Popularity swells for Wright house Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Northwest Edition (AR) - Sunday, September 21, 2014 CYD KING ; ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE BENTONVILLE - The Bachman Wilson House, one of architect Frank Lloyd Wrights Usonian homes, has developed a cult following on its move to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art from where it was originally built along a New Jersey river. Within the first year, the unique 1,700-square-foot structure is expected to attract about 500,000 visitors to the Bentonville museum, some of whom are scheduling their vacations around its opening. The museum acquired the house in January and had it disassembled and parts individually wrapped before trucking it to Northwest Arkansas to have it rebuilt next to the museum. Sections of the house are stored in a warehouse by Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport while the site work is being completed near the museums south entrance and Crystal Spring. Scott Eccleston, director of facilities and grounds at the museum, said he receives calls every day from Wright admirers who want to know when it will be finished. A former student of what is now the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas moved to a Fay Jones House in Springdale from Arizona so he could be close to the structure, hoping to volunteer to take people through the house once its open. Eccleston likened it to the notoriety of Norman Rockwell, whose exhibition, American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell, drew some 121,000 people during its 11-week stay at Crystal Bridges last year. People grew up with the [Rockwell] name, they understand greatness, and it resonated internally all the way to the core of who we are and what ties everything together, he said. Its the same thing with Frank Lloyd Wright. Ethel Goodstein-Murphree, associate dean and professor in the UA architecture school, said Wright, who died in 1959, was never one to shy from the spotlight. People follow his work for a number of reasons, she said. Movie stars, basketball players, even celebrity chefs nowadays have remarkable fan bases, she said. That an architect and his work draw that sort of fanaticism, maybe when you consider it in a larger cultural context, is not that out of place in this day and age, she said. The Bachman Wilson House was designed by Wright in 1954 to be Usonian, which Wright used to describe his houses that offered architectural quality for moderate-income families. His 60 or so Usonian homes are considered the purest designs of the period - works of art in simplicity and form. Museum founder Alice Walton first spoke of the project to Eccleston a year ago, the acquisition was announced in January, then contractors started making a place for it on the Crystal Bridges grounds in the spring. In the meantime, contractors back in New Jersey started disassembling the water-damaged house board by board, bolt by bolt. Even the Wright-designed furniture used in the house was moved to Bentonville by truck and rail. Only the concrete blocks and foundation were left behind. Wright was a mentor to the late architect E. Fay Jones, whose work became historically important and quite recognizable. The UA school of architecture is named for Jones. Eccleston said it was the Walton family home - designed by Jones - that inspired Boston architect Moshe Safdies work on Crystal Bridges. Students from architecture school have designed and are building a pavilion that will allow them to view and study the house as its being reconstructed. What seemed to be an easy project for them has consumed them, Eccleston said of the students. Once complete, the pavilion will be used as a prep station where patrons can learn more about the Bachman Wilson house before seeing it. The entire area, adjacent to the Tulip Trail, will be landscaped so that viewers will get their first glimpses of the house only by walking through the pavilion. By the time youre twothirds of the way through the pavilion, all of a sudden you see what I call this river of grass that leads your eye with perfection right toward the house, Eccleston said. Only 250 feet will separate the two structures. When you come through the pavilion, youre going to see 1955 all over again, he said. Only six to eight people will be allowed through at a time. Just as Safdie planned the museum to disturb as little of the natural landscape as possible, Bachman Wilson contractors are building the pavilion to leave the smallest footprint possible. The most difficult task, so far, has been getting electricity to the site from the museum without upsetting the trees and Tulip Trail that separate the two. While the museum was open, workers bored underground to avoid the landscape and trail. For the house project, replacement mahogany, in particular, has been hard to come by, Eccleston said. Mahogany for the original structure came from the Philippines but is no longer being harvested there. So the houses former owners, Sharon and Lawrence Tarantino, did some research and came up with samples of repurposed mahogany from the 40s and 50s that are close enough matches that the integrity of the project is not compromised. Wrights original plan for the Bachman Wilson house included a basement, but it wasnt built because of budget constraints. The rebuilt house will have a basement for storage and for the mechanics, such as heating and air equipment. The Tarantinos will be on-site in about nine weeks for the milestone moment - when contractors pour the famous red concrete slab, which was designed for Wrights Usonian houses. Contractors are buying the coloring from the same company, L.M. Scofield Co., where Wright got the coloring for the concrete he used in his houses.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 13:33:11 +0000
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