David and Gladys Wright House

Phoenix

The David and Gladys Wright House is a Frank Lloyd Wright residence built in 1952 in the Arcadia neighborhood of Phoenix, Arizona. It has historically been listed with an address of 5212 East Exeter Boulevard, but currently has an entrance on the 4500 block of North Rubicon Avenue. Parking and access is through the Camelback Church of Christ at 5225 E. Camelback Road. This 2,500-square-foot concrete-block house was designed and built for the architect's son David and his wife, Gladys, and is situated among orange groves on a site facing north toward Camelback Mountain. The house has a spiral design to cool the house by capturing the wind. It features a long curved entry ramp that anticipates the design of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. David and Gladys Wright lived in the house until their deaths. David died in 1997 at the age of 102; Gladys died in 2008 at age 104. Gladys Wright left the house to granddaughters who sold it. The new buyer in turn sold it to a real estate developer, 8081 Meridian, who planned to demolish the house and develop its 2.2 acre lot. Efforts to protect the building through a heritage designation were begun in August 2012.