Debate surrounding Frank Lloyd Wright home in Arcadia intensifies
Aug 13, 2015, 5:30 AM
The Frank Lloyd Wright home in Arcadia is upsetting some neighbors nearby. (Facebook Photo/David Wright House)
(Facebook Photo/David Wright House)
The newest owner of the Frank Lloyd Wright home in Arcadia is moving forward with plans for the home to be open to the public. Some neighbors are unsure how this happened.
“It’s not only impacting Arcadia residents, but every resident in the city of Phoenix should be concerned,” said Tracy Wadas, an Arcadia resident since 2006. “This new legislation that states if they have a house designated historic landmark next door to them, that house can apply for the permit to be open to the public. Those are the things that concern me, are the actual laws and legislations that are being manipulated and usurped to have this project go through.”
Las Vegas Attorney Zach Rawling’s David Wright House LLC bought the property in 2012, preventing a potential demolition.
“The preservation of the house does not bother me, and opening the house individually for people to see what was designed does not bother me, she said. “But anything beyond that, I think takes it’s to an entirely different level.”
Rawling reportedly wants to rehabilitate the home and obtain historic designations. He also wants to build an underground archive, bookstore, cafe and events building at the property just south of Camelback Mountain, according to the Phoenix Business Journal.
“The bottom line of the issue is that, we have a developer trying to take a property and change the dynamic, so he bought the three adjacent properties, spending over $10 million,” Wadas said, “With some idea that he could do this, I don’t know anybody who would invest that kind of money without some word ‘go’ from city or somewhere.”
He’s trying to change the fabric of who and what Arcadia is, she said.
Documents filed with the city do have considerations and restrictions included, to try to lessen the inconvenience to neighbors.
