Rockford nonprofit in fundraising rush to retire mortgage on Frank Lloyd Wright designed home

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The nonprofit that maintains the only home that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for a person with a disability is working to retire a mortgage it took out on the property more than a decade ago.

The Laurent House Foundation has been challenged to raise $50,000 by Jan. 30 in order to earn a matching grant from the Pritzker Military Foundation, a philanthropic organization that supports multiple facets of military life.

The home at 4646 Spring Brook Road was designed by Wright after Kenneth Laurent, a World War II Navy veteran who was paralyzed at age 27, wrote to the famed architect in 1948 to ask him to design an accessible home.

Kenneth and Phyllis Laurent lived in the house from 1952 until their deaths. Kenneth Laurent died at age 92 in January 2012, and Phyllis died 11 months later at age 94. The home opened as a public museum in 2014 and is a common stop on architectural tours featuring Wright’s work.

“Our major audience comes from the Chicago suburbs, but we welcome Wright fans from all across the country and around the world,” said Mary Beth Peterson, the organization’s executive director. “I have a tour group that comes faithfully from the United Kingdom every year … We welcome architecture students from Switzerland, guests from the Netherlands, a tour group from Australia is coming next month. People are coming from around the world to Rockford, Illinois, and they’re coming to see the Laurent House.”

The foundation bought the home in 2012 and paid for it in full with funds from donations and grants. However, in spring 2013 the roof collapsed. The nonprofit took out a nearly $400,000 mortgage to pay for the roof repair and extensive renovation project. That balance is now down to roughly $135,000.

The foundation’s monthly mortgage payments are now about $1,184. It hopes to retire those payments to free up cash to fund programming, events, provide financial security for employee salaries and future preservation efforts.

The foundation is working against a ticking clock not only because of the deadline for the matching grant, but because its current loan term will mature in February. If the mortgage isn’t retired by then, the group will have balloon payments and must refinance its mortgage, Peterson said.

The Laurent House is a rare, one-owner hemicycle Usonian home that is complete with its original furnishings and lighting.

Wright, who died in 1959, considered the house to be one of his 38 most important works. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Illinois Wright Trail.

“So many homes that are museums have passed through several owners, they’ve lost furniture, they’ve had several uses,” Peterson said. “We’re just lucky here. … (The Laurents) understood the treasure of what they had. They meticulously cared for it. They were excellent stewards.”

How to help retire the Laurent House mortgage

To donate to the fundraiser to retire the remainder of the Laurent House mortgage, go online HERE and note “for the Pritzker match” in the comments.

You can also send a check to the Laurent House Foundation at 4646 Spring Brook Road, Rockford, IL, 61114, and note “for the Pritzker match” in the memo line of the check.

All cash deposited in the donation boxes at both the Laurent House and the visitor center are designated to go toward the Pritzker match.

The goal is to raise the $50,000 match by Jan. 30.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas