We facilitate the preservation and stewardship of the remaining built works designed by Frank Lloyd Wright through advocacy, education and technical services. Our vision is that the remaining built works designed by Frank Lloyd Wright are valued and preserved as a vital part of our artistic, cultural and architectural heritage.
Frank Lloyd Wright is widely considered to be the greatest American architect. In a career spanning more than 70 years, he created more than a thousand designs and saw more than half of them realized. Today, people all over the world value and admire Wright buildings as works of art.
So how could it be that nearly 20 percent of Wright’s buildings have been destroyed?
Some were lost to fire. Some to neglect. Others were demolished a few short decades after their construction to make way for new development. In the 1980s a group of concerned citizens—Wright homeowners, architects, scholars, preservationists and admirers of Wright’s work—decided enough was enough.
A professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo, while attempting to restore Wright’s long-neglected Darwin Martin House (then owned by SUNY), conceived of a gathering of Wright building owners and directors of publicly accessible Wright buildings. These initial annual meetings confirmed the need for a larger organization, open to everyone, with one goal: Save Wright.
An early Conservancy board gathering at Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois
An early Conservancy board gathering at Taliesin
An early Conservancy board gathering at the Storer House in Los Angeles, California
From left: John Thorpe, Steve Gottlieb, Bill Dring, Tom Casey, John Tilton, Don Kalec and Wil Hasbrouck at the first meeting of the Conservancy's Architectural Advisory Committee
From left: Ron Scherubel, former executive director of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, with Wright apprentice Edgar Tafel at a Conservancy event in 2004
Photo by Mark Hertzberg
Board members Larry Woodin and Deborah Vick present a Wright Spirit Award to then-senator Hillary Clinton in 2004 for her role in the Save America's Treasures program
Former Conservancy executive director Ron Scherubel with Diane Keaton, an advocate for the preservation of the Ennis House in Los Angeles, California
Attendees of a tour of modern architecture in Palm Springs during the 2005 conference in Los Angeles
Attendees of a tour of modern architecture in Palm Springs during the 2005 conference in Los Angeles
From left: Wright scholar and board member Neil Levine, executive director Janet Halstead and original owner Roland Reisley at the 2010 conference in Cincinnati, Ohio
A special reception at the Wright-remodeled Rookery building during the 2007 conference in Chicago
Wright homeowners at the 2009 conference in Buffalo
Special events like this early Fallingwater dinner party have long been a major fundraiser for the Conservancy
A Conservancy group on a private tour of Fallingwater in 2006
Board members at the 2009 conference in Buffalo
Gathering at the 2009 conference in Buffalo
Gathering for the gala dinner and Wright Spirit Awards at the Conservancy's annual conference in 2007
Read: "The Origins of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy"
The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy is the only organization focused exclusively on the preservation of all of Wright’s remaining buildings.
In 1989, the Conservancy was founded. Since its formation, the Conservancy, a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Chicago, Illinois, has grown to include thousands of members and supporters of our mission worldwide. Membership is open to anyone interested in Wright, including architects, scholars, preservationists, architecture and design enthusiasts, and, very importantly, those who live and work in Wright’s buildings. The Conservancy doesn’t own any Wright buildings, but we work to protect them all. Our full-time staff is augmented by dedicated and knowledgeable board members who are experts in architecture and preservation as well as building owners and volunteers all over the country whose diverse range of specialized skills and networks allows us to promptly and creatively respond to the threats, challenges and issues facing Wright buildings and their owners.
The Conservancy celebrated its 25th anniversary during its annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2014.
Photo by Mark Hertzberg
The Conservancy celebrated its 25th anniversary during its annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2014.
Photo by Mark Hertzberg
The Conservancy celebrated its 25th anniversary during its annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2014.
Photo by Mark Hertzberg
2015 conference in Milwaukee
Photo by Mark Hertzberg
Touring Samara in 2015
Touring the Davis House in 2015
Touring the work of Wright apprentice Fay Jones in 2016
Touring the work of Wright apprentice Fay Jones in 2016
2015 conference in Milwaukee
2015 conference in Milwaukee
2016 conference in San Francisco
2015 conference in Milwaukee
2015 conference in Milwaukee
2016 conference in San Francisco
2015 conference in Milwaukee
Photo by Mark Hertzberg
2016 conference in San Francisco
Photo by Mark Hertzberg
2016 conference in San Francisco
Photo by Mark Hertzberg
Homeowners at the 2016 conference in San Francisco
Touring the Walker House during the 2016 conference in San Francisco
Touring the Walker House during the 2016 conference in San Francisco
2016 conference in San Francisco
Photo by Mark Hertzberg
2016 conference in San Francisco
Photo by Mark Hertzberg
2016 conference in San Francisco
Photo by Mark Hertzberg
Member Profiles: Get to know some Conservancy members
Our Mission, Vision, and Values
Mission: We facilitate the preservation and stewardship of the remaining built works designed by Frank Lloyd Wright through advocacy, education and technical services.
Vision: The remaining built works designed by Frank Lloyd Wright are valued and preserved as a vital part of our artistic, cultural and architectural heritage.
Values:
Commitment: We are committed to exploring and implementing creative and long-lasting solutions to preserve all Frank Lloyd Wright’s remaining built works.
Responsible Stewardship: We are dedicated to convening and collaborating with building stewards to ensure the integrity of Wright’s built works is preserved utilizing site-appropriate solutions, which meet professional standards of conservation and responsible stewardship.
Excellence: We strive to provide responsive service, high quality programs, accurate technical information and informed communications.
Partnerships: We value our partnerships with regional, national and international organizations, which enable us to achieve more impactful results through collaboration.
A Diverse Community: We enable a broad and diverse community of people to experience Wright’s designs through our programmatic content.
Respectful Environment: We value an inclusive, respectful and welcoming environment for our staff, board, members and participants.
Strategic Plan
The Conservancy’s current strategic plan was adopted in May 2023. Read it to learn more about the core pillars of our mission and the specific goals we are working towards.