WEB EXCLUSIVE: Florida Southern College
Lakeland, Florida
Ludd M. Spivey had a vision for a “college of tomorrow” that would encourage enrollment at the Florida Southern College. Wright dreamed of designing an entire college campus from scratch. Together, they began the world’s largest concentration of Wright-designed structures.
The then 69-year-old Wright broke ground on the project in 1938 when he started work on the central building on campus, the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel. The chapel commands attention on the campus with its use of light, colored glass insets and its shiplike features, such as the upper balconies that resemble a ship’s bridge.
Wright went on to oversee the construction of 12 structures over two decades. Groups can still explore those central Florida architectural treasures on a tour at the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center. The center is located in the Wright-designed Usonian House to educate visitors on Wright’s contributions to the campus.
The center houses a permanent display of photographs, furniture and drawings that highlight Wright’s involvement with the college. Groups can choose between the Basic Tour and the In-Depth Tour, depending on their level of interest in the interiors of the buildings. The In-Depth Tour is the most popular because it takes visitors inside all of the Wright structures, where possible.
