The Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center has a complex history that spans decades. Wright initially proposed the project in 1938 as a civic center, but his innovative designs were rejected by local authorities who considered them too radical and avant-garde for the time. It wasn't until the 1990s that Wright's vision was finally realized, following several attempts by both Wright himself and his successors to resurrect the ambitious project.
In an exclusive interview, Brechtl shared the remarkable story of how he came to own these rare architectural plans, what they mean to him personally, and their significance in the canon of one of America's most legendary architects.
When asked how he first came across the plans, Brechtl explained that his discovery was tied to a major life change. "I'd just gotten divorced and was looking for a new home after owning my own house for 25 years," he said. "I had always had my eye on houses and architecture, but now I was really motivated to start looking for what I liked. I got into lots of different styles of houses and found this unique house which was inspired by Wright. That made me really start researching him and all the different projects he had done around Madison."
The Monona Terrace held special significance for Brechtl beyond his architectural interests. "The Monona Terrace was one of these projects, and I remember when it was completed in the 1990s. I was just graduating high school and my class was the first to have our prom there, which I always thought was very cool. So I had a personal connection to the building from way back then."
It was during his research into Wright's work and his search for houses in the area that Brechtl made his extraordinary discovery. "I came across these drawings for sale on Facebook Marketplace. I saw a picture of them with the William Wesley Peters stamp and I realized what that meant from working with designs like this almost all my life – it means these are working plans, not made for display."
The William Wesley Peters stamp was crucial in authenticating the plans' significance. Peters, who lived from 1912 to 1991, was Frank Lloyd Wright's apprentice, son-in-law, and spiritual successor. He served as chairman of the Taliesin Associated Architects, a firm founded specifically to carry on Wright's architectural vision after the master's death.
Regarding the purchase price and the seller's background, Brechtl revealed fascinating details about how these precious documents ended up on the online marketplace. "They were listed for $605," he said. "I reached out to the guy straightaway; I was more than happy to pay what he asked. It took him a couple of weeks of me bugging him about it, but then he just said yes and told me to come and get them."
The story of how the seller acquired the plans is equally intriguing. "It turns out that the seller had previously worked in a pawn shop, in a building that was more than 100 years old. He ended up purchasing that building when he was older. He found the plans stashed in the back, with one set locked in a safe and the other just rolled up lying around. That set does have a bit of water damage; it had obviously been left out for a long time. But everything's still legible and usable. Overall, the condition is pretty extraordinary."
Brechtl was confident about the authenticity of his discovery. "I have set A and set B plans for the Monona Terrace, referred to at the time as Monona Basin Project, that were drawn up by Taliesin Associated Architects in 1960-61 using Wright's original designs – it's all his vision, they just made him add air conditioning. There isn't anyone else online with something like this. I have about 100 drawings that are all interior details, and that would've been pretty expensive to produce back when I started my career working with designs like this."
Perhaps most intriguingly, Brechtl discovered that his plans reveal a different vision from what was ultimately built. "What is really interesting about these designs is that they show a different plan to how the building turned out. At the time of completion, the Monona Terrace came in for a lot of criticism for not actually connecting to the lake that it looks out on. You can't pull up on a boat and step into the building. But it looks to me from these original designs that Frank Lloyd Wright wanted the terrace to reach the lake more than the real one actually does today. So, it's possible that, if the building had stuck to his vision, it would have been better reviewed."
When asked about his emotional response to acquiring these rare documents, Brechtl struggled to find adequate words. "That's really hard to explain. I have thought a few times about how crazy it is that I'm, I guess, the only person in the world to have found these, as far as I know. I think I am also the only person in possession of a private set of diazo prints from Taliesin; all the others seem to be institutionally owned. It's almost hard to believe that, given how Frank Lloyd Wright is known everywhere in the world, every architecture student probably studies him at one point. I mean, it makes sense in a way that they were found here, because this is where he is from. But still, it's mind-blowing."
As for his future plans with these precious architectural documents, Brechtl is taking a thoughtful approach. "Well, I don't have plans to sell them or anything like that. In the short term, I'm going to try and talk to some people about them, the people managing the Terrace, and then I'd just like to make sure they're stored and preserved properly; that's my main priority for now before I decide anything further. To put them on display somewhere would be beautiful, but I don't want to be the person that ruins them, you know, they'll probably be around longer than I will."
A spokesperson for the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation provided additional context about the plans' origins and significance. "Taliesin Associated Architects – the architecture firm that Wright's apprentices established after the architect passed – produced these working drawings in the 1960s, not Wright himself. For several years after Wright's death, the project languished due to funding constraints and continued lack of approval from governing boards. It's during this time that these drawings would have been created."
This remarkable discovery highlights not only the enduring fascination with Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural legacy but also the unexpected ways that pieces of history can surface in the modern digital age. Brechtl's find represents a unique intersection of personal passion, professional expertise, and pure serendipity – a combination that allowed him to recognize the true value of what might have been overlooked by others scrolling through Facebook Marketplace.
The story also underscores the complex journey of Wright's Monona Terrace project, from its initial rejection in 1938 through decades of dormancy to its eventual completion in the 1990s. The existence of these detailed working drawings from the 1960s reveals the persistent efforts to bring Wright's vision to life, even years after his death in 1959.
For Brechtl, the discovery represents more than just a collector's triumph – it's a personal connection to his hometown's architectural heritage and a responsibility to preserve an important piece of American design history for future generations.
