Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy leaders express concern over Price Tower woes

Leaders of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy expressed concerns Thursday about recent developments at the historic Price Tower and its current ownership.

Leaders of the Conservancy, which facilitates the preservation and stewardship of works designed by Frank Lloyd Wright by holding an easement in perpetuity over properties like the Price Tower, told the EE they are monitoring the situation closely.

The Conservancy's easement stipulates things like maintaining insurance on the building, paying bills on time to prevent liens and preserving the building's original architectural integrity.

"We are concerned," John Waters, preservation program manager for the Conservancy, said, "Yes, this is a significant Wright building. It was a potential nominee for World Heritage, and it seems to be really struggling right now."

Price Tower, completed in 1956 in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, is one of Wright's most unique designs and his only realized skyscraper. In March 2023, after years of financial woes and struggles to maintain Price Tower , new owners promised to breathe new life into the Tower with an infusion of $10M investment .

The new life has failed to materialize as promised.

Waters said the Conservancy has been concerned about the Tower's struggles over the last few years but hoped Cynthia Blanchard could turn things around.

"It's a hard model, and it needs to find the right person, and we had hoped that this would be the right person," Waters said. "From what we had been hearing ourselves and what we're hearing now makes us question that."

Waters confirmed the Conservancy conveyed to Blanchard what the easement meant and how it worked before she gained control of the Tower.

Barbara Gordon, executive director of the Conservancy, calls the Price Tower "a very special building." She fondly recalls getting stuck in one of its tiny elevators the last time she was there.

"If there could be a stakeholder group in Bartlesville that could really come together and say this Tower is important to us," Gordon said. "Bringing key stakeholders rather than just a few to really say, 'How do we secure this for the future?' "

Gordon explained that the Conservancy provides valuable resources and connections to other Wright sites, but ultimately, the community will lead the effort.

"We always believe that all preservation is local," she said.

Gordon and Waters said the easement gives the Conservancy legal options to rectify issues, but they weren't considering pursuing that option.

"When you go to court, nobody wins; that's something we want to avoid," Water said. "Our goal would be to work to find a new steward for the building before we did anything else."

"The international Frank Lloyd Wright and design communities are watching what's happening in Bartlesville right now," Waters said.

Waters said the Conservancy plans to inspect the Tower in the next few months to better understand what's happening.

Blanchard, owner of Copper Tree Inc. and the Price Tower, did not respond to requests to comment on the story.

This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy leaders express concern over Price Tower woes