Explore the creativity of America’s greatest architect via his most thoroughly expressed vision: Florida Southern College’s National Historic Landmark campus. Located in the midst of tropical Central Florida, the campus is home to thirteen spectacular Wright structures. Frank Lloyd Wright was approached by the president of Florida Southern College in 1938 and requested his assistance. The president’s concept for the institution was the Temple of Education in Florida, and the structures created by Frank Lloyd Wright are still regarded as unrivaled and futuristic today. Wright envisioned an 80-acre network of buildings and covered walkways spreading from a central point in order to create a “truly American campus.” Over the following 20 years, Wright would see 12 of his 18 envisioned structures come to life, starting with the Annie Pfeiffer Chapel, the angular focal point of the Methodist school’s campus, in 1938. Wright’s “Child of the Sun,” made of tan-colored concrete, incorporates decoration into the patterning and texturing of each structure’s walls and stained glass.  Wright’s completed structures include the Wright’s greatest water feature, the beautiful Water Dome; the renowned Annie Pfeiffer Chapel; the Buckner Building (originally the Roux Library); the Ordway Building; the Danforth Chapel; the Polk County Science Building; the Watson Fine Building; the Three Seminars (the L.A. Raulerson Building) and the Esplanades. With his remarkable 13-structure collection at Florida Southern College, world-renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright made his imprint on Lakeland. Only 12 of the 18 projects designed by Frank Lloyd Wright were finished during his lifetime. In 2013, the Usonian House was completed. The Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center should be your first stop when you come to Florida Southern College. The Center will provide you with a rundown of Wright’s involvement with the College. The Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center houses a permanent exhibition of images, furnishings, and drawings commemorating Wright’s connection to the College. Visiting displays on loan from other Wright locations are also housed in the Center. The Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center and GEICO Gift Shop debuted as part of an ongoing endeavor at Florida Southern College to further educate visitors about Frank Lloyd Wright’s work. The Usonian House, which is near the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center, was built after Wright’s original 1939 design. You’ll get a look inside one of Wright’s 20 faculty residences during a tour.  Florida Southern College has been awarded “The Most Beautiful Campus in the Nation” by the Princeton Review. That’s correct, Central Florida is home to the world’s biggest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings, which contributes to Florida Southern College’s favorable reviews from a variety of sources. Every year, a large number of Wright’s admirers from all over the world come to the institution to appreciate his remarkable structures. Even visitors to Central Florida who are unfamiliar with his work admire his outstanding work and enjoy learning more about it by taking a tour of the campus.

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