Roughly 75 architecture buffs gathered at the Chicago Architecture Center last night to learn about the process by which eight of Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings were designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 2019.
The crowd, which included several Wright homeowners as well as architecture and design students, heard from a variety of experts on the several-decade campaign to have the architect's works recognized by the organization.
“World Heritage Sites are a register of the world’s most exceptional cultural and natural sites,” explained Barbara Gordon, executive director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. “The organization was created to identify and protect sites of universal value.”
Of the eight buildings that were chosen, two—the Unity Temple and the Robie House—are in the Chicago area. “The Robie House is the main example of spatial continuity demonstrated by an open floor plan,” Gordon said, elaborating on one of the reasons that the building was selected.
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One major area of concern for the newly designated landmarks is the balance of stewardship and access, said Justin Gunther, vice president of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and director of Fallingwater, in response to an audience question about the challenges of the process. “We need to make sure the experience of visiting Fallingwater is valuable and authentic,” he said, explaining that increased visitorship could have both positive and negative effects on the site.
Other speakers on the panel included Phyllis Ellin, architectural historian for the U.S. National Park Service’s Office of International Affairs, and Heidi Ruehle, executive director of the Unity Temple Restoration Foundation in Oak Park.
