Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Another One Bites the Dust: FLW in Gary, IN Goes up in Flames



A Frank Lloyd Wright home in Gary, IN succumbed to fire on Monday night destroying the Wynant House built in 1915.

Here is part of the Post-Tribune's story (of Northwest Indiana):


GARY — A two-alarm fire near downtown Monday night caused extensive damage to a house designed by renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright that had been under repair.

There were no injuries, and the cause of the fire is under investigation. Firefighters did not say what could have caused the fire.

The blaze, reported at 8:38 p.m., gutted the entire two-story structure at 600 Fillmore St., located at the intersection of 6th Avenue. The house is located on the southwest corner of Fillmore across the street from Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Edgewater Systems for Balance Living and the City of Gary Public Safety Building.

About 20 Gary firefighters — three engines, two truck companies and a rescue squad — were called out to the fire.

Joe Eakins, 8th Battalion Chief for the Gary Fire Department, said the house was all but gone by the time firefighters arrived.

“It was completely involved,” Eakins said. “Every window of the house had fire coming through it; plus the fire was through the roof when we arrived.”

The house is a 1916 Wright-designed house and was being restored at the time of the fire. It had fallen into disrepair since it was built during Wright’s “Prairie Period,” but local preservation groups were optimistic the house was on the way back. Another Wright house at 6th Avenue and Van Buren Street has been occupied for several years.
The house that caught fire Monday had been re-stuccoed, but much of that sustained extensive damage in the blaze.

Photo source is the Chicago Tribune.

Further specific notes on the house by a seemingly knowledgable historic preservationist found here.

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