Frank Lloyd Wright Items Remain Missing
by Kate Nixon
The Los Angeles Police Department is still on the lookout for stolen items designed by Frank Lloyd Wright — and they now need the public’s help. The LAPD is currently searching for four items of original furniture from the Samuel Freeman House in Hollywood, California as reported last month by the Los Angeles Times. Photos were released last Tuesday, March 12th of the four items of furniture missing from a locked room within a storage facility, owned by the University of Southern California’s School of Architecture. The items were removed from the Freeman House and placed in storage after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. There were no signs of forced entry.
The missing items include:
Two floor lamps designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. One of the lamps has a missing glass pane that may have since been replaced. Made of plated cast iron, brass, and glass – measures 76″ x 8″ x 9″, estimated to be worth $50,000 to $70,000 each.
Link to crime alert:
http://www.lapdonline.org/decorative_art_and_antiques/content_basic_view/65155
A folding chair designed by Rudolph Schindler wood & fabric – measures 29″ x 18 ½” x 23″, estimated to be worth $10,000 to $15,000.
Link to crime alert:
http://www.lapdonline.org/decorative_art_and_antiques/content_basic_view/65156
A tea cart designed by Rudolph Schindler circa 1930s. Made of wood, glass, metal, and rubber. Measures 32 1/4″ x 28″ x 17 1/2″, estimated to be worth $20,000 to $30,000.
Link to crime alert:
http://www.lapdonline.org/decorative_art_and_antiques/content_basic_view/65245
The lamps and chair can be seen in photos of the Freeman House taken in 1953 shown on USC’s school of architecture’s website. The Freeman House was completed in 1923 and has the distinction of being one of only four textile-block homes that Wright himself designed using a cast-concrete method. The house was a symbol of artistic expression and hosted political activity from the 1920s to the 1980s, attracting famous visitors like Martha Graham and Clark Gable. USC took ownership of the home in 1986. According to the USC’s School of Architecture website, the house is not open to the public.
If you have any tips or information to help this case, here are the phone numbers or online resources to use:
Commercial Crimes Division: Burglary Special Section (LAPD Art Theft Detail) – 213-486-6940. During non-business hours or on weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-LAPD-24-7 (877-527-3247).
Anonymous tipsters: call the LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (800-222-8477) or go directly to www.lacrimestoppers.org.
Tipsters may also visit www.lapdonline.org, and click on “Anonymous Web Tips” under the “Get Involved-Crime stoppers” menu to submit an onlinetip.
You can also download the “P3 Tips” mobile application and select the LA Regional Crime Stoppers as their local program.