Going Back In Time At The Rosenbaum House

The home looks just as it was. It's kinda spooky in a way, but the Rosenbaum House (http://www.wrightinalabama.com/rosenbaum.html) is must-see for any visitor to Florence, Alabama. After all, how often do you get to see a Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) home.

Here's the background: In 1939, Stanley Rosenbaum commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design his first home as a gift for his bride, Mildred. He also had Wright design all of the interior--including the furniture, which they kept until they moved out of the home. The usonian-style house, on Riverview Drive, is now a National Historic Property. And in fact is the only Frank Lloyd Wright structure in the state of Alabama and one of 26 pre-World War II Usonian houses in the U.S. The original owners lived in the house until 1999 when the city of Florence purchased it from the family.

Now, the Rosenbaum House is opened for tours, has been since 2002. It is a fascinating house--an L-shaped house constructed of all-natural materials such as cypress, brick and glass. This house incorporated the first carport, use of under floor heating, curtain walls, and a multi-level, canti-levered roof. The outdoors can be accessed from almost every room. According to Wright, his houses were not only homes, but also works of art. Wright’s Usonian style (named for the United State of America) was a low-cost home for middle income families. The Usonian style house originally contained 1,540 square feet, but when the Rosenbaum household grew, the family called Wright to design an addition. In 1948, 1,084 square feet was added, with a larger kitchen, a guest bedroom, storage space and a dormitory for the kids.

Wright wasn't shy about setting his own style and architectural agenda. He experimented with forms and materials. His forward-thinking career began in Oak Park, Illinois, and he became one of the most influential architects ever. Perhaps his most recognized masterpieces is the Guggenheim Museum in NYC, which took him 16 years to complete.

The Rosenbaum House was fixed up by the city and is now a tourist attraction--and an interesting bit of Americana.

TRAVEL TIPS...Mark your calendars: May 25-28 is the Bonaire Jazz Festival, featuring three main sessions at beach locations, sunset jazz times, late night jazz and jam sessions in cafes and restaurants and a jazz brunch. Bands from the ABC Islands, The Netherlands and the U.S. will participate. For more information, visit www.bonairejazz.com. ..It's "I Do" time at Breezes Runaway Bay Resort & Golf Club (www.breezes.com) in Jamaica and the resort is offering the “Beautiful Beginnings” promotion. Throughout the month of June, wedding parties booking a minimum of five rooms, will receive complimentary room-upgrades, a group farewell dinner, and a private candlelight dinner for the bride and groom in the resort’s delicious Italian restaurant, Pastafari. In addition to the complimentary wedding--complete with non-denominational marriage officer, wedding cake, bridal bouquet and groom’s boutonnière, and musical serenade--couples are also treated to a fairytale horse and buggy ride, topped off with a bottle of champagne, following the ceremony. The resort’s onsite wedding planner takes care of all the details. Sounds like stress-free wedding planning. Show, get married and have an island party. The “Beautiful Beginnings” package starts at $1,690 per couple, for a five night stay, based on groups of 10 or more people (or five double-occupancy rooms), and includes all meals, snacks, premium brand alcoholic beverages, land and water sports (including equipment and instruction); entertainment; hotel taxes; airport transfers and tips...A restaurant named Poison? Well, sort of. The Cosmopolitan Hotel (http://www.cosmotoronto.com in Toronto has opened Doku 15 (www.doku15.com) "doku" means poison in Japanese. But don't be afraid--the cuisine is divine, the atmosphere fabulous, and the decor trendy and sleek. Try the innovative dim-sum and Asian tapas traditions...Fore! Anguilla has opened Play-A-Round (www.anguilla-vacation.com), a family-oriented entertainment venue that takes the American concept of miniature golf and implements it with a comprehensive yet consciously local approach. Located on Rendezvous Bay West, the professional standard 18-hole miniature golf course features attractive pathways and rock and stream elements. The entertainment complex also features a bumper boat pond, an outdoor boat bar, a 24-foot high climbing wall and a snack bar clubhouse. An inflatable obstacle course safely challenges children aged 5 to 12 years. The par 43, 196-yard course is tricky enough for adults and features a stream that constitutes a tricky skip shot on the fourth hole; a large lagoon that meanders around and contains the bumper boats; and an illuminated fountain that sends the water back to the pump to feed the lagoon. Floodlights surround the complex to assure perfect visibility for night play. And it's not only fund and games--the venue is educational, too. The course incorporates lessons in local history and flora & fauna with lush paths of indigenous plants tagged with their native and scientific names.

STEP INTO THE LIFE OF HELEN KELLER

Florence, Alabama, has given rise to many who have changed history, such as WC Handy, the father of the blues. Florence was also home to Helen Keller and the city preserves her birthplace meticulously.

The Helen Keller Birthplace, or Ivy Green as it is called, (256-383-4066; www.helenkellerbirthplace.org) is located at 300 West North Commons in Tuscumbia. It's open to the public for viewing and also hosts the annual Helen Keller Festival (www.helenkellerfestival.com). Keller, who has been called America's First Lady of Courage, was born in Tuscumbia at at the Ivy Green estate. Ivy Green was built in 1820 survived the Civil War. It is now maintained to the smallest detail and much of the furniture in the home is original. The beautifully manicured property is like stepping back in time.

Most now know the legendary story of human triumph. With the help of a determined teacher, Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller overcame blindness and deafness to inspire others and to excel on her own. She graduated from Radcliffe, became a write, learned Greek and how to horseback ride, and crusaded for Socialism and humanitarian issues that revolutionized help for the blind and the deaf.

Located on the Keller birthplace property today are: The Lions Clubs International Memorial Foundation, the Clearing and the herb gardens, the Carriage House and Gift Shop. Helen Keller's birthplace cottage is located next door to the main house.Visiting the home and Ivy Green is located on the National Register of Historic Places. And every year, Ivy Green hosts the Miracle Worker play, held each June and July. The Helen Keller Festival is held annually the last weekend in June.

TRAVEL TIPS...Make a splash with Bonaire's Dive Into Adventure Bonaire 2006 (www.diveintoadventurebonaire.com), June 17-24. Organized by the Tourism Corporation Bonaire, its stakeholders and event sponsor Scuba Diving magazine, Dive Into Adventure Bonaire 2006 will focus on scuba diving while also incorporating eco-adventure activities like kayaking, windsurfing, landsailing, kiteboarding and mountain biking into the event program. As always, the week-long event will kick-off with a Taste of Bonaire, featuring island cuisine and music and presentations by local dignitaries, and in the evenings there'll be parties, beach BBQ's and presentations by featured speakers. Among the celebrities and notable dive industry personalities scheduled to attend is Philippe Cousteau Jr., President of EARTHECHO International...Aruba's Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort (http://www.diviresorts.com/) is more than doubling its size, adding 140 suites--meaning there's more rooms for you to choose from on your next vacation to the tropical destination. And you will be able to make yourself right at home with the new setup and amenities. The new studios, one-bedroom suites, and two- and three-bedroom penthouses are in four eight-story buildings and will feature fully equipped kitchens with convection oven, gas stove top, microwave, and full-size refrigerators. Additional amenities include king-sized beds and queen-sized sleeper sofas, 32" or 42" plasma televisions, a washer-dryer combination and baths with Jacuzzi tubs. Completion is scheduled for December 2007..Speaking of new developments, in Barbados, the Mango Bay Resort has reopened, following a $10-million expansion and refurbishment. And for big spenders, they added two Penthouse suites--priced at $1,500 to $1,800 per night, all inclusive. The six-month expansion also added 12 additional suites (for a total 76 rooms) as well as extensive enhancements throughout the 12-year-old resort. For info, call 246-432-1384 or e-mail, http://by111fd.bay111.hotmail.msn.com.

Found In Florence--Florence, Alabama, That Is

Some of the most charming people and interesting sites can be found in the small cities and towns of the United States. Such is the case with Florence, Alabama (888-FLO-TOUR; www.flo-tour.org). Founded in 1818 on the banks of the Tennessee River in the Northwest corner of Alabama there is actually Florence, Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, Tuscumbia, and two counties, Lauderdale and Colbert. These comprise the Shoals area. You'll find lots of contrasts in the city of Florence. Take the downtown architecture for example--from antebellum mansions and Grand Victorians to Art Deco buildings and Federal-style townhouse, homes ordered from a Sears and Roebuck Catalog. While the buildings tell one story, the true history of Florence and the Shoals started more than 10,000 years ago when Native Americans inhabited the area.

And, you can check out some of evidence of the original Native culture still today at the ancient Florence Indian Mound (256-760-6427). It is considered to be the largest domiciliary mound in the Tennessee Valley Region. The rectangular, flat-topped mound measures 42 feet high and 310-by-230 feet, and the summit measures approximately 145 by 94 feet. This mound, “Wawmanona,” was built as early as 500 A.D., predating Columbus by 1,000 years. It is is thought to have been a place for ceremonies and other tribal exercises. An educational museum, located at the base of the mound, houses authentic artifacts dating back thousands of years

The area also hosts the Trail of Tears Motorcycle Ride (www.al-tn-trailoftears.org) takes place annually. In 1830 the Indian Removal Act called for the Indians in the eastern United States be moved to Oklahoma. Soldiers forced some 17,000 Cherokees out of their homes in a removal that became known as the “Trail of Tears.” Many died along the 230-mile journey, that followed what is now U.S. Highway 72. The Town of Waterloo hosts the “Trail of Tears Commemoration and Motorcycle Ride” the third weekend of each September to honor Native Americans and to educate people about the Trail of Tears history. The motorcycle journey follows much of the Cherokee’s route from Ross’ Landing to Waterloo. When the bikers get to Waterloo, there are Native American crafters, demonstrators, dancers and powwows. The first ride, in 1994, started with eight motorcycles; now there are more than 100,000 motorcycles.

The Edith Newman Memorial Museum (256-767-6081 ) features Native American artifacts, Civil War relics and the heritage of Waterloo, one of Alabama’s oldest incorporated towns. The museum was home to Union soldier Joseph Marion Newman of Ohio and his bride Sarah Long in 1918. Years later Newman's granddaughter, Edith Newman Culver, inherited the house. She and her husband, Ezra Lee Culver, gave the house to the City of Waterloo in 1995 to be used as a museum.

There's also a deep musical history in Florence and the surrounding areas. There's The Alabama Music Hall of Fame (see previous blog) and the W.C. Handy Birthplace, Museum & Library (256-760-6434), the birth house of one of the world's most important musicians, W.C. Handy. Born in the small log cabin on November 16, 1873, he went on to be known as the Father of the Blues. The museum houses the most complete collection in the world of Handy’s personal papers and artifacts. And a 1,447-square-foot building has been added to the property to contain the items Handy left to the museum after his death in 1958. This is also the site of the annual W.C. Handy Festival, held every November 16.

On the architectural side, one must visit is the Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House (256-740-8899; http://www.wrightinalabama.com) In 1939, Stanley Rosenbaum commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to design his first home as a gift for his bride, Mildred. Now, Frank Lloyd Wright’s usonian-style Rosenbaum House, is a National Historic Property. The house is the only Frank Lloyd Wright structure in the state of Alabama and one of 26 pre-World War II Usonian houses in the United States. The L-shaped house was constructed of all natural materials such as cypress, brick and glass.

Another home of historic note is the Helen Keller Birthplace—Ivy Green (256-383-4066; http://www.helenkellerbirthplace.org/ or http://www.helenkellerfestival.com). Keller was born in Tuscumbia at an estate referred to as Ivy Green, which was built in 1820. The home survived the Civil War and has been maintained to the smallest detail. Ivy Green is also the site of the “Miracle Worker Play,” held each June and July and Helen Keller Festival, held annually the last weekend in June.

As you can see, there is plenty to do in Florence. Find Florence for yourself.

EVENTS...If you find yourself in Detroit on April 29, check out the 2nd Annual Robert S. Shumake Relays at Martin Luther King High School at 8:00 am. Sanctioned by the U.S. Track and Field Association, it will host a bevy of Mid-West High School students competing for individual and team trophies and college scholarships. And business and community leaders have joined together for the event; among the sponsors are Comerica, Inheritance Investment Group, the Freedom Institute, and the UNCF-Detroit Branch. Visit http://www.shumakerelays.com/ for more information.

TRAVEL TIPS...Looking for a good travel and or history read? Here area a few good picks: Post-Bellum, Pre-Harlem: Rethinking African American Literature and Culture, 1877-1919 (New York University Press, June 2006) edited by Caroline Gebhard and Barbara McCaskill, it offers fresh perspectives on the literary and cultural achievements of African Americans during this period; Your Negro Tour Guide:Truths in Black and White (Emmis Books; Jan. 2006) by Kathy Y. Wilson is a bold perspectives on urban living, race, scandal, trends and humanity; Civility in the City: Blacks, Jews, and Koreans in Urban America (Harvard University Press; Jan. 2006) by Jennifer Lee. University of California-Irvine sociology professor Lee examines the relationship between African-American, Korean and Jewish store owners and their black customers in New York and Philadelphia; Rough Guide To Egypt 6 (Rough Guides; Dec. 2005) by Dan Richardson, Daniel Jacobs, Michael Kohn, Michael Ackroyd, and Ros Ford, this is a fun comprehensive guide to the oldest tourist destination in the world; Nashville: Then & Now (Thunder Bay Press; Nov. 2005) by Katrina McDaniel gives the history in word and pics of the city now known as the Country Music Capital of the World; Traveler's Guide to Mexican Camping (Rolling Homes Press) by Mike and Terri Church has been called the "best book ever written for RV travelers in Mexico"; We Are Iran: The Persian Blogs (Soft Skull Press; 2005) by Nasin Alavi, about Iran by the people. One of the bloggers was sentenced to 14 years in jail in Feb.; Switching gears, shopaholics will love Cool Shops Los Angeles (Te Neues Publishing; Sept. 2005) edited by Karin Mahle and Katharina Feuer; Airline Design (Te Neues Publishing; Dec. 2005) by Peter Delius is a surprisingly fascinating look at how airlines have changed over the decades; speaking of airlines, get the real skinny about air travel from insiders in Travel Tales from the Flight Crew: The Plane Truth at 35,000 Feet (Impact Publications; 2005) by A. Frank Steward, fun but fact-filled; The Lonely Planet The Blue List, 2006-2007, captures the world's hottest trends, destinations and experiences and sets the travel agenda for the year ahead.