Ever since I was a student in Jim Lambeth‘s (think James at the Mill/Inn at the Mill in Johnson, AR architect) U of A architecture class waaaayyyy back when, I have had a serious infatuation with all things Frank Lloyd Wright so in 21013 when I learned Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville had acquired the Bachman-Wilson House from the architect/designer team Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino (who had purchased the home in 1988) and planned to reconstruct it on the museum grounds, I was ecstatic. Threatened by repeated flooding from the river, the Tarantinos determined that relocating the house was the best option for its preservation. 

Thus, upon the arrival of the deconstructed house, I began the process of peering through the construction fence for over a year just to check on its progress. While not quite as dramatic as the construction of the museum itself, it was exciting for me anyway.

On one of our trips to the Scottsdale area, Hubby made arrangements for us to tour Taliesin West, which was Wright’s winter home and school in the desert from 1937 until his death in 1959 at the age of 91. Today it is the main campus of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and is the location of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. Loved it!

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But my main Wright heart throb has always been what is considered by most to be Wright’s masterpiece,  Falling Water in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. It was for sale when we were at Taliesin West; even though I literally begged, Hubby said it was too far for him to commute and he wouldn’t put in an offer. Today it is part of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and is available for tours. Maybe someday soon. #bucketlist

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EVERY time we are in NYC, I head to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, another iconic Wright masterpiece and one of his last. The reinforced-concrete spiral opened over 50 years ago on October 21, 1959 just six months before Wright died. While I profess to being there for the art, it is more likely that I am totally enamored of the building itself.

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In 1936, Wright began designing and building his Usonian houses of which the Bachman-Wilson House (1954) is one of 60, as a means of affordable yet architecturally significant housing.

These homes still maintained the integrity of Wright’s architectural principles:

• use of strong horizontal lines
• a roof with overhanging eaves
• the use of both natural and manmade materials
• and large expanses of windows allowing views into the surrounding landscape.

These houses used less expensive building materials such as concrete blocks and a tremendous amount of function was designed into the small spaces. They continued Wright’s use of built-in furniture, open-floor plans, radiant and passive solar heating and concrete slabs. Most were about the same size as the Bachman-Wilson house at 1800 square feet.

As Crystal Bridges members, we were permitted an early tour of the restored Bachman-Wilson House. However, as part of the preservation restrictions, inside photography is not permitted nor are you permitted to touch or sit. Unfortunately, the upstairs is currently off limits, perhaps due to liability issues with the stairs. Hopefully, it will be open to the public in the future.

The public opening is scheduled for November 11, the anniversary of the opening of Crystal Bridges on 11/11/11. You will need to make reservations, free to all, because access is strictly limited to small groups. The audio tour is not yet available, but a staff member is typically in house to answer your questions and provide additional information not covered by the brochure you will receive at entry.

For a tour of the house when it was owned by the Tarantinos CLICK HERE.