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.
Related Stories
| Jul 9, 2014
Top U.S. cities for design professionals
Though New York and Los Angeles are often seen as the sole hubs for design jobs, other design epicenters are scattered between the coasts.
| Jul 9, 2014
The one misstep that could be slowing your company’s growth
Change. It’s inevitable. And success for any professional may very well depend on how well we adapt to it. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Jul 9, 2014
First Look: SOM's design for All Aboard Florida Fort Lauderdale rail station
The lightweight and luminous design "responds to its setting and creates a striking infrastructural icon for the city," said SOM Design Partner Roger Duffy.
| Jul 8, 2014
Fast-track naval hospital sparks sea change in project delivery [2014 Building Team Awards]
Through advanced coordination methods and an experimental contract method, the Building Team for Camp Pendleton’s new hospital campus sets a new standard for project delivery.
| Jul 8, 2014
Does Zaha Hadid’s Tokyo Olympic Stadium have a design flaw?
After being criticized for the cost and size of her stadium design for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, a Japanese architect points out a major design flaw in the stadium that may endanger the spectators.
| Jul 8, 2014
Frank Lloyd Wright's posthumous gas station opens in Buffalo
Eighty-seven years after Frank Lloyd Wright designed an ornamental gas station for the city of Buffalo, the structure has been built and opened to the public—inside an auto museum.
| Jul 8, 2014
Lost in the Museum: Bjarke Ingels' maze will make you look up and around
The maze, located in the National Building Museum, is a precursor to an exhibit showcasing some of BIG's projects. To navigate the maze, people must look up.
| Jul 7, 2014
5 factors that can affect thermal stress break risk of insulated glass units
The glass type, glass coating, shading patterns, vents, and framing system can impact an IGU’s risk for a thermal break.
| Jul 7, 2014
Team unity pays off for a new hospital in Maine [2014 Building Team Awards]
Extensive use of local contractors, vendors, and laborers brings a Maine hospital project in months ahead of schedule.
| Jul 7, 2014
7 emerging design trends in brick buildings
From wild architectural shapes to unique color blends and pattern arrangements, these projects demonstrate the design possibilities of brick.