Bartlesville Christmas-Wright and Goff: Then and Now

There are great buildings in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. You can drive around and see some very interesting architecture. I can't mention architecture in this town without mentioning the Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright's "Prairie Skyscraper", very artistic and great scale...They now have a hotel and restaurant on the top floors and a very cool museum on the first two floors.
Nearby is the Bartlesville Community Center designed by Taliesin Architects, notably Wes Peters, Wright's son-in-law.Frank Lloyd Wright and Bruce Goff is ever present in the town, whether it's work by them or architects influenced by them at the University of Oklahoma or other schools nearby.
I had heard Goff's Motsenbocker house had sold recently and went by to check it out... Very interesting house and plan...at the rear of the house, on the second floor which is ground level, it has a pool... now real estate beige, the original was redwood stain and a turquoise trim with beautiful masonry...
Just north of Bartlesville is a town called Dewey. That is where Goff's Comer house is located, it is in nearly vintage condition. These two homes were designed one after the other...Comer and Motsenbacker, in 1957, which is interesting to compare how Goff reacted to different programs, budgets and sites.Two doors down the street from the Motsenbocker house is a David Runnels(architect from Kansas City) designed house that was remodeled by Bruce Goff in 1959. From the front, it's all Goff in this extensive remodel, from clear glass ashtrays in the doors and wood panels to strong geometric elements in the overall fabric of the design. (click on images to enlarge)

Bartlesville Christmas

We gathered for Christmas at my wife's parents house. My In-Laws own a fantastic house on a cliff. It was designed by Jim K. Lorenson, architect, and built by the most respected homebuilder in the area at the time. According to The Oklahoman Magazine, who first published a story on the house, Lorenson had Bruce Goff as a mentor, eventually finding his way to San Francisco. There he focused on "seismic" architecture. It's a great tri-level house, or should I say "tree-level" on one of the highest vantage points in town...the more I'm there, the more I appreciate the views, the "light play" and the detailed finishes.The photo from one of the many decks gives a pretty good indication of why the original owners hired Lorenson...look at that rock shelf! (Click on images to enlarge)

THEN & NOW -- Bartlesville Christmas

It seems like yesterday, when again we were going to enjoy the beauty of a Bruce Goff jewel over our Christmas holiday in 1997. Waiting for a call to go over to Shin'enKan, the most "fantastic" piece of architecture built, we received a call that it was on fire and "it was bad." As you can see, it certainly was. We got as close as we could to take pictures of the fire and the aftermath. It was a very sad experience for my family. I think they all understood something very important had been lost. At least we were fortunate to have had a "relationship" with this work of art.
Needless to say and to make a long story short, the Price family sought out the best architects of the time. Bruce Goff was hired by Joe Price to design his home, and subsequent additions, ultimately becoming his Opus... Harold Price Sr., his father, had hired Cliff May to design the family home at Starview Farms, and at Goff's insistence hired Frank Lloyd Wright to design an office building, the Price Tower. Harold Jr. hired Wright to design his home, essentially creating an architectural theme park. The May designed house was in bad condition and razed by developers. The only remaining house is the Wright designed house called "Hillside".
The loss of Shin'enKan, by arson, was a major loss for students and enthusiasts of architecture throughout the world.
I visited the site, over the holidays, which had been cleared and the foundations filled in. Nothing had been built there, though the area has been subdivided and the affluent are building traditional houses nearby.

It was a melancholy moment, sad, but with wonderful memories...