Pioneers of Modernism

Make your way to the Historic Park Inn Hotel, situated in downtown Mason City, Iowa. In the afternoon, meet your group leader Sarah Holian, Curator and Director of Interpretation at the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, Travel Manager Risa Sekiguchi and fellow tour members. Our visit starts with a tour of the hotel: The only remaining hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Originally opened in 1910 as the City National Bank and Park Inn, the building has been reborn as a stylish, 27-room boutique hotel following its extensive restoration/rehabilitation in 2011. Then, get to know your fellow tour members during our Welcome Dinner at the hotel, featuring a lecture on Walter Burley and Marion Mahony Griffin.
Historic Park Inn Hotel, D

After a group breakfast at the hotel, depart on foot to enjoy a guided walking tour of the nearby Rock Crest-Rock Glen Historic District, located along both sides of Willow Creek. Highlights include the William Drummond-designed Curtis Yelland House (1910), the Walter Burley Griffin designed and built Arthur Rule, Harry Page, Joshua Melson (castle), and James E. Blythe Houses (1912-14), and the Sam Schneider and Hugh Gilmore Houses (1914-16) designed by Griffin and constructed by Barry Byrne, who also designed the C. F. Franke House. Return to the hotel in the late afternoon. Gather in the evening for a festive Farewell Dinner at a local favorite.
Historic Park Inn Hotel, B, L, D

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a private visit to the 1908 Stockman House and the Robert E. McCoy Architectural Interpretive Center. The Stockman House was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright for Dr. George C. and Eleanor Stockman. Wright adapted a plan he had published in the April 1907 issue of the Ladies’ Home Journal titled A Fireproof House for $5,000. Featuring cantilevered roofs and a projecting entrance, as well as a broad veranda and a second story balcony, the functionally efficient home has a revolutionary L-shaped open floor plan consisting of living spaces without walls. The house is stucco over frame construction, unlike the original Fireproof House, which was to be constructed with reinforced concrete. The house was rescued by local volunteers and relocated to its current site—just north of the Rock Crest/Rock Glen Historic District—when it faced demolition in 1987 and opened to the public as a museum in 1992.
Return to the hotel and make your way home, or continue your journey.
Historic Park Inn Hotel, B

WARNING: Due to the compact location of sites visited, this program is all-walking. There are no airport transfers or buses for sightseeing. Participants must be physically fit and able to walk and stand for much of the day.

Getting to Mason City

Mason City Municipal Airport is located 11 miles from the hotel. There are two daily flights to/from O’Hare airport, and most flights connect through Chicago. Taxis much be pre-arranged, and there are no ride-share services. Car rentals are available at the airport.

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Daily Itinerary subject to change.