The Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy has filed a counterclaim and defence of its easement on the Price Tower by Frank Lloyd Wright in Oklahoma following the current owner’s lawsuit against the organisation.
The back and forth began after preservation organisation The Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy informed the owners of Wright’s skyscraper the Price Tower that its alleged “unapproved” sale of historical items – such as custom furniture – violated an easement that protected the integrity of the building’s design.
Local investment companies Green Copper Holdings, Copper Tree Inc, and owner Cynthia Blanchard subsequently closed the hotel inside of the building temporarily after the backlash, claiming the sale of the items was to cover operation costs.
Blanchard’s consortium then filed a lawsuit claiming the 2011 easement is now null and void. It also seeks restitution for damages and would prevent the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy from publically advocating for the easement.
The Conservancy recently filed its response and counterclaims towards the lawsuit, emphasising the legal validity of the easement and preservation efforts as a whole.
“Easements are a critical tool for the preservation of American cultural heritage,” said Conservancy president Safina Uberoi.
“We are defending our easement on Price Tower to preserve the integrity of Wright’s design, so it can continue to serve as a source of inspiration for future generations.”
As part of its legal response, the Conservancy states the easement, which protects the design integrity of the property, was breached.
“The Conservancy’s response also asserts counterclaims against Green Copper Holdings, LLC, Copper Tree, Inc., and Cynthia Blanchard for breaching the easement, indemnity under the easement, unjust enrichment, and requests declaratory and injunctive relief to ensure the easement is upheld and Ms. Blanchard is prohibited from selling off any further items from the Price Tower,” said the team.
Earlier this year, a local Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise reporter spotted Blanchard loading historical items onto a truck to be sold from the tower, which included a directory board, chair and other custom pieces designed by Wright, as well as a gate from the local Shin’enKan property by architect Bruce Goff.
Completed in 1956 and located in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, the 19-storey Price Tower is considered to be Frank Lloyd Wright’s only skyscraper and one of two high-rise buildings by the architect.
Recently, a theatre designed by the architect was restored on the Talisen property and manufacturer Lindal Cedar Homes released purchasable house designs informed by Wright’s Usonian philosophy.
The photography is by Warren LeMay via Flickr unless otherwise stated.
