Issue 452  February 26th 2025

Inside Fallingwater's $7 Million Job To Fix It

Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s iconic house, presents a constant battle with water leakage. Preservation efforts are ongoing, including a $7 million waterproofing project aimed at fixing leaks in the house’s walls, which were built with hollow masonry tubes that have settled over time. These tubes now collect water, causing damage to the interior.

The preservation team, led by Justin Gunther, has implemented several repairs such as injecting grout into walls to fill voids and replacing waterproof membranes. They’ve also overruled some of Wright’s design decisions, including adding flashing to prevent water infiltration. The house’s unique design features, such as flagstone terraces that double as roofs, complicate the waterproofing process.

Previous repairs have included post-tensioning concrete structures that were bending, a solution that has worked well. However, some leaks persist due to the absence of water repellents and the material choices Wright made, like using smooth river stones in concrete, which can cause cracking.

While the preservation work is expensive, with costs rising to around $7 million due to delays from the pandemic, efforts continue to keep Fallingwater in good condition. Despite the challenges, the house remains a symbol of Wright’s innovation, with its design challenges being part of its unique charm.

Click for more details: msn.com  

Concerns Continue About Price Tower After Winter Weather

The Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, a national historic site designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, has faced uncertainty regarding its fate for over a year. The building, without utilities since December, has been left vulnerable to potential damage, especially with the onset of freezing temperatures this winter.

A district judge ordered utilities to be restored, but the sale of the tower became complicated due to the seller’s bankruptcy, delaying restoration. Historic Preservation Architect Sara Werneke from the Oklahoma Historical Society expressed concern about the building's structural integrity, particularly regarding frozen pipes, water damage, and the potential destruction of original Wright-designed elements.

The city of Bartlesville confirmed that water hasn’t been restored, and the matter is still being resolved in bankruptcy court. The future of the building remains uncertain, and the Oklahoma Historical Society is focused on ensuring its preservation.

Click for more details: fox23.com  

Modernism Week Palm Springs: The Kaufmann House

The Kaufmann House in Palm Springs, designed by Richard Neutra in the late 1940s, is a celebrated example of mid-century modern architecture, admired for its seamless integration of indoor and outdoor spaces. It became widely known through iconic images like Julius Shulman's 1947 photos and appearances in pop culture, such as "Poolside Gossip" and Don't Worry Darling. This week, during Modernism Week, the home opened for tours to the public for the second consecutive year, showcasing its stunning restoration.

After years of neglect and several ownership changes, the house underwent an extensive restoration in the 1990s by Brent and Beth Edwards Harris, bringing it back to Neutra's original design. This included sourcing rare materials, such as Utah Buff Sandstone, and returning the structure to its original footprint, removing previous alterations. The house remains largely unchanged since its construction and continues to be an architectural gem.

The grounds boast an impressive mix of desert landscaping and plant foliage throughout. Visitors were able to explore its gardens, which include a fruit orchard, tennis court, and 100-year-old specimen cacti (one of which was personally gifted by Frank Lloyd Wright to the Kaufmann family) , as well as the gloriette—a rooftop patio designed for entertainment and offering expansive views of the surrounding San Jacinto Mountains.

Click for more details: desertsun.com  

Now You Can Stay At Wright's RiverRock

Back in the 1950s, Louis Penfield commissioned Wright to design and build a home for his family overlooking the Chagrin River. When plans for I-90 threatened eminent domain and the destruction of the home, Penfield returned to Wright and asked for a second design to be built nearby. By that time, the architect was aging and had enough work, he said, to last the rest of his life. Years went by, and shortly after Wright's death, the plans arrived in Cleveland. They'd been found in his office.

The second home was never built, and when Sarah Dykstra bought the Louis Penfield House (which had been spared when plans for I-90 changed) in 2018, it included the plans for Project #5909. Penfield, as Dykstra told the News-Herald, had begun collecting stone from the Chagrin River for the build but never finished.

Dykstra and her partners set out to finish the job in recent years, working through permits and modern code along with a team of Wright experts.

“When we set out to build this home, we gave a mandate to the professional team involved: if you must change something due to current building regulations, code, products, etc., do so under the ‘skin’ so the house will look exactly the same,” Dykstra told the News-Herald. “The design and the artistic aspect of this home should remain the same as intended in 1959. We are thrilled our team of construction professionals delivered on this promise and are proud to present a beautiful 2025 build from Wright’s 1959 plans.”

Frank Lloyd Wright's RiverRock is available for rental, as is the Penfield House.

Click for more details: clevescene.com