FLW Meets a Porsche

The George and Millie Ablin House

Saturday, May 8, I had the opportunity to go to Bakersfield to visit the home of George and Millie Ablin. It was designed by noted organic architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The Golden Empire Region of PCA had planned for a group of people to tour the house, have a picnic lunch on the grounds, and photograph your car in the carport. Yes, this is the same house that was featured in Basem Wasef’s article that began on page 106 of the January 2021 issue of “Porsche Panorama” (766). This sounded like a lot of fun to me so I made the 116-mile drive to participate in the event. I was not disappointed. What a remarkable house. It seems the only right angles in the house are between the floors and the walls and the doorways. The basic house layout is hexagonal with many triangular elements as well. As this house has pretty much stayed in the ownership of the original family, it still maintains its original furnishings.

It is a very interesting house. It is mostly constructed of concrete blocks that have the vertical seams filled with masonry to accentuate the horizontal lines. Inside, mahogany abounds on the walls. There is also a lot of glass, some of it going from floor to ceiling.

All of the access and cabinet doors are hung on piano hinges. A remarkable architectural detail.

Many thanks to the folks at the Golden Empire Region who put this event together. If you ever get to the Bakersfield area, and can arrange a tour of this house, it is highly recommended.