Dorothy H. Turkel House, Detroit, Michigan, designed in 1956 by Frank Lloyd Wright. Photograph courtesy of the Joseph Messana Architectural Image Collection, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries.
In 1956, Mrs. Dorothy S. Turkel commissioned internationally acclaimed architect Frank Lloyd Wright to design a residence for her property in the Palmer Woods Subdivision. She selected a “Usonian Automatic”, a two-story concrete block residence. The estimated construction cost was $65,000, no small sum for a residence in 1956.
The Dorothy Turkel House, Detroit, Michigan. Michigan State Historic Preservation Office file photo (c. 1980).
The Turkel House is an L-shaped, two-story, flat-roofed structure of grey reinforced concrete with overhanging eaves, multi-paned hollow glazed windows and a concrete pad foundation. It is an example of Wright’s Usonian Automatic style, a design technique which joined concrete block cavities, steel support rods and poured cement into a single mass.
City of Detroit Historic District Commission. “Turkel-Benbow House.” Accessed April 8, 2011.
Dybis, Karen. “Wright’s Treasure, or Preserving the City.” Time.com, accessed April 8, 2011.
Firshein, Sarah. “Call It A Comeback: Restoring Frank Lloyd Wright in Detroit.” Curbed.com, accessed April 8, 2011.
Powers, Rebecca. “Rescuing a Landmark.” HourDetroit.com, accessed April 12, 2011.
