The Gordon House is a residence designed by influential

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

, now located within the

Oregon Garden The Oregon Garden is an botanical garden and tourist attraction in Silverton, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1999, it is home to over 20 gardens including the Rose Garden, Children's Garden and Silverton Market Garden. It is open 365 days a ye ...

, in Silverton,

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

. It is an example of Wright's

Usonia Usonia () is a word that was used by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright to refer to the United States in general (in preference to ''America''), and more specifically to his vision for the landscape of the country, including the planning of ...

n vision for America. It is one of the last of the Usonian series that Wright designed as affordable housing for

American working class In the United States, the concept of a working class remains vaguely defined, and classifying people or jobs into this class can be contentious. Economists and pollsters in the United States generally define "working class" adults as those lacking ...

consumers, which—in 1939—were considered to have an annual income of $5,000–6,000 ($95,000 to $113,000 in 2021 dollars). The house is based on a design for a modern home commissioned by ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'' magazine in 1938.

History

The house was designed in 1957 for Evelyn and Conrad Gordon, and finished in 1963 (four years after Frank Lloyd Wright's death). It was originally located near Wilsonville, Oregon, situated to take advantage of views of the adjacent

Willamette River The Willamette River ( ) is a major tributary of the Columbia River, accounting for 12 to 15 percent of the Columbia's flow. The Willamette's main stem is long, lying entirely in northwestern Oregon in the United States. Flowing northward b ...

on the west side and Mount Hood to the east. After Evelyn Gordon's death in 1997, the house was sold to new owners David and Carey Smith, who wanted to tear it down to make room for a larger, more contemporary structure. The

Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy is an organization devoted to the historic preservation of buildings and their furnishings and decoration designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, as well as to the study of Wright's career. The organization has gr ...

became involved in attempts to preserve the historic house. The "Building Conservancy" is an organization devoted to advocating for Wright buildings, and finding sites for buildings that have been put on the market. In early 2001, the Building Conservancy obtained a three-month reprieve to dismantle the Gordon House, and move it to the

, about 21 miles (34 km) southeast of its original location. The Conservancy accepted a proposal from the Oregon Garden Society, assisted by the City of Silverton, to take charge of moving and reinstalling the house. Dismantling began on March 9, 2001. The house was moved in four large pieces, with the upper floor, containing two bedrooms and one bath, moved as a single unit. Overall neglect required refurbishing of the structure's siding and roofing which was arranged by grants from the Architecture Foundation of Oregonhttps://www.af-oregon.org/ and the

Oregon Cultural Trust Oregon Cultural Trust is a cultural promotion and preservation organization in the U.S. state of Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northe ...

. A new foundation replicating the original was constructed. The house opened one year later as the only publicly accessible Frank Lloyd Wright home in the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Tho ...

Description

With of floor space, the house boasts floor-to-ceiling windows and glass French doors in the living room and Wright's classic horizontal designs and features connecting interior and exterior space. The second story features two bedrooms, each with its own private balcony. Designed based on a seven-foot square grid, the house is visually anchored to a single mass of windowless concrete block forming the walls of the small basement and kitchen and extending beyond the roofline, obscuring various vents and the large skylight to the kitchen ("workspace") below. The house is constructed of cedar and painted cinder block and continues Wright's tradition of custom patterned wood cutout window lattice known as

fretwork Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, coping saw, jigsaw or scroll saw. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly use ...

. The Gordon House was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

on September 22, 2004. It is cared for by the Gordon House Conservancy and available for small catered gatherings. When not reserved, the house is available for public tours as a

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

Gallery

Image:Gordon House entry exterior 2007-12-23 16-01-22 0105.jpeg, Main entrance near carport is door at right; the left service door enters between kitchen and laundry Image:Gordon House living room exterior 2007-12-23 16-02-59 0109.jpeg, Gordon House living room exterior features 12 foot floor-to-ceiling windows; the steps and foundation replicate the original Image:Gordon House overview 2007-12-23 15-58-20 0104.jpeg, Overview shows chimney concealed for enhanced horizontal lines Image:Gordon House fretwork 2007-12-23 16-03-36 0112.jpeg,

Fretwork Fretwork is an interlaced decorative design that is either carved in low relief on a solid background, or cut out with a fretsaw, coping saw, jigsaw or scroll saw. Most fretwork patterns are geometric in design. The materials most commonly use ...

of Gordon House File:Gordon House north side 1.jpg, East side File:Gordon House front.jpg, Front File:Gordon House northwest corner.jpg, Northeast corner File:Gordon House living room interior 2007-12-23 16-02-26 0108.jpeg, Living room configured for a small event

References

* Storrer, William Allin. ''The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion''. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, (S.419)

External links

Gordon House Conservancy
{{National Register of Historic Places Frank Lloyd Wright buildings Houses in Marion County, Oregon Historic house museums in Oregon Museums in Marion County, Oregon Silverton, Oregon Houses completed in 1963 Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon National Register of Historic Places in Marion County, Oregon Relocated buildings and structures in Oregon Relocated houses Modernist architecture in Oregon 1963 establishments in Oregon

History

Description

Gallery

See also

References

External links