Widely regarded as the greatest American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) realized over 500 designs during a career that spanned seventy years. His groundbreaking work transformed Modern architecture, and in 2019 the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy successfully championed eight of his buildings on to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Yet, despite this international recognition, Wright’s legacy remains vulnerable as more than 15 percent of his buildings have been lost. As the only organization devoted exclusively to the preservation and stewardship of Wright’s nearly 400 remaining structures, the Chicago-based Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy has fought diligently to draw attention to the significance of saving Wright’s legacy.

Today, more than half of these surviving works are without any formal legal protection against demolition, inappropriate alteration, or simple neglect. Since its founding in 1990, the Conservancy has worked to change that reality. Its efforts include taking swift action when Wright buildings are threatened, equipping stewards with critical expertise, inspiring public appreciation for Wright’s legacy, and securing long-term protections through preservation easements.

Conservancy Executive Director Barbara Gordon and Board President Scott W. Perkins will share insights into the organization’s mission, its successes over the past three decades, and its most pressing recent challenges. They will highlight current initiatives to save two significant but vulnerable properties—the iconic Price Tower (1952; Bartlesville, OK) known as Wright’s “Tree that Escaped the Crowded Forest”, and the Grace and Joseph Jacob Walser, Jr. House (1903; Chicago, IL), his early Prairie design suffering from years of deterioration and neglect.

Barbara Gordon is the Executive Director of the Chicago-based Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy. Scott W. Perkins is the Conservancy’s board president and Senior Director of Preservation and Collections at Fallingwater (Mill Run, PA).

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