Rawling Family Donates Wright House to Architecture School

So glad the Historical League held the Spring Event April 2016 at this wonderful home. Rawling Family Donates Wright House to Architecture School

FRONTDOORS NEWS

The David & Gladys Wright House in Phoenix, festooned on Thursday for a big announcement. Photo by Mike Saucier

By Mike Saucier

It will go down as one of the greatest philanthropic acts in Phoenix history.
The Rawling family on Thursday donated the David & Gladys Wright House in the Arcadia section of Phoenix to the School of Architecture at Taliesin, which was founded by Frank Lloyd Wright.

David Rousseau, president of Salt River Project; Debra Stark, Phoenix city councilwoman; Zach Rawling, president of the David & Gladys Wright House Foundation; and Jim Lane, mayor of Scottsdale. Photo by Mike Saucier

The pledge of the iconic spiral home to the school represents the largest donation in the architectural institution’s 85 years. The announcement was made on the 150^th birthday of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The donation by the Rawling family establishes a relationship that will further the school’s mission of educating students to build a more sustainable, open world while fulfilling the potential of the David & Gladys Wright House to have a perpetual life as a world-class center for design.
To celebrate, the famous home was decorated with 20,000 balloons that took 25 people 15 hours to arrange.
“It’s the school that will fill this place with life and meaning and connect the house to its history as part of the Wright family and the work that the Taliesin fellowship did to work with David Wright to build the house,” Zach Rawling, president of the David & Gladys Wright House Foundation, told Frontdoors. “It connects one of the masterwork buildings to experimental design and innovation and everything that the students are working on to build an open, sustainable, beautiful future.”
“This is a connection between the Wright legacy of architecture and bringing to life those ideas that are very much vital and relevant and informed,” he said. “This one site tells the story of midcentury America and the promise and the appeal of the American Southwest.”
Rawling said he and his mother started the project to share the house with people. She had introduced him to the house in second grade, while on bicycle.
“It was my introduction to architecture and the start of a lifelong love of architecture,” Rawling said. “Her idea was to allow other children and families to have that same experience here and that’s exactly what the school of architecture intends to do. Graduate students will use it for their own education and they will be involved in welcoming the public to participate in this legacy of the historic Wright building and also be part of a community discussion about the future of life in the Southwest.”
In 1950, Frank Lloyd Wright designed a home for his son David and daughter-in-law Gladys on 10 acres in the middle of citrus groves at the base of Camelback Mountain. The design elevated the home in the form of a spiral rising from the desert floor, converting the treetops into the lawn and revealing 360° views of the mountains forming the valley. Wright titled the plans “How to Live in the Southwest.”
Completed in 1952, the residence remained a family home until 2008. After sitting vacant, the home was threatened with demolition by local developers in 2012 before the community stepped in to save what the City of Phoenix’s preservation office recognizes as the greatest building in Phoenix by the greatest architect in American history.

Shumard's win Silent Auction Dining basket at David Wright House

Cathy and Tom Shumard were happy to take home this basket from the Silent Auction at Evening Under the Stars at the David Wright House.
Thanks to these restaurants for generously donating gift cards to the event to raise funds for National History Day www.NHDAZ.org

Fabulous Centerpieces for Evening Under the Stars at David Wright House

We have so many people to thank for a successful fundraising event April 9 at the David Wright House. Most important is the sponsor - the David Wright House. They were most generous in helping us have a wonderful Evening Under the Stars and support National History Day www.NHDAZ.org.

The centerpieces were beautiful, part of a contest and created by our own Historical League ladies. A special thank you to Linda Corderman, Nina Filippi, Sandra Loeffler, Mary McMahon, Mariamne Moore, Cathy Shumard, Karen Swanson, Cindy Tidwell-Shelton, Zona Lorig, Margaret Baker, Meg Knopf, Patricia Eastwood and Pam den Draak for designing such beautiful and creative displays. With instructions to have something celebrating Frank Lloyd Wright history, Arizona or the Historical League, they showed some amazing talent. Winners won either a restaurant gift card or $100 Soleri bell customized for the Historical League.

Wish we had photos of all the centerpieces but here are a few.

Tied for first place, Cindy Tidwell-Shelton's design

Tied for first place, Linda Corderman's design

Silent Auction items were popular at David Wright House Evening Under the Stars

We are grateful for the wonderful donations to the Silent Auction April 9 to raise more funds for National History Day www.NHDAZ.org. Thanks to all those generous donors and those who acquired them. Thanks also to Nina Filippi who organized the silent auction items, presented them in a most attractive packaging, determined pricing and bidding, then created a spread sheet of all the items, bidders, donors, solicitors and winning bids.

Silent Auction Items for David Wright House Event, April 9, 2016
“Dinner and Wine Pairing for Ten ” Imagine the opportunity to enjoy dinner at the AZ Heritage Center, with State Historian and Historymaker Marshall Trimble and Museum Director Tawn Downs, you and 7 of your closest friends? The dinner will be professionally and superbly catered by our own Dancing Chef with parings by Doz Cabazas Winery, Sonoita.
“Delightful Journey”; a 1940 signed Barry Goldwater book and video. It is filled with personal photos and his journal entries.



“Phil Mickelson 2010 Masters” greens flag. Handsomely framed and personally signed, accompanied by his signed book and video. Golf for 4 at the AZ Biltmore.

 





“Splash Copper” or Copper Splash; is an art piece from the AHS museum gift shop. It’s man-made art, with natural ingredients. The pieces are created by pouring molten copper at 2200 degrees F onto a flat surface, then cooling it by water. The pieces are then hand-buffed to give them a brilliant shine.
“Rock my World” a unique Necklace from the AHS museum gift shop.
Necklace is sterling silver with amethyst (purple quartz) and drusy quartz (rainbow) gemstones. Drusy quartz forms when tiny quartz crystals grow over a stone or another mineral, usually agates. The crystals are coated in titanium to give them a rainbow effect.
“Wine and Dine” A variety of Restaurant gift cards and select bottles of wine. Restaurants include Sierra Bonita Grill, L'Amore, Alexis, Timos/Spoke and Wheel, First Watch.
 “Made in Arizona” basket filled with books by Arizona authors: Terri Fields, Marshall Trimble, Roger Naylor, Jan Cleere, Lisa Schnebly-Heidinger, Pam Stevenson, Kyle McKoy, Historical League.  Goldwater salsa, a bottle of Dos Cabezas wine and 2 etched wine glasses, along with our own customized Soleri bell.
A “Sustaining Historical League Membership.” Become a Lifetime member, dues paid for your lifetime.
“Cherished Family Recipes” is a chapter in our new Tastes & Treasures II cookbook. You will have Premier placement, 2 full pages. It includes dedication and photo of the honoree, and professionally styled color photo and story of recipe. Includes name listed on Acknowledgement page at front of the book. Includes framed copy.

“Frank Lloyd Wright Lights the Way,” We have an extraordinary piece of architecture and function, a black edition of Wright’s Taliesin 3 Table Lamp 29” tall currently available for purchase only in Japan. Donated by Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the indoor table lamp uses incandescent candelabra bulbs. The light can be directed upward or downward as featured on the original light fixture, using the movable diffusers. It’s made from beech wood with a black stain finish.
“Cookbook Basket”; containing Barbara Fenzl signed cookbook, 4 Junior League, Western Horseman, Tastes & Treasures, Arizona Cooking Heritage, 2 sets of Old Ned aprons and more.
“Clouds and Ravine”, 17” X 28” framed print by renowned artist and Historymaker Ed Mell.

Enjoying Frank Lloyd Wright architecture at the David Wright House

Barry Johns, Karen Swanson, Bev Collins

Chandler student Arysat Nejat, teacher Stacey Trepanier

The David Wright House was a beautiful venue for the Historical League fundraising event April 9. National History Day students, teachers and administrators were there to visit with a sold out crowd. Thanks to the appreciative attendees that took excellent photos, we can share and remember the evening.

Guest speaker architect Barry Johns

Courtyard with silent auction, social hour

Dinner tables of ten

Rooftop view of dining on the lawn

Linda and Dennis Corderman
with 10 yr old docent

Judy Lewis, Cindy Tidwell-Shelton

Guest speaker Architect Barry Johns at David Wright House April 9

We are pleased to have Canadian architect Barry Johns be our keynote speaker at Evening Under the Stars at the David Wright House. With overcast skies and no rain today, the event promises to be a memorable one.