The Quintin Blair House in
Cody, Wyoming
Cody is a city in Northwest Wyoming and the seat of government of Park County, Wyoming, United States. It is named after Colonel William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody for his part in the founding of Cody in 1896.
The population was 10,066 at th ...
, United States, was designed by
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 ...
and built 1952–1953. The house is an example of Wright's "natural house" theme, emphasizing close integration of house and landscape. It is the only Wright building in
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...
.
Ruth Taggart Blair was a student at the
Chicago Academy of Fine Arts
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum an ...
during the 1930s. Her professor,
Bruce Goff
Bruce Alonzo Goff (June 8, 1904 – August 4, 1982) was an American architect, distinguished by his organic, eclectic, and often flamboyant designs for houses and other buildings in Oklahoma and elsewhere.
A 1951 ''Life Magazine'' article stat ...
, took the class to visit
Taliesin
Taliesin ( , ; 6th century AD) was an early Brittonic poet of Sub-Roman Britain whose work has possibly survived in a Middle Welsh manuscript, the '' Book of Taliesin''. Taliesin was a renowned bard who is believed to have sung at the courts ...
at
Spring Green, Wisconsin
Spring Green is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,628 at the 2010 census. The village is located within the Town of Spring Green.
Geography
Spring Green is located at (43.177268, -90.067277).
According ...
, where they met Wright. In 1951 Ruth and Quintin Blair were visiting
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, when Ruth suggested that they visit Taliesin West in Scottsdale, Arizona, Arizona, Wright's winter home. They were met by Wright in the driveway, introduced themselves, and were invited to stay for lunch. At the luncheon, Wright expressed a desire to design a house for them, as he had no buildings in Wyoming. At Wright's suggestion, the Blairs bought some land away from town, as Wright did not want to design for a city lot. The house was completed in 1953.
The house is laid out on a by grid. The house is dominated by a low, nearly flat roof that flares dramatically over the living room, where three sides of the room are floor-to-ceiling glass. The windows have mitered corners, eliminating a support and giving the impression that the glass itself incorporates a right-angle bend. A small triangular bay projects from the glass wall as a piano niche, a common Wright element. Exterior wall materials are primarily locally quarried ashlar sandstone.
The site is a parcel near a small creek about below the house. Springs near the house have been dammed by a wall aligned with the piano bay's angled wall, forming a small pond. The house has been modified and somewhat enlarged, with consultation from Taliesin.
The Blair House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.
See also
* List of Frank Lloyd Wright works
References
* Storrer, William Allin. ''The Frank Lloyd Wright Companion''. University Of Chicago Press, 2006, (S.351)
External links
* at the National Park Service's NRHP database
Quintin Blair Houseat the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blair, Quintin, House
Cody, Wyoming
Houses completed in 1953
Houses in Park County, Wyoming
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming
Frank Lloyd Wright buildings
National Register of Historic Places in Park County, Wyoming