David and Gladys Wright House / Preserved
The David and Gladys Wright House (1952) by Frank Lloyd Wright
The house was originally designed in wood, but Frank's son David, who commissioned the house, was in the concrete block business. Pops agreed to the change. The spiral design is a precursor to the Guggenheim Museum in NY.
The pool, which was part of the original design, will be reinstalled. So will the planter boxes on the ramp.
Wright adapted the design for the carpet from of a series of Liberty Magazine covers in 1926-28 entitled "March Balloons". The rug in the house now is a replacement. Ling Po, Frank Lloyd Wright's chief renderer and graphic artist, who drew the March Balloons rug based on Wright's sketches was used to remake it. The original sold at LAMA in 2010 for $20K. It ended up with film producer and FLW collector, Joel Silver. The original furniture was also removed from the house, but exact replicas have been made.
The master bedroom, complete with a bronze chalice by former Frank Lloyd Wright student, Paolo Soleri.
Ramp to the roof.
The view of the guesthouse from the roof.
The guesthouse was built a few years after the main house.
A planter designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and Warren McArthur for the Biltmore Hotel resides in the guesthouse.
The original desk in the guesthouse.
The view of the main house from the desk above.
I took this photo in March of 2013. The house was in bad shape and was about to be torn down by developers to make way for a number of mcmansions. The house is now in good hands and preservation efforts are in full swing. The David and Gladys Wright Foundation has been set up to preserve and maintain the house in perpetuity for educational and cultural uses.
Some neighbors are upset about the plan to use the house as a museum and education center. Interestingly enough, billionaire Peter Sperling, the head of the parent company of University of Phoenix, is one of the most noted opponents of the project. I guess it makes sense that he thinks education is a commercial activity.
San Diego architect Wallace Cunningham, who studied at Taliesen, is working with the foundation on a design which limits the impact on the site and neighborhood. The proposed education center, museum, event space, cafe and bookstore will all be located underground. A long term lease has also been signed to secure parking in the adjacent church, which is accessed off of Camelback Rd. This means visitors won't be driving into the neighborhood. Learn more about the issue and schedule a tour with The David and Gladys Wright Foundation.
Show your support for the Historic Preservation application filed by the David and Gladys Wright House Foundation, here.