Description:

Frank Lloyd Wright
Scottsdale, AZ, June 18, 1957
F.L. Wright Letter On about His Most Ambitious Design: "I hope the principle of natural light will win its way..."
TLS
Fine content typed letter signed with his customary initials "FLW," one page, 11" x 8.5", [n.p.], June 18, 1957. On his Taliesin letterhead to Lennart Erickson, one of the founders of The Lenkurt Company in San Francisco, a growing microwave and telephone communications who had commissioned Wright to a new production facility which would serve their needs as well as establish a powerful international identity for their future services and products. With several holograph emendations, file holes at bottom, fine condition.

In part: "...I am beginning to see the cause of the impasse in re 'lighting'. It is easy to fix meantime and this is being done but eventually I hope the principle of natural light will win its way undistroyed [sic]. What do you suppose I put those curious little telescopic skylights between the coronas of the columns for? A successful experiment I hope. Eventually (I hope) but not now. The 'expert' crew are here this morning and we expedite your demands...".

Wright adds in holograph: "We have seen too little of each other on this subject. (All else is covered now)."

In 1955, Wright was commissioned to design a 200,000 square foot space for Lenkurt and its 3,000 employees. He would create an entire group of specs for this monumental project, which included the novel design to park cars underneath, instead of next to, the building. Wright's design was a sprawling structure that built upon ideas developed for the famous Johnson Administration Building in Racine, Wisconsin, which included pioneering concepts such as open office space, central air conditioning and "lily pad" columns. In 1957, however, the project was put on hold and eventually abandoned when Lenkurt was purchased by its competitor, Western Electric.

Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than one thousand structures over a creative period of seventy years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements of the twentieth century, influencing architects worldwide through his works and hundreds of apprentices in his Taliesin Fellowship. Wright believed in designing in harmony with humanity and the environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture, which particularly emphasized the use of natural light. This philosophy was exemplified in one of his most acclaimed works, Fallingwater, designed by Wright in 1935 for the Kaufman family.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!

  • Dimensions: 8.5" x 11"
  • Medium: TLS

Accepted Forms of Payment:

ACH, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Unless otherwise indicated, we do our own in-house worldwide shipping!

Applicable shipping and handling charges will be added to the invoice. We offer several shipping options, and remain one of the few auction houses who proudly provides professional in-house shipping as an option to our clients. All items will ship with signature required, and full insurance. Most items are sent via Federal Express, with P. O. Box addresses being sent through USPS. We insure through Berkley Asset Protection with rates of $.70 per $100 of value, among the lowest insurance rates in the industry. Our shipping department cameras document every package, both outgoing and incoming, for maximum security. In addition, we compare our shipping and handling rates against those of other auction houses, to ensure that our charges are among the lowest in the trade.

Upon winning your item(s), you will receive an invoice with our in-house shipping and handling fees included. ***We will ship to the address as it appears on your invoice. If any changes to the shipping address need to be made, you must inform us immediately.***

International shipments: In order to comply with our insurance provider, all international shipments will be sent via Fed Ex and customs paperwork will show a value of $1.00. International buyers should contact our office directly with any questions regarding this policy.

Third Party Shipping Option: If a third party shipper is preferred, the buyer is responsible for contacting them directly to make shipping arrangements. For your convenience, we have provided some recommended shippers. For your protection, we will require a signed release from you, confirming your authorization for us to release your lots to your specified third party. At that point, our responsibility and insurance coverage for your item(s) ceases. Items picked up by third party shippers are required to pay Connecticut sales tax. Items requiring third party shipping due to being oversized, fragile or bulky will be denoted in the item description.

Please see our full terms and conditions for names of suggested third party shippers.

After payment has been made in full, University Archives will ship your purchase within 10 business days following receipt of full payment for item.

Please remember that the buyer is responsible for all shipping costs from University Archives' offices in Wilton, CT to the buyer's door. Please see full Terms and Conditions of Sale.

August 7, 2024 10:00 AM EDT
Wilton, CT, US

University Archives

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 25% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000