The Seth Peterson Cottage sits on a bluff overlooking Mirror Lake near Lake Delton, Wisconsin. It was one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s last commissions, and was completed in 1959, the year of Wright’s death. Very little was published about this building when it was originally constructed. However, when the building was rehabbed in the late 1980s, the work was acclaimed as one of Wright’s most architecturally significant designs.
The cottage features a combined living room/dining room with a central fireplace, a tiny kitchen, a small bedroom and bath. The main room feels amazingly large since it features a sloped roof. The room’s height measures only 6 feet 8 inches at the wall behind the sofa, but rises to 12 feet on the opposite wall of windows.
This cottage, tucked in a quiet spot in Mirror Lake State Park is open to the public for tours on the second Sunday of each month, and can also be rented for overnight use . Although the cottage is booked months in advance, it is a popular destination for Frank Lloyd Wright admirers who want to actually “reside” for a day or two in a Frank Lloyd Wright home.
— Bo Mackison is a writer and photographer from the Madison area, and a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. She recently discovered the Seth Peterson Cottage and plans on spending a winter’s night there in early 2009. Visit her galleries at Seeded Earth Photography to see more Wisconsin photos.
Wandering Wisconsin with Bo 