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Bartlesville, Okla.
Wendy Evans Joseph Architecture / Ambler Architects
Photography © Korab Photo
New life emerges for a long-forgotten
landmark
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"Working
so skillfully within Wright's footprint and vocabulary
on a relatively modest budget is a pretty significant
feat."
—Rob Forbes
Architect
Wendy Evans Joseph Architecture www.wejarchitecture.com;
Ambler Architects (associate architect) www.amblerarchitects.com
Client
Price Tower Arts Center
Key
players
Flynt and Kallenberger (engineers); Jo
Anne M. Lewis (interior design consultant); Fouts
Custom Construction (general contractor)
Read
more
Project
Portfolio July 2003
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Program:
In 1956, Frank Lloyd Wright designed his only skyscraper,
a mixed-use, 19-story tower in the heart of Bartlesville,
Oklahoma. By 1981, years of lackluster performance and low
occupancy had taken its toll. Given the looming prospect of
having to raze the tower, company executives agreed to repair,
refurbish, and donate the building to a nonprofit arts center.
Solution:
The new owners wished to create a hotel and restaurant as
part of a conference facility to ensure the financial stability
and future of this important landmark building. The architect
converted the top eight floors into a 21-room hotel, utilizing
innovative techniques to minimize disturbances to the original
fabric of the building. The color scheme, materials, and furniture,
mostly locally crafted, defer to Wright's aesthetic but have
a contemporary vitality. Generating a huge interest from the
press, the hotel is serving as a magnet for new life to the
area, expecting to be profitable in two to three years.
For more images please see the November
2003 issue or Architectural Record.
The Winners: Orange
Innovations
The Finalists: Automated
Trading Desk Technology Campus
Unbuilt Projects: Great
Harbor Design Center
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