flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

A Frank Lloyd Wright building in Montana will soon be demolished, or will it?

Architects

A Frank Lloyd Wright building in Montana will soon be demolished, or will it?

The building is one of only three Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings in the state.


By David Malone, Associate Editor | November 18, 2016

Photo courtesy of Jaydec, Wikimedia Commons

While states in the Midwest such as Illinois and Wisconsin may be stippled with more Frank Lloyd Wright-designed projects than there are dimples on a golf ball, Montana is certainly not a state overflowing with the designs of the legendary American architect. In fact, there are only three buildings designed by Wright in the entire state, and that number may be dropping down to two in that not too distant future, Curbed reports.

One of Wright’s later buildings, designed in 1958 and not completed until 1959 after Wright had died, in the town of Whitefish, Mont., is at risk of being demolished if the Whitefish Architectural Review Committee decides to grant formal approval and a building permit for a new three-story commercial development on the site.

If formal approval is granted and a building permit is issued, Wright’s structure will be demolished and replaced with a three-story commercial development that includes retail space, offices, and four residential units on the top floor. The decision will be made when the committee meets on Dec. 6.

However, that meeting might not be as important for the Wright-designed building as initially thought. Not to eleiminate any dramatic tension, but the committee may have one less thing to consider come Dec. 6, as a story from the Whitefish Pilot posted to dailyinterlake.com, claims the developer has scrapped his plans for the commercial development amid backlash from the surrounding community and the Chicago-based Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy over the decision to demolish the Wright structure.

Mick Ruis, the developer who purchased the building for $1.6 million, tells the Whitefish Pilot he was unaware of Frank Lloyd Wright’s significance or the rarity of his buildings in Montana. He also says it was never his intention to destroy anything of any importance.

The 5,000-sf building was originally constructed as a brick and cast-concrete medical clinic with a brick fireplace, double clerestory windows and a 64-foot-long wall of floor-to-ceiling glass. Since its completion in 1959, some of the original details and features have been changed or removed. Ruis now plans to put the building back on the market at the same price he purchased it for; $1.6 million.

The hope is someone who will preserve the structure will buy it. In 2012, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but that does not protect it from demolition, meaning there is still a chance someone who will not be swayed by public opinion could purchase the building and demolish it. But, as of right now, it seems as though Montana’s count of three Frank Lloyd Wright-designed buildings will hold steady.

Tags

Related Stories

Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2022

Hurricane-resistant construction may be greatly undervalued

  New research led by an MIT graduate student at the school’s Concrete Sustainability Hub suggests that the value of buildings constructed to resist wind damage in hurricanes may be significantly underestimated.

School Construction | Jul 22, 2022

School integrating conventional medicine with holistic principles blends building and landscape

Design of the new Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Ark., aims to blend the building and landscape, creating connections with the surrounding woodlands and the Ozark Mountains.

Market Data | Jul 21, 2022

Architecture Billings Index continues to stabilize but remains healthy

Architecture firms reported increasing demand for design services in June, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Market Data | Jul 21, 2022

Despite deteriorating economic conditions, nonresidential construction spending projected to increase through 2023

Construction spending on buildings is projected to increase just over nine percent this year and another six percent in 2023, according to a new report from the American Institute of Architects (AIA). 

Mixed-Use | Jul 21, 2022

Former Los Angeles Macy’s store converted to mixed-use commercial space

Work to convert the former Westside Pavilion Macy's department store in West Los Angeles to a mixed-use commercial campus recently completed.

Building Team | Jul 20, 2022

San Francisco overtakes Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction

San Francisco has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction, according to a new report from Turner & Townsend.

Libraries | Jul 20, 2022

Canada to open one of the world’s largest library and archive facilities

When it opens in 2026, Ādisōke is expected to be one of the largest library and archive facilities in the world. 

Architects | Jul 19, 2022

Perkins Eastman Bolsters Its Dallas Studio with 5 Dynamic New Principals

Seasoned staff bring talent, experience, and enthusiasm to expand firm.

Energy-Efficient Design | Jul 19, 2022

All is not lost: 3 ways architects can respond to the Supreme Court’s EPA ruling

The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling to limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s power to regulate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from power plants dealt a significant blow to our ability to fight the climate crisis with federal policy.

Office Buildings | Jul 19, 2022

Austin adaptive reuse project transforms warehouse site into indoor-outdoor creative office building

Fifth and Tillery, an adaptive reuse project, has revitalized a post-industrial site in East Austin, Texas.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021