Preserving Wright: The Challenges of Preserving the Built Work of Frank Lloyd Wright

The work of Frank Lloyd Wright includes some of the best known of examples of American architecture, including the Guggenheim Museum and Fallingwater. Despite this, over half of the Wright-designed structures in the US are without significant legal protections and are therefore vulnerable to significant alteration or actual demolition. Although the work is unique, the challenges faced in the preservation of Wright’s work are similar to those seen throughout the field of preservation. John Waters, AIA, preservation programs manager at the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy will discuss the Conservancy’s activities to facilitate the preservation of Wright’s remaining structures. These activities range from holding preservation easement to creating important partnerships with building owners and other preservation organizations. Waters will also discuss the role that the Frank Lloyd Wright Archive at the Avery Library plays in the preservation of Wright’s work.

John Waters is the preservation programs manager at the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy where his responsibilities include overseeing the organization’s preservation easement program and its technical resources program. He is also an integral part of the Conservancy’s Advocacy team. Waters is a registered architect who has practiced in Boston and Chicago. His independent research projects have focused on the work of architects, H.H. Richardson, Walter Burley Griffin, Marion Mahony Griffin, and Bruce Goff.

Free and open to the public.

Organized as part of the Preservation Lecture Series, an initiative of the Historic Preservation Program at Columbia GSAPP.