Wright Chat

The River City Society for Historic Preservation (RCSHP) celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Frank Lloyd Wright Stockman House being open to the public on June 22nd, giving special tribute to those volunteers that took on the tremendous undertaking to save the Stockman House from demolition.

This involved moving the house from its original location on 1st Street SE in 1989, and completely restoring the home to its original exterior and interior.

Those receiving special recognition for saving and restoring the Stockman House are as follows: Jerry Anderson, Dale Arnold, Peggy Bang, Dave Christiansen, John Duggan, Jack Leaman, Bob McCoy, Phyllis Murphy, Ken Petersen, John Richardson and Jim Smith.

Those honored in remembrance: Jo Brandt, Lena Keithan, Herbert Kennedy, Adolph Luker, Jo Morgan, David Murphy and Kelly Paulson.

The RCSHP also acknowledged the many wonderful volunteers, businesses, and dedicated docents that have given their time, talents, and donations towards maintaining the Stockman House and offering public tours over the years, and that have also contributed to the operation of the Robert E. McCoy Architectural Interpretive Center which opened to the public in 2011.

The River City Society for Historic Preservation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit all-volunteer organization that owns, maintains, and operates Frank Lloyd Wright's Stockman House and The Robert E. McCoy Architectural Interpretive Center. Their 50 hard working volunteers sell tour tickets, organize and provide tours and educational programs, recruit new volunteers, maintain the buildings and grounds and keep our beautiful gift shop stocked and running. Their operations are supported by memberships, donations, tours, foundation grants, and income from our gift shop. We receive no tax dollars to fund our operations budget.

To think that in 1984, I could have bought the house for $15K.
As usual, a day late and a dollar short.

I assume that was before the move ? Were you budgeted for that ?

SDR

I wasn't budgeted for a move to Mason City.

Yes, there is that . . .

I wonder if there isn't a little building lot going begging somewhere in the greater LA basin, that would make a suitable home for the Stockman house. Why move it a couple of miles when it could be helicoptered to the West Coast ?

I can just see it, rising only a little about the low roofs of a Craftsman Bungalow Row, somewhere: the ideal antidote to a McMansion on the same site ?

SDR

Builder versions of the 1907 Fireproof House for $5,000 (the inspiration for the Stockman House) were built all over the country since Ladies Home Journal sold the plans for $5.