Issue 169 October 2nd 2019

The Headlines

Hollyhock House's Residence A Receives $500,000 Restoration Grant

A $500,000 grant from the National Park Service will be used to make repairs to a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed residence at the Aline Barnsdall Complex, part of a National Historic Landmark nomination, in East Hollywood, City Councilman Mitch O'Farrell announced. Residence A, also known as "The Director's House," was designed by Wright a century ago and originally meant as an auxiliary residence for a theater director. Residence A is part of a larger cultural arts complex anchored by the now- restored Hollyhock House, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The grant was awarded to Project Restore, a nonprofit that works to preserve the city's historical sites.

"The rehabilitation work on this long-neglected Frank Lloyd Wright- designed structure at Barnsdall Park will enable the city to return the space to the benefit of the public," O'Farrell said. "I commend Project Restore on continuing to look for the remaining funds needed to complete the project and make this important cultural resource worthy of the title world-class."

The award was one of five in California through the Save America's Treasures grant program. More here.

Living With Nature: Recycling And Reusing

The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation embraces more sustainable, innovative practices in their preservation work and beyond. In this article, they are sharing some of these methods, and providing some tips on how we can incorporate these practices into our own home and life. Here they discuss recycling materials, and share more about how they reuse materials in the preservation efforts at Taliesin and Taliesin West. Read the entire article here.

Willey House Stories Part 16: A Red By Any Other Name

In his latest installment, Steve Sikora, co-owner of the Malcom Willey House, continues his exploration of the home and its influence on architecture and society, focusing on a continuing saga concerning the origin of Frank Lloyd Wright's "Cherokee Red." Read all about it here.

Preserving TAA's Vail Pass Project

The Colorado Department of Transportation project on Vail Pass seems simple enough: enhance and repair seven retaining walls on the west side of the pass.

Lots of criteria go into CDOT mountain projects like this. First and foremost, of course, is safety and efficiency. There’s also structural integrity, safeguarding against high country snow and melt cycles, protecting water and wildlife, and minimizing disturbance to traffic flows and the environment. But the Vail Pass project had an extra goal: preserve the historical integrity of several of those retaining walls. That’s right, there’s important architectural history in the humble concrete barriers holding the mountain back from the pavement.

The rough-textured, reddish-pink panels, curved and angled to follow the sloping mountain and winding roadway, were designed, in part, by architects from Taliesin Associated Architects of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Those adherents of Wright were part of the 1972 team that designed the 15.2-mile corridor, sketched the retaining walls, and also influenced slope treatments, bridges and culverts in keeping with the famed architect’s doctrine of “organic architecture” that holds that man-made structures “can be harmonious enhancements of nature.” More here.

Wright's A.D. German Warehouse Earns National Parks Service Grant

You can help a Wisconsin landmark maximize a financial boost from the National Parks Service. The A.D. German Warehouse Conservancy stands to earn $360,250 as part of the Parks Service’s Save America’s Treasures grant program.

“It is a matching grant program,” said Conservancy president Derek Kalish. “Now, we just need to raise the match.”

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Warehouse for his birthplace of Richland Center, Wisconsin and construction began in 1917. The Conservancy recently took over the preservation of the building with the goal of maintaining a museum dedicated to Wright’s life and legacy. More here.

The Creative Process Of Four Pioneers Of Modern Architecture

ArchDaily delves into the creative process of four pioneers of modern architecture. "The Architectural realm has always been torn between artistic and rational cosmos. During our architectural studies, we are rarely given one specific methodology with which we can approach a project, resulting in diverse outcomes and methods of designing. However, in order for us to discover our personal stand, we must look back at the logic and philosophy of the great pioneers who influenced architecture before us."

Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and Louis Kahn are the four pioneers featured. Read to find out more on the creative process of these four leaders of the modern era, and why their projects and practices are still influential to our modern times here.

Untouched Aaron Green MCM Gem Snapped Up In Two Weeks

A rare San Francisco Bay area home dreamed up by a renowned architect that entered the market for the first time by its original owner found a buyer after just 13 days on the market. It had been listed for $2.65 million. The architect, Aaron Green, was a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright and participated in 40 of his projects. Green taught as a lecturer at Stanford University's department of architecture for 15 years and became the first recipient of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation's Gold Medal in 2001, the same year he died.

“When you enter the property, you’re greeted with the quintessential mid-century modern design and aesthetic of the home,” listing agent is Nancy Goldcamp with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage said in a statement. “The original owner of this home lovingly cared for this custom dream home, ensuring the integrity of the original architecture was maintained.”

The 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home has been fitted with custom furniture and fixtures with extensive use of mahogany, redwood beams, slab floors with radiant heat, built-in beds, desks and dressers and Formica counters. The home is situated on a large lot at the end of a long driveway that gives it the feel of a private retreat. The terrain was also sculpted to create highs and lows to enhance privacy.

Clearly, the well-preserved architectural gem struck the right chord with a buyer, who snapped it up soon after it came onto the market. See the photos here.

Explore Frank Lloyd Wright's Smith House

WXYZ of Bloomfield Hills, MI asks If you're looking to stay out of the rain this weekend, how about taking a tour one of the most unique homes in metro Detroit? This week in their #explore series they visit the historic "Smith House" in Bloomfield Hills.

The Usonian gem was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and completed in 1950 for its owners, Melvyn Maxwell Smith and his wife Sara, who called it their haven. The Smiths were Detroit Public School teachers on a tight budget who scrimped and saved to achieve their dream home. The result is a beautiful example of Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian ideal, which aimed to build quality homes for America’s middle class. See it here.

Future Of Rebuilding Wright's Banff Pavilion Uncertain

The Rocky Mountain Outlook reports that a plan to create a replica of one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s lost projects appears to be at a stalemate. The Frank Lloyd Wright Revival Initiative is appealing to the community to get behind its plan to rebuild the Banff Pavilion, noting the project has been on hold for more than a year while the organization has unsuccessfully sought a meeting with town council.

Michael Miner, an American documentary filmmaker behind the plan, said the organization has satisfied all the terms of reference required by council, with the exception of certain engineering studies and reports, or those terms “we feel are not applicable to this project.” Read more about it here.

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