The “Problematic” Frank Lloyd Wright Monument | Demolishing America’s First Modern Office Building

anyone familiar with the urban masterpieces of the 20th century have heard the name Frank Lloyd Wright a prolific architect responsible for iconic buildings in America and Beyond although his legacy today is mostly celebrated through works such as the Guggenheim Museum or the falling water one structure in Buffalo New York emphasized the artist's Darkseid and its story behind the scenes is unlike anything we've come across before visually akin to the layer of an evil villain but coveted for its groundbreaking technology like central air conditioning suspended toilet partitions and bowls and built-in Furniture so join me as we discover the rise and fall of the Larkin administration building I'm your host Ryan so cash and your watching its history [Music] Believe It or Not Office Buildings have been around for a very long time in fact their evolution can be traced all the way back to ancient times when civilizations such as Egypt Greece and Rome housed their administrative functions inside government buildings or palaces these structures were rather Timeless with officials clerks and scribes working in a stationary position as most of us do know the Middle Ages only exacerbated this notion as commercial activities started occurring in marketplaces Guild halls and Merchant houses all of which required bureaucrats to function however it was likely the 19th century when the Industrial Revolution led to urbanization that dedicated offices became widely needed these early offices had wide floors with rows of desks and centralized management when Urban real estate prices ran at a premium in the 20th century cities moved Skyward requiring new technology the process steel frame construction allowed buildings to reach the skies elevators enabled vertical transportation and plumbing and sanitation systems overcame previously on imagined challenges all the while as these changes emerged Frank Lloyd Wright was in the midst of a 70-year long career that would bring him to design over 1 000 buildings including Office Buildings Frank Lloyd Wright was born on June the 8th 1867 in Richland Center Wisconsin and displayed an early talent for drawing and an interest in architecture he studied civil engineering in Madison at the University of Wisconsin but left before completing his degree to the contrary Wright gained experience in the field by joining the Chicago firm Joseph Lyman Silsby in 1893 Wright established his own architectural practice in Chicago where he developed a distinctive style characterized by open floor plans horizontal lines and the integration of natural elements his organic architecture philosophy sought to unite the built environment with the natural world although notable early Works include friendly looking buildings such as the wilslow house from 1893 in the Roby house from 1910 many contest that his work became somewhat bizarre as the decades passed structures like the Scottsdale Spire the George Lewis house or the Johnson wax headquarters were criticized for their almost soulless off-putting Vibe a cynic might attribute this trajectory to the turbulence of his personal life including financial difficulties public Scandal and a highly publicized Affair followed by a divorce which I remind you was considered a major disgrace back then however in 1903 Wright was commissioned to build the Larkin building which was before all the controversies and is perhaps one of the most brutal buildings of his career leading me to wonder how did this come to be and what exactly did it all mean the commission for the Larkin building all started with the Larkin Soap Company a once prominent American soap manufacturing and mail-order business that operated from the late 19th century to the early 20th century the company was founded by John D Larkin in 1875 and was based in Buffalo New York as a small soap Factory producing and selling its own products however the real success started when the owner's son-in-law Albert Hubbard took on sales he went on to play a significant role in transforming the company and establishing its unique marketing and sales strategies you see in the late 1800s Larkin Soap Company introduced the concept of offering premium quality soap as a bonus with purchases they developed a mail order system known as the Larkin Club plan which allowed customers to earn free soap and other household items by collecting coupons from Larkin products now this might not sound like such a big deal still the truth is that this Innovative marketing strategy promoted customer loyalty and allowed the company to gather customer data for targeting advertising kind of how social media companies are collecting our data for the same purpose at this very moment under Hubbard's leadership the Larkin Soap Company expanded its product line to include soap and other household products like cleaners perfumes spices and Furniture the company gained immense popularity and grew into a multi-million dollar business in addition to its marketing Innovations the company was known for its Progressive employee policies for example they provided various benefits to some workers such as profit sharing paid vacations and on-site recreational facilities this approach to employee welfare was considered groundbreaking and helped Foster a loyal and motivated Workforce still a significant gesture was needed when it came to projecting their prominence to the public and so it was in 1903 the company commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright a then unknown architect to design their headquarters in Buffalo Wright's design featured Open Spaces natural light and Innovative ventilation systems it is regarded as one of Wright's early masterpieces and for good reason the exterior featured a 200 foot long by 134 foot wide structure in red Sandstone the entrance doors windows and skylights were glass floors stairs doors window sills partitions desktops and plumbing slabs were all installed with special sound proofing when visitors stepped inside they were greeted by a spacious entrance hall with high ceilings and natural light pouring in through the large Windows this was the atrium the area served as a central Gathering Space featuring an open design line that allowed for seamless flow between different building areas the area wasn't just functional it was jam-packed with intricate details of decorative freeze and beautiful play of light and Shadow Beyond The Atrium where the administrative offices conveying a similar Vibe these were designed with efficiency and functionality featuring open plan layouts and ample workspaces the office area consisted of long rows of clerical desks also bathed in natural light from the generous Windows I'd also point out that the design encouraged collaboration and interaction among employees a concept that dates back further than most of us would imagine for ultimate collaboration there were the conference rooms placed adjacent to the administrative offices these rooms were designed to accommodate meetings and discussions they featured Wright's signature geometric patterns unique Woodwork and art glass windows with fused glow then we had the on-site Larkin store located on the ground floor this space showcased the various products offered by the company including soaps cleaners perfumes and more even 100 years ago the store displays were thoughtfully arranged emphasizing aesthetic appeal and product accessibility the building's dining room was a comfortable and inviting space for employees to enjoy their meals the room also featured large windows that allowed natural light to illuminate the space while offering Scenic views of the surrounding area these features went well in hand with the recreational facilities within the building a space designed for relaxation and Leisure offering opportunities for games socializing and unwinding during breaks finally and perhaps most unique is the rooftop garden an oasis of Tranquility amidst the bustling cityscape this was designed for respite and connection with nature the garden feature her Lush vegetation seating areas and perhaps breathtaking views of Buffalo New York we have covered many early 20th century buildings on this channel but the Larkin building was special because in many ways it was the first of its kind the type of building we all know and now work in when the building was completed Wright said quote it is interesting that I an architect supposed to be concerned with the aesthetic scene of the building should have invented the hung wall for the WC easier to clean under and adopted many other Innovations like the glass door steel furniture air conditioning and radiant or gravity heat in some ways you might even say that every basic modern technological innovation used in current buildings were suggested in the Larkin project in other words he set the Benchmark for what an office building needs to be and what an office building is now but the story of how everything fell apart is almost unbelievable the golden years of the Larkin Soap Company wouldn't last forever as their leader Albert Hubbard had focused much of his energy on political passions perhaps it all started in an effort to spread the Arts and Crafts movement an international Trend in decorative and Fine Arts traced back to the British Isles Hubbard had founded the Roycroft shop in support of this movement way back during the turn of the 20th century as he also took on a role as writer editor and publisher for two magazines the Philistine a periodical of protests and the fra a journal of affirmation Hubbard's second wife Alice Moore Hubbard was also an outspoken advocate of this group having graduated from the new thought-oriented Emerson College of oratory in Boston his wife was a notable suffragist in other words a person advocating that the right to vote be extended to more people especially women as a result the Roy craft shops became a site for meetings and conversations of radicalists free thinkers reformers and suffragists Albert Hubbard as a side effect became a popular lecturer which landed him in some rather hot water at the beginning of World War One Hubbard published a great deal of related commentary became anxious to cross the ocean a report on the war and interview the Kaiser himself however the trip was impossible as Hubbard pleaded guilty for violating section 211 of the penal code from there he was convicted on one count of circulating objectionable or obscene matters violating the postal law Hubbard didn't take the heat lying down and requested a presidential pardon from President Taft whose administration discarded the request as premature they really meant business with this because in 1915 Hubbard's request for a passport was denied so Hubbard word went directly to the White House and pleaded with Wilson's personal secretary as the president was in the midst of a cabinet meeting the secretary interrupted and as a result the Secretary of State and attorney general were able to hear of Hubbard's situation firsthand in turn the pardon was found to be appropriate and Hubbard's clemency application process lasted precisely one day this was a special case as 75 percent of those petitioning for clemency during that fiscal year were not so fortunate their requests were denied adversely reported or no action was taken perhaps it may have been better had the president denied him because upon receiving his pardon Hubbard obtained a passport and on May the 1st 1915 left with his wife on a voyage to Europe on the RMS Lusitania at Sea 11 miles off the coast of Ireland the ship was torpedoed and sunk by the German U-Boat u-20 and according to first-hand Witnesses his end seemed to have followed the radical unusual pattern of his life in a letter to Albert Hubbard II dated March the 2nd 1916 Ernest C Cooper a survivor of this event wrote quote I cannot say specifically where your father and Mrs Hubbard were when the Torpedoes hit but I can tell you just what happened after that they emerged from the room which was on the port side of the vessel and came onto the boat deck neither appeared to be perturbed in the least your father and Miss Hubbard linked arms the fashion in which they always walked the deck and stood apparently wondering what to do I passed him with a baby which I was taking to a Lifeboat when he said Well Jack they got us they are a damn sight worse than I ever thought they were the couple didn't move move very far away from where they originally stood as I moved to the other side of the ship in preparation for a jump when the right moment came I called to him what are you going to do and he just shook his head well Miss Hubbard smiled and said there does not seem to be anything to do the letter continues the expression seemed to produce action on the part of your father for then he did one of the most surprising things I ever saw done he simply turned with Mrs Hubbard and entered a room on the top deck the door of which was open and closed it behind him it was apparent that his idea was that they should die together and not risk being parted on going into the water as the Lusitania sank to the ocean floor along with her went the driving force of the Larkin Soap Company additionally competitors caught on and changed the business environment in this rapid downward spiral the architectural masterpiece of Wright's unique design and elaborate features required regular upkeep that the company could simply no longer afford this led to the gradual decay of the building ultimately the Larkin Soap Company went out of business in the 1920s and with the closure of the business the fate of the Larkin building was sealed the roycraft shops managed by Hubbard's son operated until 1938 but for the most part the empire was lost and this is a fascinating notion also dating back to ancient times Kings and those who attempted to emulate royalty often imploded under the weight of their own Empire by November the 1st 1946 the Larkin building title was acquired by the City of Buffalo through tax foreclosure and was estimated to have cost 4 million dollars when constructed however following years of vacancy the property was assessed at a worth of only two hundred and forty thousand dollars yet there were very few interested part parties in fact the only offer received for This Magnificent building was for twenty six thousand dollars a tiny fraction of its original value the city elected to invest six thousand dollars in a national newspaper campaign in the hope of receiving higher bids that never came when the newspaper campaign failed to generate results the city council considered sending the property to auction ultimately on September the 14th 1949 the committee approved a sale of the lot for five thousand dollars to the hunt business agency acting for an undisclosed client the agency agreed to demolish the existing building and replace it with a taxable Improvement costing not less than one hundred thousand dollars within 18 months so although the sale price would be low the city's property tax would be fair compared to the final evaluation and now the larking building was on schedule for demolition demolishing a monument by Frank Lloyd is no easy task there was the expected protest from preservationists who argued that not only is the building itself a testament to American innovation but that the items within such as the world's fifth largest pipe organ should be saved the other challenge was that the building itself was constructed to last forever the floors of the seven-story structure were made of such giant concrete slabs that they had to be cut into sections to be removed and frequently crashed into the floors below much of this wreckage was trucked away to some pretty unexpected places the steel girders were used to shore up coal mines in West Virginia and the brick and concrete debris helped to fill in the Ohio Basin creating father Conway Park which I presume is still enjoyed by money today but what about that one hundred thousand dollar investment promised by the anonymous buyer well they built a parking lot Frank Lloyd Wright passed away on April the 9th 1959 living long enough to see one of his first notable projects vanish I wonder what he felt to be transparent here with my own bias in writing this I'd describe myself as a radical preservationist but I can also see the other side of the coin these stories always boil down to the big question of who will pay for upkeep and if it's not going to be you or me the wrecking ball will resolve things

Channel: IT'S HISTORY

Views: 333,326

Keywords: larkin building, larkin administration building, larkin aministration building, larkin administration building (building), larkin, administration building, johnson administration building, building, larkin buildin, administration, edificio per l'amministrazione della larkin co., larkin district, larkin square, larkin company, the guaranty building, darwin martin, u building, buildings, johnson wax building, larkin development group, building buffalo

Id: Ehf5PKnGFPE

Length: 18min 19sec (1099 seconds)

Published: Sat Jul 08 2023