Gordon House

Story

The Gordon House is a residence designed by influential architect Frank Lloyd Wright, now located within the Oregon Garden, in Silverton, Oregon. It is an example of Wright's Usonian vision for America. It is one of the last of the Usonian series designed for American working class consumers, which—in 1939—was considered $5,000–6,000 per year. The house is based on a design for a modern home commissioned by Life magazine in 1938.HistoryThe house was designed in 1957 for Evelyn and Conrad Gordon, and finished in 1963 . It was originally located adjacent to the Willamette River, near Wilsonville, Oregon. When its 2001 owners intended to destroy it, the Frank Lloyd Wright Conservancy obtained a three-month reprieve to dismantle it, and move it to the Oregon Garden, about 21 miles southeast of its original location. Dismantling began on March 9, 2001. The upper floor, containing two bedrooms and one bath, was moved as a single unit. Overall neglect required refurbishing of the structure's siding and roofing which was arranged by grants from the Architectural Foundation of Oregon and the Oregon Cultural Trust. A new foundation replicating the original was constructed. The house opened one year later as the only publicly accessible Frank Lloyd Wright home in the Pacific Northwest.