Millionaire builder saves Frank Lloyd Wright house

A house (above) that iconic American architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed for his son David in Phoenix, Arizona, was at risk of being bought over by developers who might demolish it and build new homes on the site. Mr Zach Rawling, a millionaire bui
PHOTO: NYTIMES

A house (above) that iconic American architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed for his son David in Phoenix, Arizona, was at risk of being bought over by developers who might demolish it and build new homes on the site. Mr Zach Rawling, a millionaire builder, stepped in to save the house - paying US$2.4 million for it in 2012. Last week, he donated the house to the School of Architecture in Taliesin, which Wright had set up in 1932 as an apprenticeship programme. The house is in the form of a spiral that appears to rise from the ground. Built in 1952, it is regarded by experts as the forerunner to the famous Guggenheim museum in New York that Wright also designed. At a time when many historic properties in the United States have met with sad ends, Mr Aaron Betsky, the school's dean, noted: "Our students will have the opportunity to study the house, learn from the house, understand it and work on reconstructing it."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on June 17, 2017, with the headline Millionaire builder saves Frank Lloyd Wright house. Subscribe