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- We moved in in June of 1977.
- Ron Olsen, a retired architectural draftsman,
designed this scale model of his Janesville home,
right down to fine detail on the front door.
- We've lived in this house for 40 years.
- His unique designs include
an exact replica of the house where his wife Judy grew up.
- Lot of good memories.
- Ron also created
his childhood home along the shores of Delavan Lake.
- I've always enjoyed drafting.
I might work 15 minutes on something
and not get back for a day or two.
But I might sit here at the drafting table
for two or three hours at a time.
- These miniature masterpieces are intricate,
meticulous in detail and only the beginning.
- We've always liked Frank Lloyd Wright homes
so we travel to see them.
We went down to Illinois and saw Pettit Chapel.
- I'd been retired just over a year, I think.
And she said,
"Why don't you make a model of the Pettit Chapel
in Belvidere, Illinois?"
- So he did that and oh, I love it.
It was the first one I think that he'd done.
And then I said to him, "Oh, that's really, really nice.
I love it dearly but would you please make Fallingwater next?"
- So that was my introduction to building the models
and it's just grown from there.
There's Fallingwater.
- Ron drew inspiration from nature
and the simplicity of Wright's designs.
Many on the National Register of Historic Places.
- We finished our tour of Fallingwater.
We walked down the stream a little ways
and I found a rock
that was little bit larger than a hockey puck.
And when I built Fallingwater, Judy had mentioned,
"What are you going to use for the waterfall?"
I said, "I wasn't sure yet."
I think I made the water out of Saran Wrap and glue.
I happened to be sitting at my desk
and saw that rock
and I set that in place on the model and it fit perfectly.
So some of Fallingwater is with the model of Fallingwater.
- Creating these structures to scale is no easy feat
and takes hours of research.
- There's photographs in books and magazines all over the place
that show the plans but you have to find
all the exterior elevations of the house.
So that's what takes the time.
- The construction elements
are designed from scratch to match real life.
- I try to get color photographs of course
and get as close as I can to the color of the actual building.
And then I just begin from there,
measuring out, cutting the pieces.
Glue' em together.
Plenty of glue holds everything together.
Roofs--sometimes
I've cut a little, little slices into paper to show shingling.
- The details don't end at the door.
Ron's hope is to mirror the original landscape,
just how Wright had envisioned.
- I use moss that I find out in the yard.
Dried sedums that can turn into bushes and trees.
So I try to landscape as close to the photographs that I have
but all the landscaping comes right from our yard.
- Ron's latest recreation is his largest ever.
- I'm working on Wingspread right now.
That looks pretty good to me.
It was the home of the Johnson family.
And until just a few years ago,
I think members of the family still lived there.
It's now been turned into a conference center.
Judy and I went
and took photographs all around the building
so I could start this model.
- The collection spans
the American architect's iconic career
and has grown to nearly 30 replicas.
- I'd been looking for a home for the models.
I thought I'll just take the bull by the horns
and contact Mr. Johnson.
So I wrote a letter.
Mr. Johnson, I'll keep this brief.
In retirement
I built scale models of Frank Lloyd Wright houses.
- Mr. Johnson, as in the SC Johnson company in Racine
and home to the last Frank Lloyd Wright office building
still in use.
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- They were very, very interested
and wanted to accept my offer.
I was just thrilled.
It was -- I mean, we cried.
Both of us because it's exactly where they should be.
- The historic landmarks are now housed in Fortaleza Hall
as part of the SC Johnson permanent collection.
- As you walk in there,
the first thing you see is the research tower
that Wright built for Johnsons.
It's just right inside the doorway.
And it just takes my breath away.
I put a photograph of Judy and I,
our children and grandchildren
up in the very top floor of that.
Now nobody can see that.
It's just a lasting thing for our family
to know that they're included in one of our models.
- For Ron and Judy, the delight is in the details.
- So pretty.
- It's not just a flat wall.
I've set back windows where they should be
and I put doors in where they should be.
Viewing the models
is just like being in front of the real house.
They're just terrific.
Large photos of some of the actual houses
are on the wall behind the model.
So you can you can judge from one to the other
how accurate the model might be.
- Romeo and Juliet.
- So that's been a thrill for me
to know that people from all over the world
can see some of Wright's work in miniature
but it looks like it should.
- And in this moment,
it's hard for Ron not to contemplate
what Wright might think.
- He was quite critical of a lot of things
but I think he'd be pleased
to know that somebody's trying to preserve some of this.
It's been a terrific experience.
- Yah, it's just been a great adventure
of love of these models for him and sharing it with me.
- And my name is on them.
That's incredible to see too.
- Ron Olsen's name is now etched for eternity
right alongside famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
- It's just nice to think that I put something someplace
that people will see for a long, long time.
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