Frank Lloyd Wright's Legacy In Arizona
PHOENIX -- I've had a blast writing about the simmering Frank Lloyd Wright flap in Phoenix.
It's history and histrionics all in one mid-century package!
Local developers sent the global architecture community into a tizzy when they threatened to demolish the home Wright built for his son, David.
While reporting this story, the City of Phoenix sent me a document that outlines its case for making the Wright house an historic landmark.
There are some great nuggets in that document that I never knew about the architect and his work. Here are a few.
-- Because David Wright was a sales representative for a concrete block company, block was selected as the primary building material.
-- Frank Lloyd Wright died on April 9, 1959, at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix.
-- Wright designed 14 buildings or complexes in Arizona that were constructed during his lifetime or after. Only nine still stand in their original state. Of those, five are in Phoenix:
- Raymond Carlson House, 1950;
- Benjamin Adelman House, 1951;
- David & Gladys Wright House, 1951-1952;
- Jorgine Boomer House, 1953; and
- First Christian Church, designed 1950, built 1971;
I've been driving past the First Christian Church on 7th Avenue my entire life. That spire jutting from the expanse of lawn catches my attention every time. One of these days, I think I'll stop and go in. Of the five structures in Phoenix, this seems like the easiest one to access.
But, really, I'm surprised so few Wright structures were built in Arizona in the first place. He wintered here, mostly at Taliesin West in Scottsdale, for 31 years.
