The David Wright House

The David Wright House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (image via change.org)

A few days ago, we asked whether the New York Times could save a Frank Lloyd Wright house in Phoenix from demolition. The answer, it appears, is yes — at least for now.

In the two days since the Times rang some serious alarm bells with a front-page story about the house, which the architect built for his son David, the city of Phoenix and the developer that owns the property, 8081 Meridian, reached a deal that puts any potential work or demolition on hold for the next month. In the meantime, the city is trying to find a buyer for the house who will support its designation as a historic landmark and maintain it.

Brendan Mahoney, a senior adviser for Phoenix’s mayor, told the Associated Press that he’s “pretty confident” the city will find a buyer and went so far as to compare the potential destruction of the house to “destroying a Rembrandt or a Picasso.” He was even more forceful in a statement to CultureGrrl, saying, “We will do everything in our power to preserve it.”

CultureGrrl adds that police are now guarding the house 24/7, “just [to] be sure.” I suppose you never can trust those sneaky developers …

Jillian Steinhauer is a former senior editor of Hyperallergic. She writes largely about the intersection of art and politics but has also been known to write at length about cats. She won the 2014 Best...

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