“A doctor can bury his mistakes, but an architect
can only advise his clients to plant vines.”
-Frank Lloyd Wright
“Early in my career…I had to choose between an honest arrogance
and a hypercritical humility…
I deliberately choose an honest arrogance,
and I’ve never been sorry.”
– Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Gordon House in 1957; it was completed four years after his death in 1963. It was originally situated with the Willamette River to the west and Mount Hood to the east.
“It is one of the last of the Usonian series that Wright designed as affordable housing for American working class consumers, which—in 1939—were considered to have an annual income of $5,000–6,000 ($95,000 to $113,000 in 2021 dollars). The house is based on a design for a modern home commissioned by Life magazine in 1938…After Evelyn Gordon’s death in 1997, the house was sold to new owners David and Carey Smith, who wanted to tear it down to make room for a larger, more contemporary structure.” – Wikipedia. Eventually, the house was preserved and moved, bit by bit, 21 miles southeast to the Oregon Garden. It opened as a museum in 2004.
Just a few miles away from the Gordon House stands the Gallon House Bridge.
This bridge spans the Abiqua Creek and derives its name from Prohibition era bootleggers and moonshiners who would meet there to transfer their wares.
This next example of Oregon architecture is pretty new. It’s the house where I live, in the studio apartment above the garage.
scillagrace 
Under what rock does this person who wants to tear down a Frank Lloyd Wright home live? I like you post a lot, thanks.
Wiki doesn’t say who those people were. Crazy, tho, right? Thanks, Pat!
Thank you, Priscilla. I love getting your reports “from the field.” Your mother in heaven, my beloved sister, must smile every time you send out one of your “reports from the field.” Bless you, Dear…Aunt Sandy (now 85)
Thank you, dear Aunt Sandy! Wishing you well, with love.
I loved this post Priscilla – architecture can be grand and impressive but in reality no matter how outrageous it is meant to shelter and protect us, as your examples have shown. I found the simple FLW house really interesting. Didn’t realize he’d done things like that before becoming so grand!
Actually, he died just two years after he designed it and before it was completed. I wonder if that means he was still trying to realize the concept and stay humble? Don’t really know much about his life, so I can’t offer a guess. Thanks for an intriguing prompt!
Love your examples!
Your tour through the ages was just fascinating! You certainly live in a place with a long history in architecture. Thanks, Ana!
Great selections. I love the F.L.W. quotes, especially the first one.
Thanks! Yeah, ol’ FLW surprised me there. 😉
Hi, Priscilla. You’ve given us 2 great architectural finds with great descriptions of each one. I love the name Gallon Bridge!
Thanks, Patti!
Love the story about the covered bridge. And all these photos. You really need to give yourself more credit for your knowledge of architecture. This was a good post, especially with the addition of quotes!! Nicely done.
Thanks! I gotta admit, though, my knowledge comes directly from Wikipedia. 😉
I love Wikipedia! Don’t know what we did before we had it. Hopefully, the info is accurate. I have no way of knowing most of the time.
Before Wikipedia, I had Britannica. But it took up a LOT of space!
We had a set as well. Bought from a traveling salesman, no less!
Mine, too! 🙂