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m.perrino
Joined: 02 Aug 2007
Posts: 219
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 Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 7:18 am Post subject: David Wright House |
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Great concern for the Gladys and David Wright House, FLW 1950, for his son, David. New owners, the second in perhaps 5 years and the third to acquire the property after the long ownership of David and Gladys, may elect to tear down the house and rebuild "McMansions".
Some information at a blog: www.bloomingrock.com
It was reported that members of the FLWFDN and other preservation groups met with City of Phoenix officials to request immeadiate landmark status to preserve this iconic structure.
More as it becomes available. |
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peterm
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 3325
Location: Chicago, Il.---Oskaloosa, Ia.
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 8:02 am Post subject: |
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| Some things are simply incomprehensible... |
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DRN
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 1549
Location: New Jersey
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 9:08 am Post subject: |
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For what it's worth, I dashed off an email to the city official linked in the article...maybe we Chatters could each drop him a line?
DRN wrote in an email:
| Quote: | Mr. Tom.
Please add my name to your list of people urging the city to enact legislation or do what is otherwise necessary to prevent the destruction of the David and Gladys Wright house. As an architect, a member of a local historical commission, and a Wright homeowner (Wright's 1950 J.A.Sweeton house in Cherry Hill, New Jersey) I can attest to this house's importance to Wright's legacy and the architectural legacy of this country. The David and Gladys Wright house was designed late in Wright's career, when he was at the height of his talents, for a client ( Wright's own son) that would accept a design that was relatively free from client intervention...this is truly a built example of what Wright's unique mind could conjure at this point in his life. It was Wright's idea for the ideal house in that place, in that climate....to raise a house off of the ground created views of the surrounding mountains over the orange groves, it provided shade for the courtyard, and allowed the windows to capture breezes.
To demolish this unique piece of architecture to replace it with a couple of ordinary houses the likes of which have flooded the Sonoran Desert would be a travesty. |
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Jeff Myers
Joined: 22 Feb 2009
Posts: 1741
Location: Tulsa
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 9:18 am Post subject: |
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The Mayor has announced that it is a landmark and that the city will help find the right buyer.... Still the people can lie when buying a house.. you need to put a stay of demolition, if it does exist? I hate that land is more than a house, the house as a work of sculpture would probably be worth more than as a piece of architecture. As I say I can only hope it isn't demolished it needs a forward buyer, like Eifler, and preserve it and either use it as a home or open it for tours every now and then.
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Paul Ringstrom
Joined: 17 Sep 2005
Posts: 2223
Location: Mason City, IA
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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I would like to encourage you, if you are interested in saving the David Wright House, to contact:
Larry Tom, City of Phoenix Planning Department, via email: larry.tom@phoenix.gov or phone 602-534-2578. |
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Education Professor
Joined: 05 Jul 2005
Posts: 518
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| Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2012 2:49 pm Post subject: |
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Will do, Paul and DRN....
EP |
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Wrightgeek
Joined: 07 Jan 2005
Posts: 1548
Location: Westerville, Ohio
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dleach
Joined: 16 Jan 2011
Posts: 127
Location: Fair Oaks, CA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 9:16 am Post subject: |
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If he is a developer in that part of phoenix, how could Sells not know of the significance of the Wright house.
His coment of "not knowing what we were walking into" is disengenuous to say the least.
I agree with Wrightgeek, "it all still smells a bit fishy". |
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classic form
Joined: 05 Dec 2006
Posts: 117
Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
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| Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 10:14 am Post subject: |
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He wouldn't know the significance of the wright house because he is a developer.
Believe it or not everybody does not know all things Wright. I'm learning new things every week by keeping up on this forum but if I didn't I'd be as uniformed as the next guy, developer or not.
And, if someone has heard of Wright then every house similar is a Wright house (as we all know). 9 times out of 10 when someone comes to my house for the first time they will ask if it was designed by Wright. My answer is usually "no, take another guess"...they can't, Wright is the only architect they have heard of.
I don't see anything fishy at all here. He didn't know it was Wright...he was schooled...he is going to do the right thing. |
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Jeff Myers
Joined: 22 Feb 2009
Posts: 1741
Location: Tulsa
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| Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 10:49 am Post subject: |
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Round houses are not popular with Americans, take the Buckminster Fuller house all round,functional, yet the problem was furnishing. We are in a time where we furnish houses to the max if you were to live in David Wright you have to learn to furnish less and use the functional furniture. If you live in a hemicycle or the football shaped houses it is the same general idea. I could go with less furniture and use it to the maximum use.
I know when I do Wright houses in CAD I feel I need to furnish it to the max but that isn't how it was designed at times.
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m.perrino
Joined: 02 Aug 2007
Posts: 219
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| Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 11:45 am Post subject: |
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Continuing on: The Arizona Republic reported in this morning's paper that the potential new buyers plan to maintain the integrity of the property. Here are the sellers : J T Morning Glory Enterprises LLP. Here are the potential buyers: Steve Sells and John Hoffman both appear to be acquiring under the name 8081 Meridian a real estate development entity.
Only vigilance will prevent anything evil from taking place.
One question : Who now controls the carpet that was removed by the current owners ? |
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Jeff Myers
Joined: 22 Feb 2009
Posts: 1741
Location: Tulsa
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| Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 1:57 pm Post subject: |
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Wish they could put a historic zone on houses like this so they can't be torn down due to the exceptional historical significance. it is a real estate entity so does that mean someone will live in it or not? Or will they restore it then sell it? We shall wait and see what happens.
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Roderick Grant
Joined: 29 Mar 2006
Posts: 3944
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| Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 2:18 pm Post subject: |
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This situation is reminiscent of the fate of Irving Gill's Dodge House in West Hollywood 45 years ago. Lytton S&L which owned the house assured those concerned about its future that nothing would be done to harm the landmark. Then, behind closed doors, they got the permit to demolish the house, and did so with such suddenness that everyone was caught off guard. This was one thing that led to the establishment of the Los Angeles Conservancy.
"Trust, but verify," as the saying goes. (But don't trust too much!) |
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Reidy
Joined: 07 Jan 2005
Posts: 960
Location: Northern CA
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| Posted: Sat Jun 16, 2012 3:38 pm Post subject: |
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| The Dodge incident also led to the founding of Friends of Schindler House (just down the block). The house now carries a deed restriction saying that no owner can build on the land, even if the house is destroyed. |
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Wrightgeek
Joined: 07 Jan 2005
Posts: 1548
Location: Westerville, Ohio
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