The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, AK has acquired Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman Wilson House in Millstone, NJ from architect/designer team Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino. Built along the Millstone River, the house has suffered significant flood damage and relocation has been recommended in order to preserve the structure. The Tarantinos held a multi-year search to find a buyer that could provide an appropriate setting and context for the historic building. The house will be disassembled and relocated to Bentonville, where it will be re-assembled on Crystal Bridges’ 120-acre campus.
The Bachman Wilson house was commissioned in 1954 by Abraham Wilson and Gloria Bachman, whose brother, Marvin Bachman, was an apprentice in the Frank Lloyd Wright Taliesin Fellowship. The structure reflects Wright’s Usonian period, which was defined by simplicity and practicality. Crystal Bridges plans to incorporate the house into its educational and public program offerings. In addition, thanks to an ongoing partnership with the University of Arkansas, the museum anticipates making Wright’s house available to the University’s Fay Jones School of Architecture.
Site preparation at Crystal Bridges for the Bachman Wilson House will begin this spring. The museum plans to have the project completed in early 2015.
