CLOQUET HAPPENINGS FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT’S INFAMOUS CONNECTION TO CLOQUET

By Izabel Johnson ijohnson@pinejournal.com

Frank Lloyd Wright, born June 1867, spent over 70 years designing nationally recognized structures that have continued to impact architecture. He spent his life traveling the world — learning, teaching and designing.

So, what led the celebrated architect to select Cloquet as the home for not one, but two of his designs? The answer is simpler than people might think, and it all started with two college students.

In the early 1950s, Cloquet resident and business owner Ray Lindholm was seeking his ideal home somewhere in the local area.

Lindholm founded Lindholm Oil Company in 1939 and set his eyes on a new goal of constructing a home for himself and his wife, Emma.

It was then that his collegeaged daughter, Joyce Mckinney, and her husband, Daryl Mckinney, encouraged him to hire Wright for the project. They had admired Wright’s work while studying at the University of Minnesota and thought he would be a good fit.

The family soon traveled to Wright’s home in Spring Green, Wisconsin, and commissioned his help.

Joyce Mckinney told the Pine Journal in a 2008 interview that