The true gem of this area was having the opportunity to tour the Bachman-Wilson house in Bentonville. This house was built by famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. It is a Usonian design a unique style he designed during the depression and a term he coined from an abbreviation of United States of North America. Approximately 60 of these homes were built, aimed for more of a middle-class market. Most of these were one story, however, the Bachman-Wilson house has a second floor. The Usonian homes were designed to be efficient and economical to build. They packed a lot of function into a small space. The floors were a typically decorative concrete slab with radiant heating installed under the slab. In order to integrate and control the interior, Wright used the leftover construction materials to create the furniture within the home. In the interior, the expansion joints of the concrete floors lined up with the break in the cushions on the built-in sofa-couch and the break in the windows above. There is incredible attention to these sorts of details. The front of the house is very private, only having high windows and a door not visible from the front. The rear of the home is almost all glass, creating the feeling that you are one with nature. His designs are really beautiful and if you ever have a chance to tour a design of his, be sure that you do. There were no pictures allowed in the interior but you can find some pictures at House Interior
On the same property as the Frank Lloyd House is the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. There are pieces back to the 1600’s and amazingly you are able to get up close with no barriers to view them. This museum is also a wonderful experience and the building it is housed in is an artwork in itself. Enjoy the few pictures we have included from inside this special museum.
Last for our day was the Walmart Museum. This museum involves a lot of reading and contains a lot of detail of how the company evolved from a single Ben Franklin 5 and 10 to the over 11,000 stores they have today worldwide. The museum contains Sam Walton’s office, his truck and Walmart specific items from years gone past. If there is one take away from the museum I believe it is that Sam Walton was very involved with his customers and his employees. Sam Walton’s view, sadly, seems to have gotten lost in the explosive expansion of the Company. That said, realistically his hands on approach could not be sustained in a company the size that Walmart has become. We left the museum with a much more positive view of Sam Walton than when we had arrived. His seemed to really care about others.
In the morning we are headed to Independence MO.
   I had never seen a vulture as being a social bird before  
Bachman-Wilson House Front View
Bachman-Wilson House Back View
 Letter Asking Frank Lloyd Wright to Design a House   The Chained Flying Squirrel is said to convey that she was a fine lady of grace and discipline  By Richard Caton Woodville Only White Men with the Ability to Vote Appear Center Stage on the Porch. A Woman from Inside is shown Listening in The African American Man and Child Sit Near the Ground Listening In  A Wood and Plaster Sculpture by Marisol 1960 This is Meant to Show how Times have Changed One of the Sunbathers Wears a Bikini (invented in 1946) While Others Appear to Be Nude  The Fourth Figure from the Right is a Self Portrait of Segal  Evan Penny 2010 Hauntingly Realistic. There are even tiny hairs on his ears. Like he is a bit Creepy. Using a 3D Scanner, Penny made digital scans of his body then created clay forms and then formed this into his the vision of what he will look like in the future. Take a look at this link to see what the younger artist looks like. Conversation with Penny   Walmart Museum   Walmart Museum  Walmart Museum  Walmart Museum  Walmart Museum  Walmart Museum  We were surprised how small this is for a company with over 11,000 Stores |
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