The newly reconstructed Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opens to the public on Wednesday.
Reservations are required and tickets are available at no cost.
“This was an opportunity to preserve an important example of American architecture and enhance our mission to connect visitors to art and nature,” said Crystal Bridges Executive Director Rod Bigelow. “The house also deepens the rich architectural story in our region.”
Frank Lloyd Wright’s protégé was Arkansas native Fay Jones, who inspired Moshe Safdie’s design of Crystal Bridges. All three architects were awarded the American Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal—considered to be the profession’s highest honor. Wright and Jones challenged traditional ideas of building by connecting their structures to the typography of their enviornment, and these structures influenced Safdie to integrate Crystal Bridges into its natural surroundings.
Bigelow adds, “This is not the end of the narrative. We hope that by providing viewing and educational opportunities to thousands of visitors every year, the house will inspire future generations of architecture students.”
The house was disassembled piece by piece and transported 1,200 miles, arriving to the museum in the spring of 2014 where site work already was underway. Reconstruction began in the fall of 2014. The on-site work was led by Scott Eccleston, Crystal Bridges’ director of operations; Ron Shelby, an architect with Hight Jackson Associates; and Bill Faber of Bill Faber Construction.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is a huge part of Northwest Arkansas’ overall effort to expand the region’s quality-of-life amenities, and those expansions have been frequent over the past few years. Amenities added since the opening of Crystal Bridges in November 2011 include the 21c Museum Hotel in Bentonville (2013), the Walmart AMP Arkansas Music Pavilion in Rogers (2014), the Razorback Regional Greenway (2015) and the Scott Family Amazeum in Bentonville (2015).
