Cedar Rock the Walter House

Frank Lloyd Wright, an internationally respected architect, designed ten structures in the state of Iowa however the only signed tile house was once owned by the Walters family and is now known as Cedar Rock.

In 1945, Frank Lloyd Wright agreed to design a summer home for Mr. and Mrs. Walter on a hill overlooking the Wapsipinicon River. Everything about the red brick house was selected from the bottom up and from the inside out. Considered one of the best examples of Wright's "Usonian" style, the home is now a part of Cedar Rock State Park and is open for guided tours.

Take a tour and learn about how Wright used ideas like natural light, space priority, room orientation and the guiding principles of compactness and efficiency to create not just a home, but a functioning work of art. What makes a visit to Cedar Rock so worthwhile is the chance to connect these architectural ideas with tangible examples and, especially, the chance to learn about the architect himself. Like characters who so often steal our attention in books and movies, Wright is fascinating in his quirks, eccentricities, opinions and unwavering control.

As complicated as the structures he designed, Frank Lloyd Wright is a grand study.
See for yourself how Wright liked to confuse guests with two front doors, how the layout of the house demands you experience it in a certain order and how Mrs. Walter's wedding gift was moved from the Garden Room to the kitchen because Wright contested its "ugly" appearance.

Open Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Please call 319-934-3572 to reserve your tour.