Frank Lloyd Wright Phoenix Home Saved from Demolition

Frank Lloyd Wright designed several homes in the Phoenix area, including one in the Arcadia neighborhood that was designed for Wright's son and daughter-in-law. The couple lived there until their deaths; the family sold the home in 2009. In June 2012, developer 8081 Meridian bought the home for $1.8 million.

Prior to the sale, the Chicago-based Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy got wind of the developer’s plans to split the two-acre parcel of land and demolish the home! The conservancy, which views the home as probably the most important residential design in the last decade of Wright’s career, immediately got the city of Phoenix to begin the steps necessary to designate the home a historical landmark.

Despite these efforts, the developer reportedly got a valid demolition permit; the city says it was issued in error.

The city and the developer have reached an agreement to put any demolition on hold while a search is made for a buyer. One $2 million bid was reportedly rejected by the developer. The mayor’s office in Phoenix is hoping a potential buyer and the developer will agree on a price and that the homeowner will consent to historic landmark status and a perpetual conservation easement.