In the late 1980s Audrey Laatsch, a local resident, noticed the run-down cabin while canoeing on Mirror Lake and became interested in the structure.

Upon discovering its origin, she spearheaded a grass-roots campaign among local residents and Wright-aficionados to restore the cottage.

Their efforts funded a $300,000, three-year restoration that included elements from Wright's original designs that had never been built.

The plight of the condition of the cottage was made widely known via a 1986 Wisconsin State Journal article entitled "What Would You Do If You Owned a Frank Lloyd Wright House?

The article was written by author Joyce Rogell Kult, a long-time Wright aficionado, researcher, and artist.