The Council of Independent Colleges: Historic Campus Architecture Project

Polk County Science Building

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Polk County Science Building (observatory), Florida Southern College

Polk County Science Building (covered walkway), Florida Southern College

Institution Name: Florida Southern College
Original/Historic Place Name: Polk County Science Building
Location on Campus: West Campus - Johnson Ave.
Date(s) of Construction:

1958	original construction Wright, Frank Lloyd

Designer: Frank Lloyd Wright
Type of Place: Individual building
Style: Modern/post-WWII (Glossary)
Significance: architecture, landscape
Narrative: see below
References: see below

Materials:

Foundation: concrete

Walls: concrete textile block

Roof: built-up

Function:

ca. 1948-present (2006)	observatory (planetarium)
ca. 1948-present (2006)	faculty offices
ca. 1948-present (2006)	classrooms (including science laboratories)

Narrative:
To the southwest of the Ordway Building, and at the intersection of two major esplanades, is the Polk County Science Building. This three-story structure makes a strong statement of Wright's use of horizontal lines. This horizontal feeling is expressed by the white surrounds of the square windows which form a horizontal band around the first story. The dominating feature of the structure is the white dome of the planetarium (from National Register report).

References:

Florida Southern College. Historic American Buildings Survey report and photos. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, [n.d.]

Florida Southern College: The First Hundred Years. Lakeland, FL: Florida Southern College, 1985.

Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly 12, no. 3 (2001).

Little, J. Rodney, and Phillip A. Werndli. Florida Southern College Architectural District. National Register of Historic Places designation report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1975.

Powell, Kenneth. "The Wright Spirit: John McAslan & Partners Is Updating Frank Lloyd Wright's Florida Southern College to Address Inherent Structural Defects and To Cater for Changing Needs." Architects' Journal 214 (November 22, 2001): 24-33.

Rogers, Steven B. "The Frank Lloyd Wright Campus at Florida Southern College: A Child of the Sun." Frank Lloyd Wright Quarterly 12 (Summer 2001): 4-23.

Smalling, Walter, Jr. Polk Science Building [Florida Southern College]. Historic American Buildings Survey photographs. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of the Interior/National Park Service, 1979.