Demolition preparations have begun on a Frank Lloyd Write building in Whitefish, Montana, a report by the Great Falls Tribune says. Interior asbestos abatement is in progress at the Lockridge Medical Clinic.
Building owner Mick Ruis’s attorney Ryan Purdy says in the Jan. 8 report Ruis would be willing to sell the building for $1.7 million if a buyer came forward by Jan. 10. Ruis intends to demolish the building and replace it with a three-story mixed-use development.
The Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, Chicago, says in the report that it is continuing to explore operations that will avert the demolition. The Lockridge Medical Clinic will be the first viable Frank Lloyd Wright building to be torn down in more than 40 years.
The organization was informed of the demolition plans since Nov. 1, 2016, when a local citizen contacted it with the news. The report says the conservancy partnered with local officials, a local businessman and the Montana Preservation Alliance to put together alternative use plans and send them to Ruis.
The conservancy originally thought the redevelopment plans would not move forward until 2018, the report says. Barbara Gordon, executive director of the conservancy, says in the report the Lockridge building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places but there are no legal protections to prevent the demolition. She also says the city of Whitefish does not require a permit to be issued for this type of demolition.
Ruis claims he was not aware of the architectural significance of the building, the report says. Gordon says in the report that finding a cash buyer between Jan. 8 and Jan. 10 made the demolition “inevitable.”