ADVISORY/Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy Conference Reception at Landmark Property in San Francisco

Business Wire, August 21, 2003

Business Editors

ADVISORY...for Wednesday (Sept. 3)

--(BUSINESS WIRE)

WHAT:  Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy Conference Reception at
       Landmark Property
WHEN:  6:30 pm, Wednesday, September 3
WHERE: 140 Maiden Lane, San Francisco (Xanadu Gallery)

News organizations are invited to engage in informal interviews with Wright property owners, architects, historians, Conservancy board members, and other preservation advocates who attend the 2003 conference's elegant opening reception. It is being held at the landmark site of the V.C. Morris Gift Shop (now Xanadu Gallery), built by Wright in 1947. Beautifully restored, this structure is considered one of the gems of 20th Century architecture. Photography and videotaping allowed. Reception RSVPs a must.

Reporters may attend any part of the five-day conference, through Sunday, September 7, at the Westin St. Francis Hotel, Union Square, San Francisco. Sessions include:

I.   The rise of Mid-Century Modernism in California
II.  Utopian Ideals at Mid-Century
III. Frank Lloyd Wright's Expansive Modernism after World War II
IV.  Marin County Civic Center - Genealogies of Design and Influence

Reporters may also join tours of seldom-seen homes designed by Wright and select contemporaries in the Bay Area and beyond. Photography and videotaping allowed with permission. Wright-designed open houses include:

-- Maynard Buehler House, Orinda

-- Berger House, San Anselmo

-- Bazett-Frank House, Hillsborough

-- Hanna House, Stanford University

-- Walker House, Carmel

-- Randall Fawcett House, Los Banos

-- Walton House, Modesto

For details about open house tours and the full conference schedule: http://www.savewright.org. Photos of homes may be downloaded at www.savewright.org/confgallery/ Let us know of your interest in advance.

Frank Lloyd Wright, 1867-1959, is widely considered to be America's greatest architect. During his long and prolific career, he designed more than 1,000 buildings, 500 of which were built. Prior to the establishment of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, one in five Wright building had been destroyed because of neglect or development.

Since the establishment of the non-profit Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy in 1989, not one building has been lost. The Conservancy continues its mission to preserve the remaining structures designed by Wright, with an emphasis on education, advocacy, preservation easements, and technical services. Members provide a vital network whose expertise, resources, and enthusiasm make a critical difference in the survival of Wright's work.

In July, the Conservancy received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to nominate select Wright buildings as World Heritage properties.