The tour guide didn’t accompany us, but encouraged us to walk down to the boat house designed by Wright to hold Lowell Walter’s boat. It was hard to try to picture something like this in 1950; it is nicer than a number of boat houses that I have seen today. Complete with rails and an electric winch to haul his boat from the water, there is a great deck above and even a small office, complete with fireplace and sleeping quarters. I can only imagine how nice this would have been back then!
I have had the pleasure of having now visited more than a dozen Frank Lloyd Wright-designed structures, from his original Home and Studio in Oak Park, Illinois, to a gas station in Cloquet, Minnesota, to a home in Atherton, California, and many more in between. Each trip and each visit gives me more insight into the man and into his incredible designs. Each visit to another building also gives me greater appreciation for an architectural style that is absolutely unequaled; Cedar Rock was certainly no exception.
Leaving a Legacy
Upon his death in 1981, Lowell Walter donated to the Iowa Conservation Commission and the people of the State of Iowa his beloved Cedar Rock. Originally built at a cost of about $150,000, it has been taken care of through a trust fund and managed by the Iowa DNR. (Not being owned privately is what allows visitors to take the pictures that would not normally be allowed… or to play the Steinway as I did.) That trust is now running precipitously low on funds. I hope that this well-preserved example of Wright’s work will not succumb to the same fate as many of his other structures. And if you have not yet been to Quasqueton, this is definitely a place well worth the visit!
Read about the rest of our tour on the Cedar Rock page!
Tour Cedar Rock
Cedar Rock is open for public tours. Reservations are required and you will need to email or call to reserve your place.
- Email Cedar Rock
- 319-934-3572
- Cedar Rock website
Location
2611 Quasqueton Diagonal Blvd, Independence, IA
