Major General James G. Blunt

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The Bavinger House was completed in 1955 in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. It was designed by architect Bruce Goff. Considered a significant example of organic architecture,[2][3] the house was awarded the Twenty-five Year Award from the American Institute of Architects in 1987.[4] It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001,[2] and was removed from the National Register in 2017 after being demolished the previous year.[5]

History

The house was constructed over the course of five years by Nancy and Eugene Bavinger, the residents of the house, who were artists, along with the help of a few of Eugene's art students, volunteers, and local businesses. The Bavingers moved into the house in February 1955, and Life magazine featured the house in its September 19, 1955 issue.[6] Despite its remote location, the house became an attraction; the Bavingers first tried to limit visitors by charging a dollar per guest. Life reported that the tours had yielded over $4,000, and eventually (according to Goff) they raised over $50,000 before finally deciding they didn't want to be disturbed by the constant flow of tourists.[7]

The house was vacant for more than a decade and had fallen into disrepair before it was reported in 2008 that the house would be renovated and reopened for tours.[8] Fundraising efforts, however, ran into difficulties.[9][10] The house was damaged and its central spire left broken at a 45-degree angle after a powerful windstorm in June 2011.[9] The official website for the house stated that the house "will not be able to re-open",[10][11][12][13] which was later changed to "Closed Permanently", and in August 2012 further edited to say "The House will never return under its current political situation".[13] The official website was taken offline in August, 2011, and its domain license was allowed to expire.[14]

In April 2016 The Norman Transcript reported that the house had been demolished and completely removed, leaving only a vacant lot, as confirmed by the president of the Bruce Goff-focused preservation organization Friends of Kebyar.[15]

Architecture

The wall of the house was a 96-foot long logarithmically curved spiral, made from 200 tons of local "ironrock" sandstone dynamited (by Eugene) from a piece of purchased farmland near Robin Hill School, a few miles away from the house and hauled back on Eugene's 48 Chevy flatbed truck. The structure was anchored by a recycled oil field drill stem that was reused to make a central mast more than 55 feet high. The house had no interior walls; instead there were a series of platforms at different heights, some with curtains that could be drawn for privacy. The ground floor was covered with pools and planted areas.[2][16][17][18][19][unreliable source?]

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Form prepared by Arn Henderson. National Register of Historic Places nomination form for Resources Designed by Bruce Goff in Oklahoma. Accessed May 6, 2015.
  3. ^ Philip, Steadman (1979). The Evolution of Designs: Biological Analogy in Architecture and the Applied Arts. Taylor & Francis. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-415-44752-2. Excerpts available at Google Books.
  4. ^ Webb, Michael (June 2005). "Saving Bruce Goff". The Architectural Review. Retrieved October 9, 2013.
  5. ^ National Park Service (March 10, 2017), Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 2/27/2017 through 3/03/2017, archived from the original on March 13, 2017, retrieved March 13, 2017.
  6. ^ "Space and Saucer House: Oklahoma family lives in suspension in a unique new structure". LIFE. September 19, 1955. pp. 155–156.
  7. ^ Welch, Philip (996). Goff on Goff: Conversations and Lectures. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 193–194. ISBN 978-0-8061-2868-9.
  8. ^ "Foundation hopes to restore and open Bavinger House for tours". The Norman Transcript. November 23, 2008. Archived from the original on September 5, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  9. ^ a b "Tearin' Down the House?". Oklahoma Gazette. June 29, 2011. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved September 3, 2001.
  10. ^ a b Cobb, Russell (November 21, 2011). "Continuous Present". This Land. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  11. ^ Rieger, Andy (June 22, 2011). "Bavinger House's future uncertain". The Norman Transcript. Archived from the original on July 18, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  12. ^ Mize, Richard (June 23, 2011). "Bruce Goff-designed Bavinger House in Norman apparently has met its demise". The Oklahoman. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  13. ^ a b "The Bavinger House official website". Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved February 25, 2013. Closed due to storm damage . . . Due to severe storm damage we will not be able to re-open
  14. ^ thebavingerhouse.org https://web.archive.org/web/20110728092644/http://thebavingerhouse.org/. Archived from the original on July 28, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2016. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ^ Slinkard, Caleb (April 28, 2016). "Goff-designed landmark demolished". The Norman Transcript. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  16. ^ Barry, Edward (January 6, 1957). "It's SOMEBODY'S Dream House: Oklahoma Couple Are Happy in a Home Which Is Like Nothing on Land or Sea FAMILY Living". Chicago Tribune. p. H23. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  17. ^ Lobban, Lynette (Spring 2002). "Goff's Historic Houses: The talk of the town when first constructed, the signature works of a master architect are being added to the National Register". Sooner Magazine. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  18. ^ "Bavinger House". GreatBuildings.com. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  19. ^ "Bavinger House (Norman, USA)". strangebuildings.com. February 24, 2010. Archived from the original on March 10, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2011.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bavinger_House