The Wright Home
Via the Washington Post: Frank Lloyd Wright Homes a Tough Sell
OKEMOS, Mich. – Imagine having a dream home in a private, peaceful, bucolic setting – and being unable to sell it because it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Some owners of one-of-a-kind houses conceived by the iconic architect are discovering it’s not easy selling them in an era when cathedral ceilings and easy commutes are on the wish lists of many prospective purchasers.
But the sellers are also concerned about finding the right Wright buyers – ones who will cherish, not demolish, his creations.
I’ve always found it interesting how the public perceives and values architecture, especially the works of renowned masters. It’s hard to image someone purposely destroying a Picasso painting, however, we tend to dispose of architecture with little regard for its cultural value.
In the immortal words of Don King, “Only in America!” I couldn’t imagine some Romanian homebuyer tearing through walls of Dracula’s former homes…
Don’t give other countries so much credit. Let’s not forget that the reason that the Colleseum in Rome looks the way that it does (you know, half of it gone) is because pieces of it were taken out to construct new buildings. Granted, that was during the Renaissance when italians wanted to forget the medieval past, but still…
Nevertheless, you might be surprised at the lack of concern many around the world have for historical architecture.
This reminds me a story I read not too long ago about another FLW building in Grand Rapids, MI:
Link to story
Thanks for the link, Jeremy.