3886
Accession Number
31384
Author
Kirschner, Pamela
Title Of Article Chaper
Mid-Century Frank Lloyd Wright: Preserving the Price Tower and Gordon House Interiors
Title Of Journal Book
Wooden Artifacts Group Postprints 2006
Pages
93-113
Collation
21 p. : ills.
Reference Bibliography
Includes bibliographic references
Publisher
Wooden Artifacts Group, American Institute for Conservation
Language Of Text
English
Literature Type
Monograph
Literature Level
Analytic
Meeting
American Institute for Conservation 34th Annual Meeting
Meeting City
Providence, RI
Meeting Country
United States
Abstract
Funding provided by grants through the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund for Historic Interiors has allowed in-depth study of the interior finishes, color scheme, fabrics and furniture of the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Price Tower and Gordon House. Price Tower opened in 1956, the same year that Frank Lloyd Wright signed the designs of Gordon House, and the sites incorporate similar materials and design. This presentation includes the information gathered as well as preservation issues and conservation treatment methods determined to preserve the original interiors. Price Tower was built in 1956 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma for H.C. Price, an oil pipeline manufacturer. It is a 19 story skyscraper and was originally designed as offices and apartments. It now includes a hotel and restaurant and holds the offices of the Price Tower Arts Center along with period rooms and exhibition space. Gordon House, although designed by Wright in 1956, was not built until 1964 and is one of the few remaining concrete block Usonian houses. It was originally built on the south bank of the Willamette River on a farm near Portland, Oregon for the Gordon’s and was moved to Silverton, Oregon in 2001. It is now open to the public. Wright designed both freestanding and built-in furniture for each site and also suggested colors and fabrics. Written documentation and original photographs found in the Price Tower, Gordon House and Taliesin West archives have been utilized to determine the colors, materials and furniture original to the buildings. Physical evidence has also provided information about construction, finishes and show cover fabrics. Scientific analysis was performed on finish samples from the interior wood paneling and furniture to determine the original coating materials. The results of this analysis have been compared to historic methods and materials from the period along with the physical evidence. This information was then utilized to determine appropriate conservation treatment methods and will be discussed in this presentation. The technical and historical information provided in this study is helpful for conservators, historians and curators to better understand the materials and construction used in Frank Lloyd Wright designs during this time period. It also promotes the proper care and conservation treatment of these objects while preserving original finishes and the historic intent of the sites.
Keywords
preservation;house
pub_id
3886
Meeting Date
20060616-20060619