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David and Gladys Wright House

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Coordinates: 33°30′05″N 111°58′09″W / 33.50138°N 111.96908°W / 33.50138; -111.96908
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David and Gladys Wright House

The David and Gladys Wright House is a residence designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built in 1952 in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix, Arizona. It has historically been listed with an address of 5212 East Exeter Boulevard, but currently has an entrance on the 4500 block of North Rubicon Avenue. There is no public access to the house.

Description and history

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This 2,500-square-foot concrete-block house was designed and built for the architect's son David and his wife, Gladys, and is situated among orange groves on a site facing north toward Camelback Mountain. The house has a spiral design to cool the house by capturing the wind.[1] Though it has been claimed that the spiral ramp anticipated the design of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York,[1] the Guggenheim plan predates the house's design,[2] and Wright had designed buildings with spiral ramps beginning as early as the 1920s.[3][4]

David and Gladys Wright lived in the house until their deaths. David died in 1997 at the age of 102, and Gladys died in 2008 at age 104. Gladys left the house to granddaughters who sold it; the property was resold to a real estate developer, 8081 Meridian, who planned to demolish the house and develop its 2.2 acre lot. Efforts to protect the building through a heritage designation were begun in August 2012.[5] The house was purchased by a Delaware LLC, and the owner intended to transfer the property to a non-profit foundation, the David and Gladys Wright House Foundation.[6][7] The house was sold to an anonymous buyer in December 2012 for $2.38 million.[8] On June 8, 2017, the 150th anniversary of Frank's birth, the home's owner, Zach Rawling, decided to donate the home to the School of Architecture at Taliesin.[9] He had hoped the house would be used as a living laboratory for architecture students.[9] In June 2018 the deal was called off and the house was placed on the market in September for $12.9 million.[10][11]

On August 17, 2020, it was announced that the Wright house was sold for US$7.25 million to Benson Botsford LLC.[12][13] The buyers included Jim Benson, a businessman, and Bing Hu, an architect who worked at Taliesin West as an apprentice.[14] Benson and Hu are both on the board of the School of Architecture at Taliesin.[15] The owners planned to restore the house.[14]

On January 28, 2022, the house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[16]

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  • House and grounds
    House and grounds
  • Inside the house
    Inside the house
  • Detail of exterior wall
    Detail of exterior wall
  • Closeup of windows side
    Closeup of windows side
  • View of the ramp
    View of the ramp

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Bleiberg, Larry (June 7, 2015). "10 Great: Frank Lloyd Wright Homes". USA Today.
  2. ^ "Details of Guggenheim Blueprints". Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
  3. ^ "Gordon Strong Automobile Objective". Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
  4. ^ "VC Morris Gift Shop". Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation.
  5. ^ Kimmelman, Michael (October 2, 2012). "Wright Masterwork Is Seen in a New Light: A Fight for Its Life". The New York Times. Retrieved October 21, 2012.
  6. ^ Santos, Fernanda; Kimmelman, Michael (December 20, 2012). "Sale of Wright House Assures Its Preservation". The New York Times. Retrieved December 21, 2012.
  7. ^ Maricopa County Assessor Records, State of Arizona Corporation Commission records, Arizona Republic March 19, 2013.
  8. ^ Haldiman, Philip (December 21, 2012). "Sale seals future of historic Frank Lloyd Wright home". USA Today. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Frank Lloyd Wright House Rescued, Will Be 'Lab' for Students". No. Sunrise Edition. Phoenix, AZ: The Omaha World-Herald Newspaper, Omaha, Douglas County, NE. Associated Press. June 10, 2017. Archived from the original on June 8, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017.
  10. ^ Reagor, Catherine. "Fate of Phoenix Frank Lloyd Wright House Uncertain After Taliesin Donation Falls Through". The Arizona Republic.
  11. ^ Barber, Megan (September 4, 2018). "Spiraling Frank Lloyd Wright House Can Be Yours for $12.9M". Curbed.
  12. ^ Reagor, Catherine (August 17, 2020). "Phoenix Frank Lloyd Wright house sells for $7.25M, plan to save home". azcentral.com and The Arizona Republic. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  13. ^ Hickman, Matt (August 17, 2020). "Imperiled David and Gladys Wright House in Arizona finds a buyer". The Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "A Frank Lloyd Wright home in Phoenix has sold for $7.25 million". The Boston Globe. Associated Press. September 10, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  15. ^ "Frank Lloyd Wright's Son's Arcadia Home Sells for $7.25M | AZ Big Media". August 18, 2020. Archived from the original on August 18, 2020.
  16. ^ "Weekly List 2022 02 04". National Register of Historic Places (U.S. National Park Service). February 4, 2022. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
  • Storrer, William Allin. The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, ISBN 0-226-77621-2 (S.322)
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33°30′05″N 111°58′09″W / 33.50138°N 111.96908°W / 33.50138; -111.96908

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