Fate of Phoenix Frank Lloyd Wright house uncertain after Taliesin donation falls through
Catherine Reagor- Zach Rawling paid $2.3 million for the David Wright House
- Some Arcadia neighbors fought the home becoming a museum
- Future of the David Wright House is unknown
A deal to donate a controversial Frank Lloyd Wright home in Phoenix’s Arcadia neighborhood to Taliesin’s architecture school has been called off.
Zach Rawling, owner of the spiraling David and Gladys Wright House, agreed a year ago to donate the home to the school if $7 million could be raised to restore and run it. The house was built in 1952.
But a letter on the Wright House website says the School of Architecture at Taliesin and the David Wright House have “decided to proceed independent of one another” and the joint fundraising effort will be dissolved.
Any money raised will be given to the architecture school. The amount raised so far hasn't been disclosed.
"We are dissolving the collaborative fund and going our separate ways," said Aaron Betsky, dean of the architecture school.
Rawling, who paid $2.3 million for the house in 2012 when a previous owner tried to demolish it, is traveling in Europe and couldn’t be reached for comment. The house's future is now unclear.
He had tried to open the house that Frank Lloyd Wright designed for his son David as a museum before working with Taliesin’s architectural school.
Neighbors have been concerned about the property becoming a commercial attraction that may bring more traffic. There were also some concerns about the school proposal.
Attorney Jordan Rose, who represents neighbors Peter Sperling, Craig DeMarco, Andy Ogan and Jim Furcini, said her clients are “quite relieved Taliesin won’t continue to support the effort to commercialize the house into a party/event center in the middle of their quiet residential community. “
Other neighbors had been optimistic about the school idea.
"It's too bad for metro Phoenix that the partnership between the Wright House and Taliesin didn't work out," said Mark Stapp, executive director of the Master of Real Estate Development program at Arizona State University and an Arcadia resident.
"It would have tied an important historic building with a legacy organization to create a great space for Valley residents."
READ MORE:
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- Last house Wright designed up for sale in Phoenix: $3.2M
- Frank Lloyd Wright gave us a cool housing style
