TWENTY-FOURTH ANNUAL MEETING
FRIDAY OCTOBER 3 &
SATURDAY OCTOBER 4, 2025
MASON CITY, IOWA
We are pleased to announce that the 24th Annual Meeting of the Walter Burley
Griffin Society of America will be held in Mason City, Iowa, on 3-4 October
2025 (Friday and Saturday). The meeting is being organized by board
members Nick Mutchler and Peggy Bang and will include visits to the houses
of Rock Crest/Rock Glen and a host of additional local sites. This will be the
Society’s third visit to this incredible enclave of early twentieth-century modern
American architecture, following meetings held in June 2003 and May
2014. The entire Historic Park Inn Hotel (the Wright hotel) has been reserved
for the Griffin Society for 2, 3, & 4 October and rooms are now available as
first come first served.
Both Friday and Saturday lectures will begin at 9 as usual and will last until
noon. They will take place in the Salsbury room on the 2nd level of the MacNider Museum. The Tudor-styled museum building itself is of historic and
architectural interest and features many interesting displays of Mason City’s
rich brick-and-tile heritage circa 1920. The museum’s collection focuses on
American art. Tours of the houses in Rock Crest/Rock Glen, including works
by Griffin, Wright, Barry Byrne, and William Drummond, will be held from
1:00 to 5:00 on Friday and Saturday afternoons. Friday evening is free to
spend as you wish, while Saturday evening will conclude with a reception at
the Blythe house. An informal reception is being considered for those who
arrive on Thursday afternoon/evening, as well as an additional site-visit for
Sunday morning. Check the website for announcements.
Registration fee of $70 covers both days, including tours of the Historic Park
Inn and Stockman House. Optional boxed lunches at $15 per day will be
served following lectures at the museum/museum grounds. Here is the Membership/Registration Form for the meeting.
Please register by Sept 15, 2025; Registration is limited to 150 people.
And, of course, you must be a member of the Griffin Society to register for
the conference. If you have not renewed your membership, a form has been
included with this newsletter.
Speakers include Katie Hurd, director of Cedar Rock Lowell Walter House,
Wright’s Usonian house on an 11-acre Iowa State park; Glenda Korporaal,
author of “Making Magic,” a biography of Marion Mahony Griffin; Lonnie
Lovness, author of “Growing up Wright,” an account of the creation of her
parents’ Wright house in Stillwater, Minnesota; Paul Kruty on the genesis of
Rock Crest/Rock Glen; master-printer Peter Kruty, who created the stunning
posters for the last ten meetings; and Nick Mutchler, craftsman restoring the
Melson and Blythe houses in Mason City. See you there!
Check back for additional details on the meeting.
The map below shows the local hotels and the location of the MacNider Museum in Mason City:
1. Comfort Inn & Suites 410 Fifth Street SW Mason City, IA 50401 641-243-4222
2. Hampton Inn & Suites 2111 Fourth Street SW Mason City, IA 50401 641-435-7500
3. Holiday Inn Express & Suites 3041 Fourth Street SW Mason City, IA 50401 641-424-1200
4. Country Inn & Suites 4082 Fourth Street SW Mason City, IA 50401 641-243-8726
MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
Once again, please renew your Griffin Society membership for 2025. We have just raised our basic dues of $35 ($30 for seniors and students). We do need our members to renew their membership so we can continue organizing our annual meetings and publishing newsletters as well as sponsor publications and preservation project things possible. Thanks so very much. The membership renewal form can be found here (Membership/Registration Form). Please return the form with your payment to the Society. |
