“But for the beginning there can be no end; But for the start no one can finish; But for this man’s appreciation of art, beauty and history, this American treasure would not now stand.”

These words are etched onto a plaque honoring Stephen Small. The plaque, which was the star of a rededication on Sunday, is affixed near the entrance of the B. Harley Bradley House, Kankakee’s very own Frank Lloyd Wright home.

The words were penned by L. Lee Thacker, who – along with fellow area attorneys Robert LaBeau and Michael Dietchwiler, and architect Ron Moline – purchased the Bradley house in 1990 to convert to offices. Thacker, who was in the audience on Sunday, is named on the Glenlloyd plaque outside the home, which recognizes the 1990 restoration. This plaque was also rededicated.

Wright in Kankakee, the nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of Frank Lloyd Wright’s first-ever prairie-style home, hosted Plaques & Perspectives to remember Small, who was working on converting the home to a bed and breakfast when he passed away in 1987. The event, spearheaded by Wright in Kankakee board members Bill Jurevich and Lynn Ahlden, gave both Wright and local history aficionados the opportunity to hear from three architects with ties to Wright.

Architect John Eifler was working with Small on the bed and breakfast project.

“Steve was very enthusiastic about the house,” Eifler said, noting Small would often pick his brain for both his architectural and Wright knowledge.

The goal of the project was to convert the second floor and the stable to guest rooms. The project was never completed due to Small’s untimely death.

Eifler used Wright’s words to sum up Small’s motto.

“You have to go wholeheartedly into anything in order to achieve anything worth having.”

This could also sum up the motto of the second speaker, architect Gaines Hall, who, along with his wife, Sharon, restored the home in 2005.

“We certainly didn’t start things; we were just one step along the way,” noted Hall, who credited Sharon for the implementation of the gift shop.

Several years after the Hall’s restoration, the home was put in the hands of Wright in Kankakee, which is now celebrating the home’s 125th anniversary.

“Wright in Kankakee came along and made it a public [space],” Hall said, noting this was always the intention.

The nonprofit organization’s executive director, Bob Bohlmann, was the final architect to speak, sharing stories of working with Small in the 1970s when Small retained the architect to create a computer facility.

“He was really into detail and really wanted to know what was happening,” Bohlmann said of Small. “I really enjoyed working with him. He knew what he was doing.”

Following the remarks, both plaques were unveiled to the audience, which included members of Small’s family.

For more information on the event, go to wright1900.org or visit Wright in Kankakee on Facebook.