Historic Designation Of Phoenix Wright House May Get Delayed Again

By Kristena Hansen
Published: Tuesday, September 23, 2014 - 10:48am
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The long-awaited historic landmark designation of the David and Gladys Wright house in Phoenix is scheduled for December, but could get pushed back again.

It’s been almost two years since Las Vegas attorney Zach Rawling saved the house from being demolished, a heated controversy that gained international spotlight.

Rawling swooped in just before Christmas 2012, buying the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home from the developers who had planned to raze it and promising that it would never be threatened again. He committed to getting the home designated as a historic landmark and planned to open it up for public tours.

But progress since then has been slow.

Phoenix City Council was supposed to vote on the landmark designation in March, but it was pushed to December up the request of Paul Gilbert, Rawling's attorney with Beus Gilbert PLLC in Phoenix. At the time, Gilbert said he needed more time to file the application allowing the house to be open for public tours, which he wanted council to vote on simultaneously with the landmark designation.

But Gilbert has yet to file that application, said Michelle Dodds, the city's historic preservation officer.

“I expect that we will receive another continuance for the city council to continue the landmark case again because I don’t think that they’ll be able to file their rezoning application and have it go through the hearing process in time to catch up with the Dec. 17 city council hearing,” Dodds said.

Dodds said the application process takes a while before it even reaches council for final approval.

“So if everything goes smoothly, then it can go through the process in about four months,” she said.

Problem is, the vote is less than three months away, which is why Dodds said the issue will probably keep dragging on in limbo well into next year.

Gilbert did not respond to multiple requests for comment.