Situated in a neighborhood comprised mostly of Craftsman bungalows, the first textile-block project to achieve reality was La Miniatura, a house designed for Alice Millard. Seventeen years earlier, FLlW had designed a house for the Millards in Illinois. Mr. Millard had been one of the country’s best-known dealers in rare books and his widow was carrying on the business and selling antique furniture. FLlW pointed out to Mrs. Millard that the textile blocks would provide fire-proof quarters for her collections .
La Minuatura is among the most beautiful houses to be found anywhere in the world. The interior is as exquisite in its shapeliness as the exterior has for its ingenuity, comprising three floors and terraces on four levels with easy access to both the street and the surroundings. The most dramatic interior feature is the two-story living room.
The building of the Millard house was a painful experience for FLlW. In addition, to the usual challenges of cost overruns and construction delays associated with many FLlW projects there was an AWOL contractor, a flood through the arroyo and a torrent of litigation with the new contractor. Ultimately, FLlW contributed $6,000 himself toward the completion of the house.
A separate studio designed by Lloyd Wright and built in 1926, is linked to the main house by a bridge between the studio roof and the living room balcony .
Despite this pain and its flaws, the Millard house remained a personal favorite for FLlW who provided the happiest of tributes, “As for me, I would rather built this little house than St. Peter’s in Rome .”
The Millard house is currently a private residence and has been in the process of restoration for several years.
A day of public tours was recently conducted by the Friends of the Gamble House. A nice virtual tour was posted by the LA Times (
visit link) . According to the article it was the first time since 1992 that the house has been open to the public, but I know for a fact that it was one of the house toured during the 2005 FLlW Building Conservancy conference.