Wright house in Phoenix donated to school

Famed architect designed it for son

PHOENIX - A Frank Lloyd Wright house in Phoenix that the famous architect designed for his son was donated Thursday to the school bearing his name years after it was saved from demolition.

Owner Zach Rawling announced that he is giving the David and Gladys Wright House to the School of Architecture at Taliesin, formerly known as the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. The announcement came on the famed architect’s 150th birthday.

Nestled at the base of Camelback Mountain, the house is constructed in the form of a spiral that appears to rise from the ground and offers 360-degree views of Camelback and other mountains that loom over the city.

The house built in 1952 is regarded as the precursor to the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, according to Aaron Betsky, the school’s dean. The Guggenheim museum is one of Wright’s most revered works. The architect designed over 1,000 architectural works, 532 which were built, and he is regarded by many as one of America’s best architects.

Rawling purchased the Phoenix home in 2012 for $2.4 million with plans to restore it and turn it into a museum. But neighbors complained doing so would generate excessive traffic in the well-heeled residential Arcadia area where the house is located.

He said he hopes the donation will engage the community and continue the school’s mission.

“I think we’re celebrating every aspect of Wright’s legacy and hopefully it informs future generations to carry on those ideas,” Rawling said.

The David and Gladys Wright House is considered one of Wright’s late career masterworks, said Victor Sidy, the architect in charge of the home’s renovation.