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As any homeowner knows, fixing a leaky roof is no picnic. But if the roof is shaped like a pagoda and was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, a tricky task can easily turn into a daunting architectural challenge. How do you repair the damage and shore up the structure without trashing the work of a master builder?
That's the dilemma presented by Wingspread, just north of Racine. Built in 1938-'39 for Herbert F. Johnson, grandson of the founder of wax-maker S.C. Johnson & Son Inc., this last and largest of Wright's Prairie houses has been a conference center run by the Johnson Foundation since 1959.
The sprawling home, its four wings radiating like a pinwheel from a central living space (the octagonal "Great Hall"), had held up well until the fierce winter of 1993-'94. Then, heavy ice buildup caused the skylighted, clay-tile roof over the Great Hall to sag by as much as three inches. Windows were leaking; plaster was beginning to crack.
The long, low roof over the east wing was reconstructed last year. The conventional remedy for the more complex Great Hall roof would have been to rip off the old sheathing, open up the ceiling and insert new steel beams. But that would have devastated the historic fabric of the building, including interior finishes an unacceptable fate for a cherished national landmark.
The $2 million solution chosen by the foundation and its restoration architects and engineers to rebuild the roof from the...