Article: Bruce Goff

[DavidC]

How an Untrained Architect Made Oklahoma the Capital of Kitsch


David

[Roderick Grant]

The Graves House that Goff designed at 14 MAY have been built somewhere in the Los Angeles area, but evidence of its location or construction has never been found. It's a neat design, a B&B take on early FLW. It looks to have been inspired by Cheney ... superficially.

The one house in this article that is new to me is the Frank House. Is anyone aware of this design, or has it slipped through the cracks?

[DRN]

The Frank house in Sapulpa, OK was designed in 1955 for a couple who operated a pottery firm called Frankoma Pottery. Goff designed the house to utilize fired clay elements and even designed decorative screens/tiles that were made by the Frank's artisans. The house is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is well known to those with Goffian sensibilities.

Pics of the house and its decorative elements:
http://andrewtboyne.com/organicarchitec ... frank.html

https://archgened.oucreate.com/uncatego ... ank-house/

Images of Frankoma pottery pieces:
https://www.google.com/search?q=frankom ... 87&bih=891

[Roderick Grant]

I have heard of Frankoma Pottery, but never saw the house. Fascinating! The grille is very handsome and effective. But Goff did love his shag rugs a bit too much for my taste.

[JChoate]

My wife has the hots for Frankoma pottery. She's filled the bottom two shelves here with various pieces she's picked up over the years:


When I told her about this Frank house by Goff she got very excited to see photos of those glazed bricks... A whole house made of the stuff !!!
Up close, the finish of the pottery is very subtle and lovely. I imagine a wall of bricks with this finish would be very nice in person.

[Antoniokim]

Great post

[ZacharyMatthews]

Joniece Frank at her Sapulpa Home. She passed away in 2016

[Paul Ringstrom]

The Hidden Sides of Architect Rebel Bruce Goff � a Rare Look at a Generous Genius

https://www.papercitymag.com/home-desig ... den-sides/

[SDR]

That's a most useful new source of information on Goff. Among many other bits and pieces is this quote:

"Of course, I was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright in my early years. However, I didn’t want to carry on his work. Wright asked me if I would come to Taliesin, before he established the fellowship, and become his “right-
hand man.� I was very busy at the time in Tulsa and was to be a partner in the firm I had apprenticed. I declined the offer then and two other times also.

On the third time, I explained: “Mr. Wright, I regard you highly and know people who have worked with you. You are too big a man for me to be close to, and I need to be away from you in order to keep the right perspective.
I hope we can continue to be friends.� Wright was silent for a long time. Then he put his arms around me and gave me a big hug and said: “Bruce, I wish others knew me like you do.� He never asked me to join him again."


Another revelation for me is the news that Goff was influenced by music . . .


S

[PrairieMod]

Those interested in Goff, the Frank House, and other topics in that orbit should check out the Friends of Kebyar and their many journals:

https://friendsofkebyar.com

[Paul Ringstrom]

Another revelation for me is the news that Goff was influenced by music . . .

If I remember correctly his favorite composer was Claude Debussy.

I recommend the book "Goff on Goff." It is a series of transcriptions of his
lectures to his students at Univ of Oklahoma by a fellow architecture professor, Phillip Welch.

https://www.amazon.com/Goff-Conversatio ... 0806156031

Sidenote: Phil tried several times to become a FLW apprentice, but he had a family with a couple of kids and Wright didn't see that a good fit. He did help FLW on the Walker House while he was a prof in California.

[John]

And all my reviews will be about escort services in Delhi!

I thought we had a way of keeping these spammers and bots off this site! Especially if they signed up on the day they posted.

[SDR]

We do not; our administrator(s) have the task of removing such posts after they occur. I'm sure that they would prefer to save their time
and energy for more productive uses, so it can be assumed that they've explored the possibilities for prevention, and have found none.

Our response as readers is to ignore these posts completely---despite the obvious temptation to react.

S

[Paul Ringstrom]

for sale
https://chicago.curbed.com/2020/1/10/21 ... go-suburbs

[SDR]

More photos, and plans:

https://www.atproperties.com/10602829/2 ... -60093-nei

The family room at rear appears to have no indoor connection to the rest of the house, despite an obvious location for a passage door. Perhaps the space was added . . .

The garage is not convenient to the kitchen---by a long shot---but the plan is otherwise quite workable ?

A Curbed writer points to both Usonian and International precedent in the design---which seems apt.

S