The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, which aims to preserve existing buildings by the famed American architect, recently announced it had acquired 11 original pieces by Wright that had been designed for the Price Tower in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.
“While the Conservancy does not typically purchase architectural artifacts, this rare acquisition was made to prevent the further sale and dispersal of these items, and to ensure their eventual return to Price Tower,” the conservancy said in a statement posted online on August 7, noting the acquisition was funded by donors.
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The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy called the acquisition an “extraordinary step” after “persistent advocacy and lengthy negotiations,” noting the artifacts from the 19-story structure were protected under its preservation easement “but were sold without our permission in spring 2024.”
The 11 items include the skyscraper’s original lobby direction board, an armchair, three copper tables, two stools, and four unique embossed copper panels. They are currently being stored in the Dallas area.
Copper panels from Price Tower, unpatinated, left, and patinated, right, were included in a traveling exhibition at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC in 2006. Photo by Nikki Kahn/The The Washington Post via Getty Images
The Washington Post via Getty Im
“Each of these items are integral to Wright’s architectural vision for Price Tower, itself significant for its extraordinary design, the only skyscraper built by one of America’s greatest architects,” the conservancy wrote. “We intend for the items to once again become part of the Price Tower experience for visitors.”
Barbara Gordon, the conservancy’s executive director, said that the organization’s priority was keeping the artifacts together and off the private market, with a goal of returning them to the building.
“The purchase allowed us to secure our easement-protected items without the uncertainty and high cost of pursuing further legal action,” Gordon said in a statement. “We’re deeply grateful to the generous donors who made it possible for us to save these unique Wright-designed items.”
Earlier this year, Price Tower finally changed hands for $1.4 million after a ruling from Washington County Judge Russell Vaclaw on January 21.
As ARTnews previously reported, “the resolution compels the enforcement of a May 2023 contract between the current owners, Copper Tree and Green Copper Holdings, together known as Copper Entities, and Tulsa-based McFarlin Building Company.”
The January sale concluded a six-month long dispute, which was complicated by the sale of the building’s fixtures by Copper Entities—some sold off in breach of preservation agreements. Copper Entities began auctioning the items last summer, citing financial pressures due to debts estimated at $2 million. However, a clause in McFarlin’s contract required the sale of Price Tower to include all of its fixtures, including the items custom-designed by Wright.