Archinect - News

Embattled Price Tower owner sues Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy

2024-10-23T12:21:00-04:00

The embattled owner of Frank Lloyd Wright’s landmark Price Tower in Bartlesville Oklahoma has filed suit against The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy in order to void liens which have been placed on the property, the New York Times is reporting. The nonprofit had previously taken action against the Copper Tree Group, which is managed by investor Cynthia Blanchard, in order to prevent sales of original furniture from the building that were under the protection of a preservation easement dating to 2011.

Blanchard's attorneys are repeating their original claims that the orders no longer pertain post-sale. The company is now seeking $75,000 in damages in addition to an injunction against the Conservancy for "interfering" with the sale of the building or furniture. In yet another complication, the Times reports its previously scheduled October 7th auction has been pushed back to November 18th in response to a separate lawsuit from a Tulsa-based developer who claims to have signed ...

Frank Lloyd Wright's Price Tower to be auctioned online in October

2024-08-22T13:18:00-04:00

Embattled owners of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Price Tower building in Bartlesville, Oklahoma have announced an October auction in response to growing debt obligations, which have reportedly quadrupled to $2 million since a local couple purchased the landmark for just $10 early last year.

Details of the impending auction were first reported by local journalist Andy Dossett, who notes that "Washington County records indicate the assessed value of the property is $6,214,060."

Owner Cynthia Blanchard is now facing a separate legal challenge over the supposedly illegal sale of original furniture designs from the tower to a Dallas area design dealer earlier this summer. The auction will take place via the online platform Ten-X between October 7th and 9th. Blanchard will reportedly entertain offers beforehand. The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy currently holds a preservation easement over the property, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and w...

Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy files UCC claims over sale of original Price Tower items

2024-08-09T16:01:00-04:00

A dispute over the sale of original items from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Price Tower high-rise in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, has produced a series of UCC statements against the building’s current owners by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. The nonprofit issued an update to its legal pursuit this week and said that they are operating from an existing preservation easement agreement that prohibits the sale of certain items from the landmarked 1952 building.

According to the Trust, "The items in the sale included a one-of-a-kind rolling directory board, architectural copper relief panels, an armchair, and copper tables and stools, all designed by Wright for the Price Tower." The lot was reported to have been purchased by an unnamed Dallas area midcentury design dealer. The dealer was contacted in July with a demand from the Trust insisting that any items be returned immediately.

The Trust says the tower's owners "incorrectly [claim] that the easement is now invalid because the Tower...

Oklahoma City approves 'unlimited height' request for North America's new tallest building

2024-06-04T17:59:00-04:00

Things are looking up (way up) this week for what may become North America’s new tallest building: Southern California-based firm AO announced in a social media post today that the Oklahoma City Council had approved the development team's request for unlimited building height for the proposed 1,907-foot-tall Legends Tower.

The ambitious 126-story scheme in downtown OKC is part of the Boardwalk at Bricktown development led by Matteson Capital. The group told media outlets in March that the $1.5 billion mixed-use project was fully funded.

AO's latest update also hinted at an intended groundbreaking "this Fall."

In Oklahoma City, plans for North America’s new tallest building move toward approval

2024-04-13T10:00:00-04:00

The Oklahoma City Planning Commission voted yesterday, April 12th, to recommend its city council's approval of the proposed 1,907-foot-high tower design from AO (fmr. Architects Orange) that would become North America's tallest building when realized.

Plans are still contingent on the success of the proposed first two towers' leasing agreements, as we reported in January. AO, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary, is working for a local Orange County-based developer named Scot Matteson to realize the design after increasing its initial proposal for a 1,750-foot design that would have been America’s second-tallest building. The so-called Legends Tower would be built at a total of 126 stories and include 944 luxury residences plus another 99 condominiums and 352 rooms reserved for the Hyatt Hotel chain.

Just 48 of the tower's apartments will be considered affordable (all of which are to be located in the podium). The proposed LED signage is the only part of the proposal that was...

Oklahoma City proposal for the U.S.'s new tallest building is fully funded, developers say

2024-03-15T12:11:00-04:00

While many have wondered if the project is financially feasible in Oklahoma City, Matteson told The Oklahoman the entire $1.5 billion development is fully funded. But, Matteson admitted there are some outstanding questions about whether the tower can be built. The outcome lies in whether he can receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, zoning approval from the city and whether the phase one apartment towers are sufficiently leased.

By extending the spire of the 1,907-foot Legends Tower, the Architects Orange (AO) plan would become, as we previously reported, the tallest building in North America. The developers of the 5-million-square-foot proposal have stated at least 50% of units in the first two smaller towers will have to be leased first before they build at that height.

Speaking to reporters about the prospect of realizing America's tallest building in a small city like OKC, developer Scot Matteson said: "I’m used to this skepticism by the public and other people, but we have goals, and we seem to meet them all the time."

Matteson Capital also said they won’t be able to obtain a building permit until at least September.

The tallest building in the U.S. may be built in Oklahoma City following design revision

2024-01-23T11:22:00-05:00

The team behind the Boardwalk at Bricktown development in Oklahoma City is to request a design variance from city officials which, if granted, would see the project become the tallest building in the United States. Designed by California-based Architects Orange for Matteson Capital, the project contains four towers and spans 5 million square feet, hosting hotels, residential units, and commercial and hospitality functions.

Image render courtesy AO

As we reported earlier this month, the project sees three towers rising 345 feet, with a fourth taller ‘Legends Tower’ originally measuring 1750 feet in height. With the scheme already approved by city officials, the team has sought the approval of a variance that will increase the height of the Legends Tower to 1,907 feet, making it the tallest building in the United States. The record is currently held by One World Trade Center, which measures 1,776 feet tall.

Image render courtesy AO

Described as a “mixed-use marvel” by the design team, t...

A proposal for the second-tallest building in North America sneaks forward in Oklahoma City

2024-01-02T19:13:00-05:00

Oklahoma City could soon be home to the country’s second-tallest structure if plans for a new 1,750-foot skyscraper designed by the California practice Architects Orange (AO) are approved along with a larger $1 billion entertainment district proposal from developer Scot Matteson.

The tower is included as part of the mixed-use Boardwalk at Bricktown development that calls for a hotel, two condominium towers, and an LED-lit multilevel podium with a pool and other public areas at a site just two blocks away from where the new home of the Oklahoma City Thunder NBA franchise is now being planned.

Matteson and other developers behind the scheme are hoping the local real estate market can support their ambitions, and say the 134-story apartment tower could be added to the mixed-use scheme provided there is adequate demand. The plan would be funded in part by a $200 million tax increment financing.

Image render courtesy AO.

"We felt that creating someplace can live and work and play and be ...

Frank Lloyd Wright’s stately Westhope home lists for $8 million in Oklahoma

2023-04-21T12:56:00-04:00

Frank Lloyd Wright's historic 1929 Westhope home has just hit the market in Oklahoma.

Sage Sotheby’s has the property listed for $8 million in Tulsa, with local real estate investor Stuart Price as the seller.

According to the listing, the 5-bed, 4.5-bath home is 10,405 square feet, making it one of the largest residential projects designed by the architect. It joins two other in Carmel, California and the Phoenix area as Wright designs to have come on the market since the new year. The home is one of only three Wright commissions in Oklahoma between 1929 and the Price Tower in 1956 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972 following a 1965 renovation.

Image: Sarah Strunk Photography/Sage Sotheby’s International Realty

Local publishing magnate Richard Lloyd Jones envisioned the home as a “symbol of Tulsa’s future.” The structure features the same “textile blocks” system seen earlier in the Enni...

A new gift will keep the legacy of the American School alive at the University of Oklahoma's College of Architecture

2023-02-28T13:53:00-05:00

A new landmark donation to the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture at the University of Oklahoma will help preserve the legacy of the American School, one of the most important movements within midcentury modernism, thanks to the generosity of legendary professor Bob Faust’s widow Sherry.

The multimillion gift will go towards maintaining the school’s archive, hiring a curator to oversee the collection and coordinate exhibition programming around it, creating a permanent exhibition space in the lobby of Gould Hall, an annual fellowship, and a four-year funded professorship for special research projects related to design topics.

The college’s Division of Architecture director Stephanie Pilat said the professorship is designed in a “flexible way,” adding it would come with a salary stipend and a budget to pursue projects related to the American School. “It will provide support for that library which supports this important history, and it will provide funding for a curator of ...

Tulsa's unique 'Jetsons House' flew off the market faster than Elroy could blink

2022-07-13T14:46:00-04:00

Tulsa hosts a building that looks a lot like George and Jane Jetsons’ home in the cartoon, or perhaps a squat version of Seattle’s Space Needle – shaped like a wheel on its side perched on a stick. The house recently hit the market, with an asking price of $415,000. But unfortunately for any time travelers, it has already been snapped up.

The brainchild of local duo Joe Damer and Jeremy Perkins (who is a licensed architect) has only been on the market since the last week of June and was reportedly purchased by someone looking to convert the 17-year-old home into what promises to be one of Airbnb’s many unique short-term rentals.

Interior image via the realtor listing, courtesy Chinowth & Cohen Realtors.

The 1,386-square-foot Googie design features a 44-foot lift and contributes to the eccentric architecture of the otherwise Art Deco-rich region, which includes other unique designs like the Cave House and BOK Tower, in addition to figures like late University of Oklahoma professor Bruce Goff, who now has his own dedicated annual festival.

Herb Greene’s Prairie House seeks landmark status

2022-04-15T11:49:00-04:00

Those involved with the house and the Prairie House Preservation Society expect it to be a big draw to the area for tourists, artists and the Norman community. Late last year, the Prairie House Trust bought the unusual two-bedroom, 2,100-square-foot home surrounded by open land and turned the management of it over to the nonprofit society.

Greene’s sculptural creation will be turned into a museum under the scheme after being in the hands of private owners for many years. Greene’s longtime colleague at OU, and another pioneer of the highly experimental American School movement, Bruce Goff, is now also being used as a bit of a draw for architecture lovers, with the inaugural Goff Fest festival taking place in Tulsa last November. Those associated with the preservation effort hope the recently renovated house will further add another tourist trap to a state with quite a bit to offer in its growing artistic community.

“I believe that with cultivation and time this can be a real reason that people are going to want to come to Norman,” Norman Arts Council executive director Erinn Gavaghan told the local paper. “It’s incredibly important to the history of architecture at OU. We knew we didn’t want to lose this place.”

Gilcrease Museum begins demolition ahead of two-year expansion effort

2022-01-27T13:00:00-05:00

An expected temporary closure for the oldest art museum in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area has many vying for the not-too-distant debut of what promises to be an instant architectural icon.

The Gilcrease Museum began demolition of its existing building Tuesday in order to make room for a new 91,300-square-foot facility designed by SmithGroup. The museum closed to the public on July 5th and will reopen again sometime in late 2024.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Philbrook Museum of Art (@philbrookmuseum)

The Gilcrease is undergoing a major expansion project funded by a publicly-supported $65 million capital project called Vision Test. The 73-year-old institution also received an additional gift from a private donor that brought the total to $75 million for the ambitious multi-year effort.

Previously on Archinect: Tulsa's Gilcrease Museum unveils upcoming expansion plans that will connect visitors to the natural world

Tulsa as a city is in the process of addin...

Goff Fest kicks off in Tulsa honoring the life of its late architectural native son

2021-11-04T08:58:00-04:00

The living memory of one of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s biggest drivers of the city’s noteworthy contributions to the visual landscape of 20th-century America is getting its due this weekend in an awesome way.

Goff Fest is about to descend on one of the city’s most important historic landmarks. The Tulsa Club Hotel will host the inaugural edition of a four-day festival honoring the life, work, and legacy of its architect, the late Bruce Goff.

Goff was an architectural prodigy who went on to become one of the Midwest’s most prominent practitioners of Modernism. Most of his extant early buildings were realized in the Tulsa metropolitan area, including the Boston Avenue Methodist Church and Riverside Studio, which are both on the National Register of Historic Places.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by GOFF FEST (@goff_fest)

Organized by Tulsa’s Goff Center of the Continuous Present (GCCP), the festival is the brainchild of Brooklyn-based artist Karl Jones. Jones was...

Tulsa's Gilcrease Museum unveils upcoming expansion plans that will connect visitors to the natural world

2021-06-24T19:18:00-04:00

The Gilcrease Museum has unveiled designs for an expansion of the 72-year-old Tulsa institution as part of a redevelopment plan meant to give its 350 years of collected history an upgraded 21st-century relevance.

The plan will add improved exhibition space for the city-owned museum founded by collector Thomas Gilcrease, a member of the Muscogee tribe who amassed a fortune in Oklahoma's early oil boom.

Aerial view overlooking the new Gilcrease Museum toward downtown Tulsa. Courtesy of Gallagher & Associates and Gilcrease Museum

“We need a space that provides a visitor experience to match the strength of the collection” explained Gilcrease Executive Director Susan Neal.

The soon-to-be razed museum holds a number of Indigenous artifacts and boasts the world’s largest collection of art of the American West in addition to a collection of over 100,000 manuscripts, photographs, and rare books housed by the Helmerich Center for American Research.

SmithGroup is responsible for the design th...

More than a meeting space: Moody Nolan to lead the renovation of Greenwood Cultural Center

2021-04-13T20:19:00-04:00

The importance of rebuilding and reclaiming America's Black communities is essential to honoring and understanding how social justice and design reform can improve the systemic and racial histories of cities across the nation. The Greenwood District in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is no exception.

On June 1, 1921, the deadly and destructive events of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre is still to date a tragic example of racial violence and domestic terrorism in U.S. history. While the tragedy and loss should not be forgotten and the lives lost continue to be honored, the Greenwood District persevered and rebuilt its community. Now, in 2021 the historic district announces its plans for the renovation of the Greenwood Cultural Center.

On April 12, 2021, the City of Tulsa announced the selection of award-winning architecture firm Moody Nolan to lead the Greenwood Cultural Center's renovation. If you visit the Center's website, it's the following statement that amplifies...

RIP: Bruce Goff's Bavinger House demolished

2016-06-01T13:13:00-04:00

the destruction of the Bavinger House is not surprising. Back in 2011, the home appeared to suffer damage in a storm, and when a crew with News 9 attempted to see the house, they were “greeted with gunfire.” [...] the house remained something of a mystery (it sat on private property, accessed by a rural road) until last July, when PraireMod reported that it had been contacted by Bob Bavinger’s son, Boz, who claimed to be putting the property up for sale for the price of $1.5 million.

Our own Donna Sink reported on the 2011 damage to the house: Goff's Bavinger House collapses. See below for a shot of the demolition scene:

Related on Archinect:

Oklahoma University Architecture Dean dies of heart complications

2016-02-15T13:50:00-05:00

The dean of the OU College of Architecture died Friday morning of heart complications, OU President David Boren announced.

OU College of Architecture faculty and staff were informed of Dean Graham's passing in an email from university President, David Boren (source oudaily.com):

Dear College of Architecture Family,

I am so sorry to report that we lost our beloved Dean Charles Graham this morning. He will be greatly missed by all of us and we will never forget his true love for the College and the many contributions he made to it. As soon as we know more about memorials to him we will let you know.

Please remember M’Liss and her family in your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

David Boren

Graham, who was just recently named one of 25 Top Educators in America by DesignIntelligence and had served as OU Architecture Dean since 2008, caused a bit of a stir up at Oklahoma University last August when he publicly apologized for wearing clothing "associated with Islam" at a back-to-school meeting.

Urbanism as a public health issue: Oklahoma City's battle with obesity

2015-10-19T18:11:00-04:00

For [Oklahoma City] is one of the nation’s most spread-out urban environments, covering 620 square miles, which means its 600,000 residents rely on cars [...] [Mayor Mick Cornett] began to look afresh at the culture and infrastructure of his city, realising how the extent of reliance on cars had alienated human beings from enjoying and using their own urban environments. [...] [Cornett] wanted to remake his huge metropolis by remoulding it around people in place of cars.

More at the intersection of urban planning and public health:

Oklahoma University Architecture Dean apologizes for wearing clothing "associated with Islam"

2015-08-25T13:09:00-04:00

The dean of OU's College of Architecture issued an apology Monday for wearing clothing associated with Islam at a back-to-school meeting. A photo on the College of Architecture's Facebook page that has since been deleted showed Dean Charles Graham wearing a white thawb and a red keffiyeh on his head at the meeting on Aug. 20.

In his apology (posted below), Dean Graham wrote, "I asked a number of my Muslim friends around the campus and in Norman to see if my wearing the attire would be offensive in any religious way, and the answers were all resoundingly 'no.'" Still, his sartorial choice was controversial enough to generate three or four complaints to the president's office.

The University of Oklahoma maintains a study abroad program in Dubai focusing on building design and construction. In his apology, Dean Graham states he purchased the clothing during a visit there.

As Dean Graham correctly notes in his letter, the keffiyeh and thawb are not specifically religious, but rather everyday attire in much of the Middle East, particularly the Arabia peninsula and the Levant. He compares the use of this clothing to "what my Scottish ancestors and family who wear kilts currently do," and to Texans wearing cowboy boots and hats.

Dean Graham contends he "tried to use the time I wore the attire as an educational exe...

KKT architects envision tornado-shaped tower for downtown Tulsa

2015-03-11T21:34:00-04:00

An old two-story warehouse on 202 S. Guthrie may appear as just another underdeveloped property for people driving through the streets of downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. But for locally based Kinslow, Keith & Todd architects, the current 28,000 sq.ft parking structure has enough potential to become the base for a funnel-shaped tower dubbed as the "Tornado Tower."

Considering that Tulsa has a fairly long history of tornadoes, a tornado-shaped tower may not seem so outlandish. KKT architects conjured up the Tornado Tower for Tulsa People magazine's recent "Reimagining downtown" article, which states that KKT wanted to design an iconic Oklahoma-themed building that would open up people's perspectives on buildings and of Tulsa. While some may see it as an ideal space for weather forecasting and research purposes, the tower would surely attract plenty of tourism to the city.

And rightly so. Located near the BOK Center and Cox Business Center, the 250-300 feet tall mixed-use tower would consist o...

Donate to Architecture for Humanity to help rebuild Moore, Oklahoma

2013-05-22T13:52:00-04:00

Architecture for Humanity is working with local and regional construction professionals to begin assessments and support rebuilding work after an F-4 tornado ripped through the heart of Moore, OK and surrounding communities.

Architecture for Humanity focuses on helping communities beyond the relief phase of disaster. The agency is currently working on rebuilding efforts post Superstorm Sandy and rebuilt in communities affected by Hurricane Katrina. Architecture for Humanity is mobilizing to assist in long term-reconstruction to help rebuild Moore and the surrounding communities. The agency works to incorporate resiliency and disaster mitigation strategies, leaving communities safer and stronger than before.

“After the Haiti earthquake students from Moore West Junior High raised funds for the organization to help rebuild schools for displaced students. Our thoughts are with the entire community of Moore, OK and those affected,” said Cameron Sinclair, Co-founder, Architecture for Humanity.

Goff's Bavinger House collapses

2011-06-23T23:15:00-04:00

The architectural oddity either fell to a recent microburst of high winds in Norman, or at the hand of the owner.

Mystery surrounds the current condition of the work of an odd genius.