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Graycliff, the Darwin and Isabelle Martin Summer House: Wright produced one of his most extensive
CHICAGO, IL-The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy has awarded inaugural Preservation Planning Grants to
three organizations that steward Frank Lloyd Wright-designed public sites. The program supports
preservation planning for structures designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. While “bricks-and-mortar” work is
the most visible manifestation of preservation, physical restoration should be preceded by careful
planning. This pilot program, underwritten by Chuck and Kit Henderson, will fund work at the following
sites:
A.D. German Warehouse: Designed by Wright in 1915 for a commodities dealer in Richland Center,
Wisconsin, the A.D. German Warehouse made bold use of concrete and brick to create a distinctive
structure offering a flexible interior for industrial use. The A.D. German Warehouse Conservancy has
owned the building since 2014, with the aim of restoring the building and making it a viable public site
offering tours, special events and event rentals. Building on the restoration of the exterior envelope, first
floor, and elevator, a grant of $7,000 will fund planning for the future build-out of floors 2-4 as well as the
rooftop. Learn more at adgermanwarehouse.org
Graycliff, the Darwin and Isabelle Martin Summer House: Wright produced one of his most extensivedesigns for a summer house in 1926 for his longtime clients, the Martins of Buffalo. Perched atop a 60
foot-high cliff overlooking Lake Erie, Graycliff is the only place where work by both Wright and noted
landscape designer Ellen Biddle Shipman co-exists. The buildings show Wright’s evolving concept of
organic architecture. A $7,000 grant to the Graycliff Conservancy, which has stewarded the estate as a
museum since 1999, will support the preparation of a National Historic Landmark nomination for the
structures and gardens. This comprehensive nomination process requires extensive research,
documentation, and writing to establish Graycliff’s national significance and its merit in American
architectural and landscape design history. Learn more at experiencegraycliff.org
Rosenbaum House: A pure example of a Usonian house, designed in 1939 with a significant addition in
1948, the Rosenbaum House exemplifies Wright’s efforts to create a house suited to the informality of
middle-American family life. The City of Florence, Alabama, has operated it as a house museum since
2002. A grant of $7,000 to the Kennedy-Douglass Volunteers, an affiliated nonprofit, will support the
creation of a preservation plan, including the compilation of a history of maintenance and repair decisions;
a values narrative that will inform future decisions; and an impact statement for determining the best
course of action for maintenance and repair. This plan represents a first step towards creating a
comprehensive management plan. Learn more at wrightinalabama.com
Media Release/Eric Rogers/Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy
