[Info-vax] Completely OT: Frank Lloyd Wright

[Doug Phillips]

On 10/7/2012 2:11 AM, Dirk Munk wrote:
> Richard B. Gilbert wrote:
>> On 10/6/2012 6:58 PM, Dirk Munk wrote:
>>> Yesterday there was a news item on Dutch TV news (all day long!) that a
>>> project developer in Phoenix wants to demolish a house designed and
>>> build by Frank Lloyd Wright. He built this house in 1952 for his son
>>> David. As you will know (I hope) Frank Lloyd Wright was one of the
>>> gratest architects that ever lived, not only in the U.S., but anywhere.
>>> I'm a very big fan of his work, and it is incomprehensible to me that it
>>> would be allowed to demolish any building designed by him, let alone
>>> this house that is regarded to be one of his ten best designs. In Europe
>>> this would be a listed building and you couldn't even point your finger
>>> at it without permission. Will you please help to stop this act of
>>> cultural barbarism and sign the petition on this website?
>>>
>>> http://www.change.org/petitions/city-of-phoenix-save-the-david-and-gladys-wright-house
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> If you really want to preserve this house, buy it and the land it stands
>> on!
>
> On this side of the big pond we have laws to protect important monuments.
>

As do we here on this side of the pond, but first a building must be 
declared as an historic monument. Or, someone (person or group) with a 
lot of money must care enough to preserve it. There is also a difference 
between nationally and locally historic buildings and buildings of 
personal historic interest.

If you search for "David and Gladys Wright home" you can find news about 
the history and current status of this property. It's being spared for now.

If you really care about preserving his works, then you should spend 
some time here to learn what that involves:
   http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/

>>
>> If you look deeply enough, you just might find that there are good
>> reasons for wanting to demolish the house!
>>
>   Like what please?
>

I am a huge FLW fan and hate to see his work lost, but some just can't 
be saved. I'm fortunate to live within driving distance to Taliesin, 
Spring Green, Wisconsin and have made many visits to that beautiful area 
and have toured Taliesin many times; both the school and his home. Many 
other Wright designed buildings are close enough for a day-trip and I've 
been to most of them. I've never been to Taliesin West but I'd love to 
go there some day.

FLW experimented with his designs before putting them into another 
project, especially at Taliesin. He would try something to see how it 
worked and then try to polish up for another building. At the Phoenix 
home he was playing with some features he designed into the Guggenheim.

At the Taliesin home and campus structures you find many early 
experiments that he used for other buildings. Many of those were crude 
compared to the finished project. One such is his attempts to make 
glass-to-glass corners. Taliesin is a maintenance nightmare.

Taliesin itself is in constant need of repair and without the support of 
private donations it wouldn't survive. It takes money, lots and lots of 
money to restore and preserve old buildings.