Robert Leeb, GHC Board Chair, reports that Oregon’s American Institute of Architects is celebrating a century anniversary. Their members were asked to nominate their favorite examples of twentieth century architecture in Oregon. Timberline Lodge, 1938, tops the list, and Wright’s 1957 Gordon House is 8th out of the top 100 for the last century.
In his blog, Portland Architecture, writer, filmmaker, and photographer Brian Libby reviews the top 12 selections. He laments that the Gordon House was moved from its original farm site along the Willamette River in the Wilsonville area but speaks well of its genre, “typifies his [FLLW’s] Usonian series of houses and the notion that quality modern architecture can be applicable to the lives of people living not only in cities, but on the prairies and in small towns.”
Randy Nishimura of Robertson/Sherwood/Architects responds from his own blog, SW Oregon Architect, by nominating the Gordon House as number two on his list of personal “faves”. Libby is an old friend and now Nishimura is our new BFF.
Columbia River NKBA is a Winner
GHC Board Member, Diane Plesset, reports good news from our local Columbia River National Kitchen & Bath Association Chapter. We have been recognized by the NKBA Chapter Program Region 9 Contest which is judged by our Regional Chapter Representatives. The Chapter Representatives viewed and judged the contest recordings featuring their support of the Gordon House on YouTube.
Each regional winner receives $500 and is entered into the final judging. The grand prize winner will then receive an additional $1,000. All prizes will be awarded at the NKBA Chapter Officers/Ambassadors event in Chicago, Illinois in April 2012.
Plesset says, “It was wonderful people like Janet LaLonde, Dorothy Harter, and Glenda McAdam who did all the work, who recognized the historical significance of the Gordon House and helped to support it ever since it was opened in its current location in Silverton. Efforts to achieve ongoing restoration would be greatly reduced if it hadn't been for the yearly contribution by the Columbia River Chapter. This has been a shining example of what we can achieve individually and collectively. Congratulations to everyone at CRC; well-deserved honors! Wouldn't it be wonderful if CRC won the grand prize in Mr. Wright's back yard?”
Diane, CMKBD, NCIDQ #13029, C.A.P.S. owns DP Design Associates at www.dp-design.com and http://todays-home.com and is the author "THE Survival Guide: Home Remodeling".
Wright Tours in Washington were Lots of Fun
The reviews are in on Frank Lloyd Wright’s Washington Usonians, Tracy House in Normandy Park and Brandes House in Samammish. Both houses are passing from their original occupants to the next generation of homeowners complete and fully furnished with all the bells and whistles Wright provided to the Tracy and Brandes families. The September 17 tours received raves from 20 guests, tour guide Larry Woodin, and wine and culinary hosts Robert Volz and Andy Mygovych.
Both houses are tucked away in the Seattle area in fiercely private obscure locations. Their delightful sites were revealed in the way prized by homeowners and Wright alike. Thanks to all who participated to benefit the GH.
“The greatest harm a man can do in life is to spoil the faith, the trust, and the fresh vision of a child.”
--- Frank Lloyd Wright, 1956
Teachers Teaching Wright at the Gordon House
Congratulations to Silver Falls Public School District educators who will head up our Wright in School Education Outreach Program Pilot Project. A wonderful cross section of classes will visit the GH in winter and spring for a tour and class lesson taught right in the house by their own teachers.
Participating schools are Silverton High School, Butte Creek Middle School, and first and second graders from the Bethany Elementary Charter School. Wright’s architectural design concepts are a wonderful way to incorporate math, science, and the arts into the required K-12 core curriculum. Architecture IS applied math, science, and the arts.
Thank you Marion Cultural Trust for helping make this dream of a Gordon House Educational Resource Center a reality!
National Car Rally Stops at the Gordon House
The Gordon House opened its doors on October 27 to greet car rally participants. Six teams stopped at the house at a run. They took a 10 minute tour, got a site logo pin, and stretched their legs after 300 miles on their seats and with 100 miles to go for the day. We hosted rally guys from Wichita Kansas, Chicago Illinois, Florida, Orange County California, Charlotte North Carolina, Rochester New York, and Dublin Ireland. Natalie Furniss organized the rally from Florida for Auto America Adventure.
Natalie wrote, " Thank you so much for allowing our group to pop into the Frank Lloyd Wright house during their national journey through the West Coast! Our teams will be arriving at the very earliest at 2:40pm, but most likely will arrive shortly after 3pm. When they arrive, I have budgeted 15 minutes for each team to complete a quick tour of the building. If your other group's meeting has concluded, it would be great for them to tour the inside of the house, if not, they can tour the outside of the house and once their 15 minute tour is over, they can receive their pin and be on their way.
"As I mentioned over the phone, the teams will be completely unaware of this mission until the day they receive it, so please keep from announcing our group's arrival in any press related medium until after our group has left. The Autoweek America Adventure will be bringing a film crew to follow along with the teams, and the footage will be edited and aired on Autoweek TV and is expected to air on the Discovery Channel next year. For more information about our event, please feel free to check out our website at www.theamericaadventure.com .
"On the day of the event, you will actually be able to follow our teams through our website and see their exact GPS location as they approach your facility.
"Thank you again for being a part of the adventure! I look forward to having the teams see your facility and bringing a bit of awareness and publicity your way."
MEMBERS & GUESTS:
“The great man is the man who deals in realities as the intangibles of today.”
--- Frank Lloyd Wright, 1954
GHC Annual Meeting & Wine Reception on November 17
The volunteer Gordon House Conservancy Board will gather for the 2011 Annual Meeting on Thursday, November 17, beginning at 10 a.m. at the FLLW house in Silverton. Special guest meeting leader is Kyle Janssen, Oregon Heritage Commission Coordinator, who will help the board members plan for the next five years of targeted activities and goals. He will use the popular and effective SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses/Limitations, Opportunities, & Threats).
A special event after the Annual Meeting this year is a wine reception hosted by GHC Board Chair, Robert Leeb of Leeb Architects. 2011 special donors will be honored, and everyone will have an opportunity to visit and enjoy the autumn sunset from 4 to 6 p.m. in the way that only a Wright design can provide.
Building Projects Underway
Stop by the Gordon House to see historic conservation in action. The Capital Improvement Campaign is off to a flying start thanks to donations from friends and businesses who support our fall building projects. Phase I of the final exterior wall surfacing has been completed on the last sunny days of fall. Art First Colors for Architects, Mary McMurray, and Signer & Company did the research and application work that will be completed next spring when warmer days return.
Aspen Landscape, David Sedlak, High Tech Turf, and Scott Buley are renovating, reconditioning, and draining the GH lawns and working on plans for the Wright west lawn terrace restoration. Exterior concrete terraces will be lovingly resurfaced by the end of the year. The FLLW Building Conservancy with President Larry Woodin and GHC Building Team Chair, Tim Richard, are overseeing all construction projects.
Bring Someone to Tour the Gordon House
The GH is open for guided tours from noon to 4 pm all winter through April. Make reservations by calling 503/874-6006 or e-mail gordonhouse1957@frontier.com, tours last an hour, but stay to enjoy the spaces, buy a memento, or walk the outside foot paths to see Wright’s architectural sculpture from every viewpoint. Join Wright aficionados from all over the world to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Oregon legacy.
Join, Renew, or Invite a Friend to Be a Gordon House Member
Your GH membership card is your ticket to enjoy a guided or self-guided tour of the house interior or just sit back and soak up Wright’s vision and innovative design for the small house in America. Call ahead to visit with family, friends, and business colleagues.
Your membership helps to support the GH preservation and education programs all year long. We are beginning a membership campaign now and hope to double our membership by the end of spring 2012. Please bring a friend to the house to invite them to join or give a membership as a gift. You can even ask your employer to match your member gift.
A membership is a wonderful souvenir to your favorite Wright fan. Renew or join to help build your year-end charitable tax deduction. A $100 Friend level is reciprocal with nine other Wright sites including Taliesin West, Fallingwater, and the Guggenheim. Go to our website to buy now securely or call 503-874-6006 with a charge card. Double your support by including a matching donation to Oregon Arts Commission at www.culturaltrust.org.
Visit or Rent the Gordon House & Stay Overnight
Discover Wright’s Gordon House for your next special event. His design is ideally suited for business meetings and retreats, wine and brew tastings, dinner parties and receptions, reunions, and weddings. Fee schedule and more information on our website.
Stay overnight at the Oregon Garden Resort, a Moonstone Hotel Property. You will be surrounded by natural and designed gardens, northwest cuisine, and a panoramic view of the Willamette Valley and the Coast Range. Music every night in the Fireside Lounge. Resort reservations can be made by calling 503/874-2500. www.moonstonehotels.com/Oregon-Garden-Resort.
GORDON HOUSE VOLUNTEER CIRCLE NEWS:
“If you are going to read, you should read something that will feed you, build you up, strengthen you and be what you need to know.”
--- Frank Lloyd Wright, 1957 when the Gordon House was designed.
Gordon House Volunteer Circle
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend meetings usually scheduled for the third Monday of each month at the GH. Please contact Efrain for more information at 503.874.6006. Next meeting will be on November 21 at 10 a.m. at the Gordon House in Silverton. We will have a friendly brunch to celebrate our last meeting of the year. Bring your favorite treat to share.
Autumn Bird Count Report
A very small group met for the third GH bird count. Question: “What do bird houses and Wright houses have in common?” Answer: “bird houses or nest boxes are sited as birds prefer usually to the north compass orientation. Wright also preferred this siting and was notoriously known for his views on the importance of siting.”
No woodpeckers were observed or heard, and no Flicker nest boxes were inhabited yet. Maybe it’s too early or too warm. Sightings: Canada geese, blue heron, western tanagers, black capped chickadees, finches, robins, and western scrub jays. Our black tailed deer family was spotted the night before munching on the Circle Garden native plant display/buffet.
GH Volunteer Makes the News
Volunteer docent and accountant, Eric Silberg, is also an amateur photographer who made a contact with Jan Jackson publisher of the Country Traveler Online and a story was the result. Go to www.countrytraveleronline.com to see a nice spread on the GH and Silberg’s volunteer work.
Please Volunteer -- We Need You
Tour Guides: Volunteers are needed to show the Gordon House, Oregon’s only building designed by the legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The house has welcomed over 95,000 visitors since it opened to the public in March 2002. Tour guides greet guests and present Wright’s theories of organic architecture at his only building open to the public in the Pacific Northwest. The Gordon House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a wonderful later example of Wright’s modern architectural design for American families of modest means. Call today; you are needed for the 2011/12 winter tour season.
Gardeners: You may garden on your own or with friends. Pick your favorite task, raking, weeding, trail maintenance, brush-whacking, light pruning, and fertilizing. The design is a wonderful interpretation of Wright’s landscape design principles and the Gordons’ requests for native plants around their house. Lilies, camas, columbine, iris, ferns, Oregon grape, vine maples, azaleas, currents, dogwood, and redbud surround the grassy areas. Wright’s well-known attention to the landscape and siting of his buildings is well demonstrated at the Gordon House. It’s a delight to work in our garden all year.
Other Help Wanted: Many other projects need your energy: special event assistance, library inventory and cataloguing, collection database entry. If you have an area of special interest, we have a project to match!
The Gordon House Conservancy Mission Statement
To educate the public on Frank Lloyd Wright's architectural approach and principles of organic architecture by preserving the only house in Oregon designed by Frank Lloyd Wright [2002].
Intent of Historical Interpretation: The full experience that represents a home, the relationship of landscape to the natural surrounds, and interior representation shall be provided. Interpretation shall further the understanding of Frank Lloyd Wright's holistic approach. Design year to be represented shall be 1964 when the Gordon House was completed. The Gordon House shall be restored as a house museum with adaptive reuse as required to accommodate the public. Exhibits shall include a permanent, though selective, collection reflecting the Gordons’ lifestyle, together with educational exhibits illustrating Frank Lloyd Wright’s body of work and continuing influence particularly from the Usonian period.
Copyright 2009 - Frank Lloyd Wright - The Gordon House - All Rights Reserved
