During the 43rd session of the World Heritage Committee, currently taking place in Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan (June 30 - July 10, 2019), the World Heritage Committee named eight projects by Frank Lloyd Wright to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The designation, officially named “The 20th century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright,” includes signature works designed by the architect during the first half of the 20th century. They are:
• Aline Barnsdall Hollyhock House (Los Angeles)
• Fallingwater (Mill Run, Pa.)
• Frederick C. Robie House (Chicago)
• Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House (Madison, Wis.)
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York)
• Taliesin (Spring Green, Wis.)
• Taliesin West (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
• Unity Temple (Oak Park, Ill.)
On making the selection, the World Heritage Committee stated: “These buildings reflect the ‘organic architecture’ developed by Wright, which includes an open plan, a blurring of the boundaries between exterior and interior, and the unprecedented use of materials such as steel and concrete. Each of these buildings offers innovative solutions to the needs for housing, worship, work or leisure. Wright's work from this period had a strong impact on the development of modern architecture in Europe.”
In Chicago, the UNESCO designation coincides with the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust’s announcement of a new Frank Lloyd Wright Visitor and Education Center. The trust owns and maintains Wright’s Home and Studio in Oak Park, Ill., and operates public tours and programs at five Chicago area historic sites, including Unity Temple (1905-08) and Robie House (1908-10).
“This UNESCO designation firmly establishes Wright’s place on the international stage of modern architecture,” said Celeste Adams, President & CEO of the Frank Lloyd Wright Trust.
Wright joins pioneers of modern architecture already inscribed on the prestigious list, including Gerrit Rietveld, Walter Gropius, Mies van der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Oscar Niemeyer and Lucio Costa. There are more than 1,000 World Heritage sites around the world, and the group of Wright sites is now among 24 sites in the U.S.
Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago. Photo: Tim Long, courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Trust
Frederick C. Robie House, Chicago. Photo: James Caulfield, courtesy Frank Lloyd Wright Trust
Related Stories
Adaptive Reuse | Jun 13, 2024
4 ways to transform old buildings into modern assets
As cities grow, their office inventories remain largely stagnant. Yet despite changes to the market—including the impact of hybrid work—opportunities still exist. Enter: “Midlife Metamorphosis.”
Affordable Housing | Jun 12, 2024
Studio Libeskind designs 190 affordable housing apartments for seniors
In Brooklyn, New York, the recently opened Atrium at Sumner offers 132,418 sf of affordable housing for seniors. The $132 million project includes 190 apartments—132 of them available to senior households earning below or at 50% of the area median income and 57 units available to formerly homeless seniors.
Mass Timber | Jun 10, 2024
5 hidden benefits of mass timber design
Mass timber is a materials and design approach that holds immense potential to transform the future of the commercial building industry, as well as our environment.
Lighting | Jun 10, 2024
LEDs were nearly half of the installed base of lighting products in the U.S. in 2020
Federal government research shows a huge leap in the penetration of LEDs in the lighting market from 2010 to 2020. In 2010 and 2015, LED installations represented 1% and 8% of overall lighting inventory, respectively.
Libraries | Jun 7, 2024
7 ways to change 'business as usual': The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
One hundred forty years ago, Theodore Roosevelt had a vision that is being realized today. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a cutting-edge example of what’s possible when all seven ambitions are pursued to the fullest from the beginning and integrated into the design at every phase and scale.
Education Facilities | Jun 6, 2024
Studio Gang designs agricultural education center for the New York City Housing Authority
Earlier this month, the City of New York broke ground on the new $18.2 million Marlboro Agricultural Education Center (MAEC) at the New York City Housing Authority’s Marlboro Houses in Brooklyn. In line with the mission of its nonprofit operator, The Campaign Against Hunger, MAEC aims to strengthen food autonomy and security in underserved neighborhoods. MAEC will provide Marlboro Houses with diverse, community-oriented programs.
Office Buildings | Jun 6, 2024
HOK presents neurodiversity research and design guidelines at SXSW 2024
Workplace experts share insights on designing inclusive spaces that cater to diverse sensory processing needs.
Architects | Jun 4, 2024
HED and Larson Incitti Architects merge, combine Denver staff
HED, a leading national architecture and engineering firm, today announced a merger with award-winning, Denver-based Larson Incitti Architects (LIA). The merger combines LIA's staff with HED's Denver office, significantly expanding the local team and leveraging community relationships to create new opportunities across multiple market sectors.
Airports | Jun 3, 2024
SOM unveils ‘branching’ structural design for new Satellite Concourse 1 at O’Hare Airport
The Chicago Department of Aviation has revealed the design for Satellite Concourse 1 at O’Hare International Airport, one of the nation’s business airports. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), with Ross Barney Architects, Juan Gabriel Moreno Architects (JGMA), and Arup, the concourse will be the first new building in the Terminal Area Program, the largest concourse area expansion and revitalization in the airport’s almost seven-decade history.
Office Buildings | Jun 3, 2024
Insights for working well in a hybrid world
GBBN Principal and Interior Designer Beth Latto, NCIDQ, LEED AP, ID+C, WELL AP, share a few takeaways, insights, and lessons learned from a recent Post Occupancy Evaluation of the firm's Cincinnati, Ohio, office.
