A Frank Lloyd Wright building in Whitefish, Mont., that was bulldozed earlier this month reportedly is the first structure designed by the architecture icon to be demolished in more than 40 years. Preservationists were trying to save the building, which was constructed in 1958, a year before Wright’s death, but it was razed when negotiations stalled.
The 5,000-square-foot building first opened as a medical clinic but later became a bank in 1964, and then turned into law offices. In 2012, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Although it was never intended to be a private residence, the building is considered a Usonian, with a flat roof, clerestory windows, and a central hearth. The owner of the building, who purchased it in 2016, had plans to replace it with a three-story development for residences, retail space, and offices. The owner did not know the architectural significance of the building when he first bought it.
Members of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, a Chicago-based nonprofit, and the Montana Preservation Society, said they were shocked when the demolition of the building occurred overnight on Jan. 10. They had been working for more than a year to save the building.
After a yearlong wait to find a buyer, the developer, Mick Ruis, said on Jan. 4 that he would agree to sell the building to anyone who would put “$1.7 million in his hand” by Jan. 10. Four days later, the FLWBC submitted an offer, requesting an additional 60 days to close. The developer asked for a large deposit on the purchase to be paid by Jan. 9, and then the remainder of the $1.7 million ask by Jan. 22. FLWBC says it asked for more time and was ready to launch a crowdfunding campaign, but their offer was rejected on Jan. 10. A few hours later, a demolition crew razed the building.
Ryan Purdy, an attorney representing Ruis, told reporters that his client had been talking with potential purchasers for more than a year. His development project had been delayed a substantial time to try to work out a deal.
“This devastating situation underscores the vulnerability of all Wright-designed buildings that don’t have some form of legal protection,” FLWBC’s executive director, Barbara Gordon,
said in a statement. “A lot of people think a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as the Lockridge Medical Clinic was, or a private house that isn’t protected by a preservation easement or local landmark designation, can’t be demolished, but that is not the case. Most preservation work happens on the local level.”
Source: “Developer Bulldozes Frank Lloyd Wright Building as Preservationists Rushed to Save It,” HyperAllergic (Jan. 17, 2018)
