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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...