Last week my bride Rhonda and I journeyed to Wisconsin to tour The House on the Rock (THOTR). It is a most unusual, but beautiful, place nestled in hilly woods. Just a few miles away is the House on the Rock Resort and golf course—worthy of a stay.
Our two-day adventure was to link up with Minnesota relatives at a halfway point. Our first night we dined at a most charming place nearby, The Old Feed Mill. Also highly recommended.
What makes THOTR so distinctive? Several things. Construction started in 1945 by a Wisconsin-born chap named Alex Jordan who was simply looking for a good picnic spot. In his local journeys, he seemed fascinated by a rock formation that stood boldly above a field. As a young man, Jordan was able to lease a limited amount of property that included the rock. And he began to build his original structure (he called it a shack) on top of the rock tower, with a view of the surrounding countryside of nearly 30 miles!
That pinnacle is known as Deer Shelter Rock. Today, an extension exists from the rock. He called this The Infinity Room. Visitors can only walk part of the way in this paneled glass extension (3,264 windows) as it gets narrower and narrower the farther you go, giving a true sense of it leading out to infinity!
For my purposes here, it is impossible to give any reasonable perspective to the mass and variety of the collections Jordan accumulated in his lifetime. THOTR is divided into three sections. It would likely take days to read and make observations of everything in these sections. It truly is nearly “indescribable.”
Briefly, however, Section One of HOTR includes the Welcome Center, an Asian Garden and separate Japanese Garden, the history of Alex Jordan and his massive project, and the walkway to the original house and Infinity Room.
Section Two houses what must have been a favorite of Jordan – multiple carousels! Add to that the Spirit of Aviation, the Music and the Streets of Yesterday, the Tribute to Nostalgia and the Heritage of the Sea. All have thousands of individual pieces to gaze at. Again, too much to take in.
Section Three offers the Circus Room, the Doll House Room, the Organ room, and a variety of galleries.
While THOTR does claim to be friendly for wheelchairs and “scooters,” they quickly add there is limited access for both. The uneven surfaces throughout proved a little more perilous to my tastes – and I had a walking cane! Miss the low ceilings in several spots and you’ll pay the price if you are over six feet tall.
Despite the seeming genius of Alex Jordan, he never seemed to figure out that his creative abilities came from a creator! In the Alex Jordan Center, it was noted that his father was not a “religious man” but his mother was. Alex appeared to have no interest – yet put angelic representations in various locations, perhaps as a tribute to his Catholic mother.
Another man of brilliance designed a place not far from THOTR -- Frank Lloyd Wright. The Welsh American architect’s estate, Taliesin, is located just a few miles down the road. People often mistakenly think that THOTR was designed by the legendary Wright. It’s easy to understand the confusion.
In the famous words of Jesus of Nazareth we call “The Sermon on the Mount,” it’s recorded He said these words:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
Alex Jordan found a remarkable rock on which he built his life. Despite his apparent brilliance, his life missed out on the rock of eternal worth. His earthly legacy left me wanting — wanting a more solid rock on which to stand.
While THOTR does claim to be friendly for wheelchairs and “scooters,” they quickly add there is limited access for both. The uneven surfaces throughout proved a little more perilous to my tastes – and I had a walking cane! Miss the low ceilings in several spots and you’ll pay the price if you are over six feet tall.
Despite the seeming genius of Alex Jordan, he never seemed to figure out that his creative abilities came from a creator! In the Alex Jordan Center, it was noted that his father was not a “religious man” but his mother was. Alex appeared to have no interest – yet put angelic representations in various locations, perhaps as a tribute to his Catholic mother.
Another man of brilliance designed a place not far from THOTR -- Frank Lloyd Wright. The Welsh American architect’s estate, Taliesin, is located just a few miles down the road. People often mistakenly think that THOTR was designed by the legendary Wright. It’s easy to understand the confusion.
In the famous words of Jesus of Nazareth we call “The Sermon on the Mount,” it’s recorded He said these words:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
Alex Jordan found a remarkable rock on which he built his life. Despite his apparent brilliance, his life missed out on the rock of eternal worth. His earthly legacy left me wanting — wanting a more solid rock on which to stand.
That’s Forward Thinking.
You can find a number of YouTube episodes and podcasts of Mark’s program, Moving People Forward at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCosyuBzdSh1mXIas_kGY2Aw?
For more information on the Elfstrand Group, please visit www.elfstrandgroup.com
Articles of interest:
https://www.thehouseontherock.com/
https://todaydevotional.com/devotions/build-your-house-on-the-rock
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