Year in Review
Dear Members and Friends:
For 36 years the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust has brought the legacy of America’s greatest architect to the public and served as an exemplary steward of the historic sites entrusted to its care. As we continued to build on our core strengths and plan for the future, the organization’s Fiscal Year 2010 was defined by a year-long celebration of the Robie House centennial, revisiting the mission and vision, development of a new strategic plan, the retirement of President and CEO Joan Mercuri in June 2010 after 14 years of leadership, and a nationwide search for a new leader.
While the Home and Studio continued to serve as the Preservation Trust’s main attraction, we piloted new programs at the Robie House in order to give our guests opportunities to engage with Wright’s masterpiece in more meaningful ways. Successful programs such as the Private Spaces In-depth Tour and LEGO® Architects were added to the menu of offerings. We co-published Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House, and we expanded our outreach into Chicago area classrooms. Restoration at the Robie House made progress as much of the bedroom level was completed. The Wright Plus housewalk and attendant weekend events offered an outstanding experience to a filled-to-capacity audience. Our Wright Way travelers enjoyed exclusive private tours, luxury accommodations and the expertise of Preservation Trust guides at a greater number of exciting destinations. ShopWright, our multi-channel retailing operation showed gains over the previous year despite a challenging retail environment.
As the country’s economic recovery inched along, the Preservation Trust remained fiscally conservative, with aggressive control of expenses in order to continue with a high level of quality program delivery.
Our vision for the future is to be recognized as the preeminent organization devoted to enhancing the ways in which people perceive and think about architecture and design, particularly the architecture and design philosophy of Frank Lloyd Wright. To chart the course toward this vision, we appointed a new President and CEO, Celeste Adams, who we welcome with great warmth and enthusiasm.
The Preservation Trust’s many accomplishments during FY 2010 were possible only with your ongoing support. I invite you to review those accomplishments in this annual report and share my pride in our dynamic organization. For all the ways in which you partner with us, we are deeply grateful.
Sincerely,
Jim Schiefelbein
Chairman, Board of Directors
