looking tree-lush Roanoke Park. The land also abuts five-and-a-half acres of a neighbor’s private property. Surrounded by so many trees—hackberries, walnuts, pawpaws and ash—to name but a few—also give the feeling of living in a tree house. The iron-gated, winding driveway that leads to the nearly hidden, off- road house is flanked with weeping willows and aromatic pines. “It is like living in a tree house,” Blair agrees. “It’s pretty relaxing here. We’re in the middle of the city but it’s very secluded.” Designed by Wright in 1939 and constructed in 1940, the 900 square foot house was built for the Clarence Sondern family. How- ever, when Arnold Adler purchased the house in 1948, he commis- sioned Wright to design an addition that expanded it to 2,900 square feet because his family loved to entertain. The house now boasts three bedrooms and three baths; a large room with dining terrace, clerestory, and Wright’s signature built-in, wall seating; a living area with a fireplace; and extra carports and a wading pool. The new design also relocated the front door, and con- nected the patios from the large room to the living area, creating a circular indoor-outdoor flow, ideal for garden parties. A brush with fate Blair says his first encounter with the Sondern-Adler house was an “accidental one,” when in 1982 its third owner, multi-millionaire The living room addition is stunning from every angle with walls of windows, a long banquet, large fireplace and sprawling wood ceilings. It is the perfect entertaining space; owner Jim Blair hosts parties and fundraising events many weekends out of the year.
Dressed in yellow shorts and a blue Ralph Lauren polo shirt—his brown sandals kicked haphazardly onto the floor—Blair appears serene. He is tan and lean, and sports a trendy haircut, cropped, with long layers on top. Middle-aged, his green eyes look sleepy behind oversized glasses, even though it’s nearly noon. He occasionally yawns as he stretches like a sunning cat. A light breeze blows through the open French doors. Jazz and blues diva, Dinah Washington, croons, “I’m in love with a man who’s not in love with me”—a sentiment, confirmed by our shared grins, we find amusing. Blair’s mellow demeanor epitomizes the spirit of the Sondern- Adler House in Kansas City, MO. Famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright would surely approve. Wright design Wright first designed this “Usonian” house (one of two designed by him in Kansas City) as a standardized, affordable design for the middle class. And as a functional, livable space for families. He also designed the structure to harmonize with its natural environment—a term he coined “organic architecture.” He achieved his vision by incorporating walls of windows in every room, nu- merous French doors leading to patios, and low ceilings and a flat roof, which give the single-level house an almost cave-like sense of privacy. He also used natural materials in exterior and interior construction, in this case, cypress and brick. Location is an essential component, too. The Sondern-Adler House sits atop a hill in the historic Roanoke neighborhood over-
22 vintagekc fall 2016
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