright’s vision for the campus while meeting the modern needs of the college. The master plan has provided clear and concise recommendations for future interventions related to Wright’s buildings and their landscapes. These recommendations were based on building fabric priorities and specific priorities of the college.
