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The Guest House at Wingspread, which opened in
January 2002, completes founder H.F. Johnsons
vision of eventual expansion of the facilities for
overnight accommodations of guests. Conference
participants now lodge on the 36-acre Wingspread grounds.
Just a few steps from Wingspread and The House,
the Guest House offers conferees elegant overnight
accommodations in a woodland setting.
Designed in harmony with the prairie style of Wingspread,
the 42-room Guest House settles quietly into the bluff
above the pond, its zigzag shape disguising a residence
nearly three times the size of Wingspread. Our conferees
now stroll from Wingspread across ironwood bridges
and into a fireside created to make them feel at home.
The
living room is floored in warm Brazilian cherry, the
sofas and chairs carefully selected for comfortable
conversation. The harvest table of flame birch was
made from an aged log recovered from the cold depths
of Lake Superior. A massive fireplace of limestone,
flanked by books, faces an opposing wall of glass,
which opens on to a terrace and the pond. The guest
rooms look out on woods and water and invite deep
sleep.
In walks to the nearby lighthouse on Lake Michigan,
in chats on the terrace over coffee, or feet up on
an ottoman before a roaring fire, our conferees now
have the ideal setting for developing trust. From
trust comes candor, the sinew of any honest discussion
reaching to the heart of things.
The 38,000 square foot building can accommodate
42 people. Conferees have breakfast at the Guest House,
lunch and dinner at Wingspread, and later relax in
the Guest House living room with drinks and hors d ’oeuvres.
The guest rooms, nooks, and gathering areas have
state-of-the-art telecommunications capability, which
allows internet access 24 hours a day.
In keeping with the Foundations mission, the
Guest House and its surrounding landscape is a model
for sustainable design. The entire building, including
interior products and materials, minimize the Guest
Houses impact on the environment and reduce
energy costs. The building uses mostly natural materials,
many locally made or of recycled materials made with
non-polluting manufacturing. The Guest House was built
among woods and a pond behind a restored ravine, and
landscaped with native plants.
Many
guest room furnishings are manufactured locally, and
fabrics consist predominantly of natural, renewable
materials. A Milwaukee weaver designed colorful chair
throws for each room.
From conception through completion, we have strived
to harmonize green design with comfort and elegance
for our guests.
The Guest House is for conference participants
only. It is not open to the general public.
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