Greene House Sconces for Sale

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Mon May 18, 2009 9:25 pm

Any thoughts on these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/FL-Wright-Original- ... dZViewItem

Wrightgeek · Post by **Wrightgeek** » Tue May 19, 2009 9:47 am

Very little doubt in my mind that these are original, for a couple of reasons.

First of all, they look very similar to fixtures I have seen in the interiors of a number of Wright's Prairie Style homes from 1900-1915. They are all variaitions on a very similar theme, and are typically made from brass, wood (usually oak), or a combination of the two, like these.

Second, from what I know the Kelmscott Gallery appears to be a reputable seller of art and architectural collectibles, specializing in the works of FLW and the Prairie School, Richard Bock and Alphonso Ianelli. The gallery used to be located in Chicago in the Krause Music Store building designed by Louis Sullivan, but was relocated to Benton Harbor, MI a number of years ago.

Too bad they probably won't ever be returned to their "Wrightful" place in the Greene Residence.

outside in · Post by **outside in** » Tue May 19, 2009 10:07 am

I know that one is only supposed to say positive things about other professionals in this chat room, so I can only say that I do not agree with the assessment of Kelmscott Gallery as described in the previous post - its a long story, but I would be careful.....

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Tue May 19, 2009 3:21 pm

Kelmscott Gallery moved to Benton Harbor because Scott Elliott bought the Howard Anthony House. In 1984, the DD Martin papers were auctioned off in Hollywood. There was no organized effort to deal with it. Elliott was at the auction, as was a representative of Phyllis Lambert. The auction, which was expected to garner a few thousand dollars, was quickly reduced to just the two of them bidding in $5000 increments until Elliott got it for $75000. Immediately, Paul Hanna, who had catalogued the collection before the auction, set to work to secure the files for Stanford University. Eventually, in collaboration with SUNY/Buffalo, they were bought for $150,000, although I believe some items on Hanna's list were not included in the final tally. Splitting the cost, Stanford and SUNY each got half of the originals and half copies. The following year, October of 1985, Jack Quinan called a meeting of the curators of all publicly accessible FLW buildings (not so many in those days) at SUNY. This was the meeting that led directly to the founding of the Conservancy in 1990. At the second meeting of the informal group, called the Home Owners Association, in 1986 at Barnsdall Park, I had the dubious honor of dining with Elliott, listening to him justify his place in the food chain. In a roundabout way, one might say Elliott was the kick in the ass the Wright community needed to get organized. Though he might phrase it differently.

Oak Park Jogger · Post by **Oak Park Jogger** » Fri May 22, 2009 10:40 am

Does anyone know where reproductions of these old fixtures might be found?

Wrightgeek · Post by **Wrightgeek** » Fri May 22, 2009 11:39 am

If you contact the people at the Westcott House here in Ohio, I am sure that they can point you in the right direction. They had several of these types of fixtures reproduced during the restoration of the property several years ago.

You could also try to contact D. Shawn Beckwith, who is a member here on the forum. Shawn works for the Durable Slate Co., a leading building restoration company, and he worked on the Westcott House when he ived here in Ohio.

And last but not least, you could try to get ahold of Lauren Burge, of the firm Chambers, Murphy & Burge, who was the restoration architect on the Westcott project.

Hope that helps you to find what you need, Oak Park Jogger.