The Foundation
The John Lautner Foundation was founded in 1996 to celebrate
and maintain the work of one of this century's most creative
American architects. John Lautner, early apprentice of Frank
Lloyd Wright, practiced architecture for more than 55 years,
creating buildings that are each a unique solution for a particular
site. The foundation intends to retain control of the vast archives of his work, provide a center for study, and
serve as a resource for the preservation and maintenance of
Lautner buildings.
After Lautner's death in 1994, Karol Lautner Peterson, Lautner's
oldest daughter, headed up the creation of the foundation as
a non-profit institution.
Where we are today:
The foundation is headed by five directors, who all volunteer
their time and expertise. All foundation board members have
other work, and are not available full time for foundation
work. With occasional assistance from other volunteers and
contract help as needed, the board does all of the work of
the foundation. There is no paid staff, no dedicated office.
The archives are maintained in a storage building, organized
in a general way but not down to the individual item.
Now that memberships in the foundation are offered (and the
member list is growing monthly), the board intends to provide
exceptional opportunities to visit Lautner buildings, to meet
those involved in their construction, to meet other Lautner
enthusiasts. The foundation also intends to assist Lautner
building owners with preservation as the money becomes available
for this purpose. To that end, we seek
grant
money
and donations.
The Board of Directors
- Karol Lautner Peterson, President: daughter of John Lautner
- Christopher Carr, Vice-President: past Board Member and
Director of the Taliesin Fellows Archives
- Frank Escher, Administrator of the John
Lautner archives: editor of John Lautner, Architect
[http://www.egarch.net]
- Judith Lautner, Web site administrator: former city planner,
former assistant to John Lautner, daughter of John Lautner
[http://www.judithlautner.net]
- Duncan Nicholson, Secretary: architect and former associate
of Lautner [http://www.nicholsonwirts.com]
Advisers:
- Cheryl Berenfeld
- Will Bruder
- Barbara-Ann Campbell-Lange
- Bette Cohen
- Crosby Doe
- John English
- Lord Norman Foster
- Ann Friedberg
- Mitch Glazer
- James Goldstein
- Elizabeth Honnold Harris
- Jan-Richard Kikkert
- Michael Lautner
- Kelly Lynch
- Leonard Malin
- James Morris
- Oscar Rodolfo Munoz
- June Perez
- Tina Peterson
- Joseph Rosa
- Tycho Saariste
- Julia Strickland
- Julia Silliman
- Dorothy Tomilson
- Louis Wiehle
- Eric Lloyd Wright
"This is an exciting adventure to celebrate the life and work
of my father," says Peterson of her efforts to overcome obstacles
and make the foundation a reality. "We hope to carry on his
legacy and make his work available to a larger audience."
The mission:
The primary objectives of the foundation are:
- To further the understanding of John Lautner's
architecture and his principles.
- To maintain and operate the professional and personal archives of John Lautner.
- To provide a center for scholars, architects, and visitors
interested in the work of John Lautner, and to establish
ongoing communication for all individuals interested in the
architecture of John Lautner.
- To make available material from the archives of John Lautner
for exhibitions, publications, educational events such as,
but not limited to, lectures, seminars, and workshops.
- To serve as a respository of resources for Lautner
homeowners, and, where possible, to provide support in the
preservation and maintenance of Lautner buildings.
- To obtain funding to support these goals.
The archive
The archive contains
- approximately 12,000 drawings
- thousands of slides, photographs, video and film documents
- job and client files
- about 20 models
The foundation will be creating and maintaining bibliographical
and periodical materials, including professional and personal
correspondence, transcripts of lectures, interviews, and awards.
Materials from the archive are currently not available for
exhibitions, publications, and educational events. See the archive
page for details.
Foundation projects:
Projects include continuing development of this website,
which will contain copies of selections from the archives,
an international directory of projects, a calendar of events
and exhibitions related to John Lautner, and access to available
publications. Publication projects on various aspects
of Lautner's work will be supported by the foundation.
The organization will serve as a respository of resources
for Lautner home owners and will provide support, when possible,
in the preservation and maintenance of Lautner buildings.
"We have some ambitious goals for the foundation," says Escher, "and
we are looking to the charitable community for support." In
addition to possible funders, the foundation is interested
in hearing from scholars, historians, and Lautner admirers
and homeowners.
Memberships
The Foundation is now accepting members.
Please look at the Foundation Support page
for options. We need your support, in any amount.
|