Wright After Wright

We are having a resurgence of Wright designed homes and buildings not actually built in his lifetime being built after his death.  We have several here in Buffalo; the Blue Sky Mausoleum, Fontana Boathouse, and the Gas station in the Pierce Arrow Museum.  The linked video and the photo above details an FLW design actually being built ten years ago on the exact location it was originally designed for. Joseph Massaro is a contractor who made his money selling out his business  and deciding to spend it recreating this house as it was designed to be built.  It is interesting in that it is right here in New York State and a very clear example of Wright's natural architecture philosophy.  I recall reading somewhere that it was on the market a year or so ago for 20 million , but do not know if it actually sold.  Imagine owning your own island and your own Frank Llloyd Wright house.

The house was originally designed in 1949 by Wright for A.K. Chahroudi.  Allegedly at a luncheon between Chahroudi, Wright, and Edgar Kaufmann, owner of Fallingwater, Wright told Kaufmann "When I finish the house on the island, it will surpass your Fallingwater."  Wright spent three months working on the design, but the house was never built because Chahroudi was not able to afford the then estimated $50,000. to build the place.  (Good thing because as we all know about Wright's initial estimate, the cost was likely to be more like $150,000. by the time he was done.)

There is argument as to whether this is a true FLW house as Massaro only had five original Wright drawings to work from including a floor plan with ideas for built in and stand alone furniture.  Because Massaro hired a different architectural firm to oversee the project instead of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, there is controversy as to how much of an FLW design the house actually is.  The Foundation wanted almost a half million dollars to render working drawings and supervise construction of the house.  Massaro felt this to be extravagant and declined.  The Foundation than sued Massaro which ended in a settlement that Massaro could only refer to the house as being FLW "inspired" as opposed to "designed."  Massaro did attempt to follow FLW designs as closely as possible although purists have cited a half dozen design changes that were not FLW originals, but then Frank himself often changed his design as a building was going up, so who knows whether he would not have endorsed the changes that were made, several of which had to be made to meet current building codes.  As referenced in the video, Walter Conkrite who was a friend of  FLW's visited the house and was reported to say, "I feel Frank in this house."  If it was good enough for Conkrite, it is definitely good enough for me.  Besides, look at that picture above and tell me this could be anything but an FLW house.

Massaro House