Entries Sought for 2021 Kristin Visser Historical Preservation Award
Program Recognizes Significant Past Work in Historic Preservation
The deadline for applications for the 2021 Kristin Visser Historical Preservation Award is March 15, 2021.
The award, given by the directors of the Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy, is presented every other year to an individual or organization in recognition of past work in historical preservation of a Frank Lloyd Wright or Prairie School building in Wisconsin or a contiguous state. In general, buildings constructed between 1900 and 1925 are given preference, and the restoration work shall have been substantially completed within the two calendar years previous to the year of application. The 2021 award will be given for work done during 2018 and 2019.
The award is in the amount of $5,000 and includes recognition at the Seth Peterson Cottage.
There is no specific application form. Applicants are asked to support their submission with the following information: a statement fully describing the restoration project that includes its state of completion; a supporting statement from the building contractor and/or architect; a letter or letters of support from scholars and/or working professionals familiar with the project; photographic evidence of work completed; and any other pertinent supporting materials. Submissions will be judged by a panel of members of the Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy, along with several outside experts/scholars.
The award recipient will be announced on April 11, 2021, and the award presented on June 13, 2021.
The award is named in honor of Kristin Visser, who was one of the people instrumental in the restoration of the Seth Peterson Cottage and a tireless worker on its behalf. She is the author of “Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School in Wisconsin,” and, with John Eifler, A.I.A., “Frank Lloyd Wright’s Seth Peterson Cottage: Rescuing a Lost Masterwork.” Visser, a planner for the Wisconsin State Department of Natural Resources, died in 1998 at the age of 48.
The Seth Peterson Cottage is Wright’s final Wisconsin commission (1958) and, at only 880 square feet, one of his smallest. It was rescued from ruin by the concerted efforts of a local group of lakeshore property owners, spearheaded by Audrey Laatsch, and restored through a public/private partnership.
The inaugural award was given in 2007 to Steve Sikora and Lynette Erickson-Sikora for their work in restoring the Willey House, in Minneapolis.
The 2009 award was granted to Paul A. Harding and Cheryl Harding for their work in restoring the Davenport House, in River Forest, Illinois.
The 2011 award was presented to Mary Arnold and Henry St. Maurice for their work on the E. Clarke Arnold Residence in Columbus, Wisconsin.
The 2013 award was presented to Frank Lloyd Wright Wisconsin for the restoration of the B-1 American System-Built home in Milwaukee.
The 2015 award was given to John Eifler and Bonnie Phoenix for the restoration of the Ross House in Glencoe, Illinois.
The 2017 award was given posthumously to Gene Szymczak for his restoration of the Thomas P. Hardy House in Racine, Wisconsin.
The 2019 award was given to Doug LaBrecque for his restoration of the Curtis and Lillian Meyer House in Galesburg, Michigan.
Send applications to: Seth Peterson Cottage Conservancy, 400 Viking Drive, Reedsburg, WI 53959-1466. Questions? SethPetersonCottage@gmail.com.