Issue 55 July 26th 2017

The Headlines

Wright or Wrong About Historic Preservation

Frank Lloyd Wright was recently used as an example for both sides of a debate about historic preservation in Forest Hills, DC. One side used Wright as context and rationale for the importance of preservation. And conversely, the other side of the issue also used Wright as part of their concerns that historic preservation laws have been misused to constrain development and infringe upon the rights of private owners. Which side gets it right? Read more.

Wright's Henderson House Listed for $1.1 Million

As we previously reported on May 24, 2017—The F.B. Henderson House, the only Wright-designed house in Elmhurst, Illinois, was recently listed for sale asking $1.1 million. Built in 1901, the six-bedroom, 5,500-square-foot, Prairie-style home is in very good condition, particularly its interior which still has original stained glass. Read more or view photos.

Westhope's Roots in Frank Lloyd Wright’s Personal Tragedy

Tulsa World remembers that a scandalous affair and a shocking mass murder may have played a part in Frank Lloyd Wright’s decision in 1928 to design a home in Tulsa for his cousin, Richard Lloyd Jones. Wright had scandalized Chicago society in 1909 by leaving his wife and six children and running away with Mamah Borthwick. Five years later, Mamah and six others were murdered by a crazed hatchet-wielding servant. Beset by grief, lawsuits, a disastrous second marriage, and the public’s changing taste in design, Wright needed this familial commission. "Westhope", a distinctive concrete block and glass home was subsequently built for cousin Richard, publisher of The Tulsa Tribune and still stands as one of Wright's intriguing works from this period of his career. Read more.

Digitized MoMA Catalogue Offers New Reading Experience

Selina Cheah of Architect's Newspaper informs us that a new online version of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) exhibition "Frank Lloyd Wright: Unpacking the Archive" catalogue book is now available to preview and purchase. The catalogue and exhibition highlight Wright’s expansive practice and feature architectural drawings, models, furniture, films, and television broadcasts. A preview of the digital version of Frank Lloyd Wright: Unpacking the Archive is available through Musebooks, where it is also being sold for $25.99. (The hardcover will set you back $44.15 on Amazon.) Read more.

Milwaukee Art Museum Celebrates Wright This Summer

Just a reminder: the Milwaukee Art Museum is joining prominent institutions across the country in celebrating the 150th anniversary of Frank Lloyd Wright’s birthday with the exhibit "Frank Lloyd Wright: Buildings for the Prairie" July 28–October 15, 2017. This exhibit presents a selection of the renowned architect’s designs from the Wasmuth Portfolio alongside related pieces of his furniture, metal work and stained glass. Read more.

A Look At Dow's Rich House

The Midland Daily News has photos of the Alden B. Dow house built in the early 1940s for Phillip T. Rich, former publisher of the Midland Daily News. As with any Dow house, the outside blends perfectly into the inside, with lots of natural light through large windows, edge grain fir trim on flooring and windows, large closets, and oversized wood doors. Read more.

Fargo Home Threatened With Demolition Gains Spot on National Historic Register

A Fargo, North Dakota home designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's granddaughter that the city wants to demolish to make way for a dike has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Sterns' home was built in 1958 for George and Beth Anderson. The couple had asked Wright himself to design the home, but he was too busy and recommended his former apprentices, granddaughter Elizabeth Wright Ingraham and her husband Gordon Ingraham. Being on the National Register wouldn't protect the house from the city's bulldozers. Registered properties have some protection from federal projects, but city officials have argued the dikes are a local project. Read more.

Loving Van Wezel Hall

Harold Bubil of the Herald Tribune feels that "if any single structure represents Sarasota’s cultural stature and architectural heritage, it is the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall." The designer, William Wesley Peters (1912-1991) was Frank Lloyd Wright’s first apprentice and son-in-law, helping him in the execution of some of the iconic architect's most famous buildings. Read more.

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