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Lot 142
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F.L. Wright Stymied by Bureaucracy & "Legalosities": "I am now a malefactor…They…threaten me with arrest"
F.L. Wright Stymied by Bureaucracy & "Legalosities": "I am now a malefactor…They…threaten me with arrest"
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F.L. Wright Stymied by Bureaucracy & "Legalosities": "I am now a malefactor…They…threaten me with arrest"

A 1p typed letter signed by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959), as "Frank" above his printed signature as "Frank Lloyd Wright" at lower right. August 15, 1950. N.p. On watermarked laid lightweight paper with Wright's stylized red cartouche emblazoned near the center fold. In addition to his signature, Wright has added an exclamation mark in ink to the last sentence. Hand-stamp date-docketed at upper right. Expected wear including wrinkles, else near fine. 10.75" x 8.625." Wright's letter is accompanied by a carbon copy of the August 19, 1950 response of his recipient, Arthur C. Holden; it is annotated and signed by Holden at the bottom, and also docketed at lower left, 8.5" x 11."

Frank Lloyd Wright wrote this letter to Arthur C. Holden (1890-1993), the New York architect and name partner of Holden, McLaughlin & Associates who had recently helped Wright with the construction of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 1949. In the letter, Wright complains about the disrespectful treatment he has received from various architectural agencies and licensing boards. The tone of Wright's letter is quite dramatic, suggesting there was nothing short of a veritable interstate conspiracy to keep him from practicing architecture! However, if one reads beyond Wright's histrionics -- likening architects to dogs or other licensed animals -- it is easy to understand why the seasoned architect was incensed at having to jump through bureaucratic hoops.

Wright wrote in part:

"The disagreeable Connecticut chapter, I imagine, has urged the New York license-bureaucracy to unseemly wrath because I am building several cottages at a place near Plainsfield, N.J. [sic] in New York state in their neighborhood. As a matter of fact, having already built five or six buildings in Buffalo and Syracuse before the license law was passed to classify us with dogs, etc., I am now a malefactor because I didn't know I needed bureaucratic permission to build. They say I do and threaten me with arrest.

In any case I appeal to you as a friend to help clear away the legalosities from my path as an architect in New York State. Will you kindly take up your pen and write for me -- a recommendation.

Bureaucracy must be a profession of ignorance? It must pay!

Affection,

[signed] Frank

Frank Lloyd Wright

August 15, 1950

N.B. In asmuch [sic] as I have now built or am building in 35 states why don't I acquire a National license with your help?"

Wright was understandably irritated by new mid-twentieth-century policy changes affecting the field of architecture. For, despite being one of the most acclaimed and well-known architects in America, and after practicing architecture for over sixty years, Wright did not possess an architectural license per se. Rather, he had dropped out of college after one year of civil engineering study at the University of Wisconsin at Madison before heading to Chicago, where he soon secured a 6-year-long apprenticeship at the firm of skyscraper-designer Louis Sullivan. Wright's knowledge of architecture was thus cumulative and experiential, and he couldn't prove it based on any standardized test.

Wright's idea to obtain a "National license" from the National Council of Architectural Registration Board (NCARB) was a good one. However, at the time of this writing, in 2023, it is still not available to architects. That is because, as the NCARB explains in an informational brochure for prospective architects: "To practice architecture in the United States, you must earn a license from U.S. state or territory (called a 'jurisdiction') where you intend to practice…Each of the 55 U.S. jurisdictions has its own set of requirements for licensure…" Thus, Wright would be dealing with the same set of problems--conforming to each jurisdiction's requirements--if he were designing buildings today.

Arthur C. Holden's response to Wright, a carbon copy of which is still included with Wright's letter, acknowledges Wright's frustration but he also sternly underscores the importance of upholding industry standards. Holden wrote in part: "The idea and the system for licensing architects is far from perfect, but it has done much toward keeping unqualified persons from practicing. I has helped to raise standards in the profession. Hence I am glad to see you respect and support the law, even if it is merely an inconvenience so far as you yourself personally are concerned. As to the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards…it is a very ownerous [sic] task to compile the data required…"

Wright alludes to, but does not name, the architectural projects that he was working on during the summer of 1950. We submit that Wright may have mistaken the name of the town where his projects were located in; instead of "Plainsfield, N.J." (which in fact does not exist), it is likely that Wright meant to write Pleasantville, NY. This latter location would also make sense with Wright's assertion that the state of Connecticut was in the "neighborhood" since the Connecticut state line is only about 10 miles from Pleasantville, NY. Wright left a large footprint in Pleasantville, designing and constructing three houses there between 1948-1951: the Sol Friedman House; the Edward Serlin House; and the Roland Reisley House. Perhaps these were the "cottages" that Wright was referring to.

Frank Lloyd Wright created over 1,000 architectural plans over his 70-year-long career, of which more than half were constructed. Wright's pioneering design approach incorporated function, aesthetics, and the environment, and fundamentally changed late 19th and early 20th century architecture. In addition to architectural design, Wright wrote many books, served as a mentor, and also designed furniture and decorative arts.

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.

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$100 $299 $20
$300 $499 $25
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$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