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 …

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Jillian Steinhauer

Jillian Steinhauer is a former senior editor of Hyperallergic. She writes largely about the intersection of art...

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