Issue 172 October 23rd 2019

The Headlines

New OA+D Journal Now Available

The Organic Architecture + Design Archives debuted their newest (and largest!) journal to date at the recent Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy Conference, which was held in LA at the beginning of October.

This landmark double-sized issue focuses on the life/work of architect and Taliesin Apprentice, Alvin Louis Wiehle (1950-64), who also worked in the John Lautner Studio and later with William L. Pereira before starting his independent practice. An important monograph written by author and historian Mark Hammons and rich with unpublished drawings, photos, and full-color reproductions of Louis Wiehle's amazing career in organic architecture. Find out more details and order your copy of this exciting publication here.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Magnificent Ennis House Sells For $18 Million

A very wealthy unidentified buyer has scooped up Frank Lloyd Wright’s Ennis House in Los Feliz, California. The sale closed last Wednesday, after more than one year on the market. It netted $18 million, $5 million under its $23 million asking price—but Variety reports that it is now the most expensive Wright-designed home ever sold.

The seller is billionaire investor Ron Burkle, who purchased the historic Glendower Avenue property in 2011 for $4.5 million and put $17 million into its restoration.

Built in 1924, the Ennis House is one of LA’s architectural jewels. Designed by Wright and constructed by his son, Lloyd Wright, the Mayan Revival mansion was cast from 27,000 patterned concrete blocks fastened together with steel rods. It is the last—and the largest—of Frank Lloyd Wright’s four textile block houses in LA, according to the Los Angeles Conservancy.

As impressive as the concrete fortress is from the outside, its interiors are amazing. The textile blocks wrap throughout the house, lining a long, striking hallway with marble floors. The blocks, inset with custom interlocking geometric patterns, form walls and columns alongside towering ceilings, panels of leaded glass, wood-beamed ceilings, and staggering views of the city and Downtown skyline. The handsome bathrooms are covered in period tile, and other features include a billiards room, multiple fireplaces, and a motor court. More here.

Happy Birthday Guggenheim!

This week marked the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the opening of Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum on October 21,1959.

Solomon Guggenheim came from a wealthy mining family and had been collecting works of the old masters until 1926 when he met artist Hilla von Rebay and was introduced to European avant-garde art and Post-Impressionists. He then changed his collecting strategy turning to abstract and non-objective art, with works by Kandinsky, Klee and others. He turned his Plaza Hotel apartment into a gallery and as his collection grew, he established the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, in 1937, to foster the appreciation of modern art.The Museum was established in 1939 and 20 years later moved to its current location in a landmark building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Learn more about the celebrations here.

Concerning The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

When Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, he was compelled by what he believed the building could be. 60 years after the museum first opened, the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation reflects on Wright’s persistence, passion, and vision that made this architectural icon possible.

"On October 21, 1959, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum opened its doors, nearly 17 years after Hilla Rebay, Solomon R. Guggenheim’s art advisor and director of the Museum of Non-Objective Painting, wrote to Frank Lloyd Wright looking for a “fighter, a lover of space, an originator, a tester and a wise man,” to design “a temple of spirit, a monument” as a space to display Guggenheim’s art collection. Wright wrote back, affirming Rebay’s enthusiasm, and expressing confidence in his ability to design a space worthy of the expectations she described." Read more here.

Photographing Frank Lloyd Wright’s Iconic Guggenheim Museum

The Guggenheim Museum on New York's Upper East Side is one of the most famous—and most photographed—buildings in the world. The Frank Lloyd Wright-designed building has been an object of fascination for shutterbugs since it opened 60 years ago, thanks to its unusual shape, which has been compared to a nautilus shell and a concrete ribbon.

But photographer Andrew Pielage, who spent several days over the summer exploring the museum, knew that he would be able to find a unique perspective on this iconic structure. Pielage is on a quest to photograph every single extant Wright building. So far, he’s made it to more than 65 structures, and that familiarity with Wright’s work has informed how he approaches new projects.

“There are similarities in all of Wright’s sites,” Pielage says. He points out recessed triangular lights that are embedded in the ceiling on the museum’s first floor, which also feature prominently in the Stuart Richardson House, located in Glen Ridge, NJ. “These little details get lost when you take the bigger photos of the space,” he explains. Read more.

The Performing Arts Series At The Guggenheim Announces Fall 2019 Season

Works & Process at the Guggenheim is pleased to announce its Fall 2019 season. Since 1984 the performing arts series has championed new works and offered audiences unprecedented access to leading creators. The intimate Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Peter B. Lewis Theater is the venue for seventy-minute programs that explore the creative process through stimulating discussions and riveting performance highlights. One-of-a-kind productions created for the Guggenheim’s rotunda offer a unique experience of the landmark space celebrating 60 years as an architectural icon. Additional information is available at worksandprocess.org. More here.

The Top 20 Most Visited ArchDaily Architecture Classics

ArchDaily presents us with some of the greatest buildings of the past that have influenced and shaped architecture today. Throughout ArchDaily's 11 years, more than 200 classics were published, and for this edition, they have rounded up the top 20 most visited AD Classics to date. Fallingwater and the Farnsworth House are some of our favorites. See this eclectic list and photos here.

Virtually Tour Wright's Boynton House

WIVB.com was given an exclusive tour of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Boynton House in Rochester, New York, by Jane Parker, the owner. See this fabulous home here.

Lykes House Sells For Nearly $1.7 Million

The Norman Likes House, whose basic concept was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright before his death, sold Wednesday for nearly $1.7 million. It was commissioned by Norman and Aimee Lykes and last renovated in 1994.

Out of nearly 20 bids at a public auction, the winning bid came from a man who lives out of state, Heritage Auctions told The Associated Press. The buyer did not wish to be identified but said that he plans to keep the home intact and use it as a vacation home.

Nicknamed the "Circular Sun House," the Phoenix property has been on and off the market over the last few years. The 3,095-square-foot property has three bedrooms, three baths and is nestled on the edge of a mountain preserve. The buyer also gets all the original mid-century modern furnishings. See it here.

Looking Back On The FLWBC 2019 Conference

Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy members from all over the United States — as well as Japan, Australia, and Israel — attended the Conservancy’s 30th annual conference in Los Angeles on October 1-6. The topic of Wright’s Influence in Postwar Southern California was the theme and was explored through educational presentations, tours of spectacular and innovative buildings by Lautner, Neutra, Schindler and other architects Wright influenced, and an advocacy-focused visit to the Freeman House. Exclusive tours of non-public areas of Hollyhock House and the under-restoration Residence A at Barnsdall Park concluded with a sunset dinner on the lawn, sponsored by Oliver Peoples and the Barnsdall Art Park Foundation.

Wright Spirit Awards were presented to the Frank Lloyd Wright World Heritage Council and L.A. Councilman Mitch O’Farrell at Hollyhock House, and to Janet and Van Korell, Ken and Carrie Cox, Mark Hertzberg, Henry Whiting, and Tom and Heather Papinchak at a gala dinner Oct. 5.

More than 100 Wright homeowners and public site representatives participated in a two-day gathering that included dinner and useful presentations. Join in next year when the annual conference will be held in Buffalo, NY on Sept. 23-27, 2020. See the photos from this year's event here.

About

This weekly Wright Society update is brought to you by Eric O'Malley with Bryan and Lisa Kelly from PrairieMod. If you enjoy these free, curated updates—please forward our sign-up page and/or share on Social Media.

If you’d like to submit content to be featured here, please reach out by emailing us at mail[at]wrightsociety.com.