Davy Davison

[Roderick Grant]

Whirling Arrow has an article about the restoration of Davy Davison's apartment at Taliesin, but it doesn't specify exactly where the apartment is located in that vast mansion. Anyone know its whereabouts?

[DRN]

Given the sloped ceilings in the bath and a (bed?)room, it can't be in the lower level of the main house under the Wright's quarters. It was my understanding that Davy developed MS later in life which impaired his mobility. One wonders if many stairs had to be traversed to access this apartment, or if Davy moved to another apartment as his mobility decreased.

[Rood]

Yes, if you are in the lower parking lot, which overlooks the entrance road below, and the dam and spillway to the north and east, and turn around to face towards the building ... the Davison apartment is on the the third story above the parking area. It's on the same level as Iovanna's apartment ... and reached by the passage-way which crosses over the original driveway to the entrance of the "house".

The room with the high windows to the upper left and the small radiator, pictured against the wall, was my "home" for several years ... until Dick Carney and family took over the entire apartment.

[JimM]

"... and reached by the passage-way which crosses over the original driveway to the entrance of the "house".

I'm a bit confused, unless you're referring to the balcony (passageway?) on the original court side connected to the tower and parallel to the hayloft, which also crossed over the exit drive before ending. If so, the apartment would appear to be located more or less at the end of the balcony and over the original carriage room... however, this would ocurr at the second level, so assume there are additional stairs up to the third level apartment?

There are photos in a collection somewhere online of apprentice rooms in the 30's along the balcony (assume converted from the hayloft). I recall they were specifically of Howe's very nicely decorated quarters. One really neat photo was looking out from his room onto the balcony...

[Tom]

Two questions:
Who is Davy Davison and are the photographs available to link to online?

[DRN]

Allen Lape "Davy" Davison (1913-1974) was a Senior Apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright and continued on as an architect with Taliesin Associated Architects after Wright's death in 1959. Davy was the creator of the "night renderings", renderings of some of Wright's projects using light colored paint on black background material (Guggenheim, Lenkurt Electric, Beth Sholom, AZ State Capitol, Monona Terrace) Davy was also the apprentice in charge of a number of Wright's Usonian houses including the Sweeton, Lamberson, and Reisley houses.

A photo of Davy with FLW:
https://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/digital/ ... lwa/id/83/

link to the apartment article here:
https://franklloydwright.org/preservati ... -taliesin/

[Roderick Grant]

Tom, Allen Lape "Davy" Davison was an apprentice from 1938 to his death in 1974. He is best known for his spectacular nighttime perspectives of Beth Shalom, Monona Terrace, Lenkurt Electric Co. and AZ Capitol Project. He also oversaw construction of the Hagan and Lamberson Houses.

[Rood]

"... and reached by the passage-way which crosses over the original driveway to the entrance of the "house".

I'm a bit confused, unless you're referring to the balcony (passageway?) on the original court side connected to the tower and parallel to the hayloft, which also crossed over the exit drive before ending. If so, the apartment would appear to be located more or less at the end of the balcony and over the original carriage room... however, this would ocurr at the second level, so assume there are additional stairs up to the third level apartment?

There are photos in a collection somewhere online of apprentice rooms in the 30's along the balcony (assume converted from the hayloft). I recall they were specifically of Howe's very nicely decorated quarters. One really neat photo was looking out from his room onto the balcony...

The lower parking area is on the basement level of the house ... so looking up from there, towards the structure, the Davison apartment is three floors up. When you are standing at the level of the living room and loggia ... near the entrance to the house, and looking back, away from the house ... the Davison apartment is on the far right, on the level with the hill garden ... and with Iovanna's apartment.

To get to the covered passageway leading to the apartment you begin to the left of Cornelia's room, climb the stone stairs, then turn 180 degrees and cross over the driveway to the apartment entrance. It is not over the former carriage room (which became the apartment where Wes lived), but just beyond. One fairly famous photo of Mr. Wright shows him standing on those stone stairs, wearing a blue suit.

Not sure I've ever seen the photo of Howe's "very nicely decorated quarters", but one famous story tells of Wes quartering a horse in Howe's apartment, as a joke. I was under the impression that his "quarters" were in what became the Davison Apartment. How Wes ever got a horse up and in there I'll never know. Nor do I know how John got the horse back outside.

[Rood]

Two questions:
Who is Davy Davison and are the photographs available to link to online?

Google "Davey Davison and Frank Lloyd Wright" ... and they come up. There is also a photo of Davey with Mr. Wright ... standing in front of a fireplace ... I believe at Taliesin West ... in what was the original dining room.

Davey was a long-time apprentice and staff member ... many if not ALL of the night renderings of Mr. Wright's designs were done by Davey .... He was unfortunately somewhat crippled in his later years.

[DRN]

Davison was one of four members of the Taliesin Fellowship to be imprisoned as conscientious objectors to the draft for WW2. From the Wisconsin State Journal, Thursday,June 17, 1943:

Taliesin Pair Get Four Years on Draft Charges ' WAUSAU (U.R) Two members of the Taliesin fellowship from Architect Frank Lloyd Wright's school at Spring Green, Wis., were under sentence today to serve four years in a federal prison and to pay fines of $100 each on their conviction of charges of violating the selective service act. Sentences were imposed here late Wednesday by Judge Patrick T. Stone, Madison, after Allen Lape Davison, 27, and John Henry Howe, 26, were found guilty and had refused to consider induction into the army rather than serve their sentences. The pair claimed deferment on grounds that they were conscientious objectors and that they were farm employes during the time they had refused to report for induction. Their appeal had been denied previously by their local draft board, the court of appeals, and the appeal board.

John Howe was noted in the article; Marcus Weston and Curtis Besinger were the others.

[SDR]

A thread begun precisely two years ago: http://wrightchat.savewright.org/viewto ... =2&t=10930

A surprise that the real estate page is still up---(and a surprise that this was two years ago, as I recall it quite clearly).

S

[DRN]

Crosby Doe’s realty site still has the listing, with WWP noted as architect, he was the architect of record (the firm principal who sealed the drawings for permits), Davison was the design architect.
https://architectureforsale.com/address ... th-wi-usa/

The Sorensen house had a suite of furniture designed by TAA that has seen some pieces sold off. See lots 359,360,364,365 from this 2003 auction:
https://www.wright20.com/auctions/2003/ ... th-century

[Tom]

Found this:
https://franklloydwright.org/preservati ... -taliesin/

[DRN]

This a new one to me:
https://tennesseemodernism.com/2020/10/ ... son-cabin/
A neat design to say the least, and apparently available for vacation rental.

It has a construction date of 1968-9...was this project on the boards at TAA during the tenure of Rood or wjsaia?

[SDR]

https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/articl ... n-building

Don't know what this building, apparently the work of Tom Casey at TAA, is doing in a piece about Davy Davison---it doesn't say---but the whole page is a treat.




This plan of the house for William is a teaser at the published size . . .