Edward E. Boynton House facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Edward E. Boynton House
General information
Type	House
Architectural style	Prairie School
Location	16 East Boulevard, Rochester, New York
Coordinates	43°08′48″N 77°34′09″W / 43.146575°N 77.569275°W / 43.146575; -77.569275
Construction started	1908
Client	Edward E. Boynton
Governing body	Private
Design and construction
Architect	Frank Lloyd Wright

The Edward E. Boynton House is a special home in Rochester, New York. It was designed in 1908 by a very famous architect named Frank Lloyd Wright. This house is a great example of the "Prairie School" style of architecture, which Wright helped create.

Edward Everett Boynton, who was a widower, asked Wright to design this house for himself and his teenage daughter, Beulah. It cost a lot of money back then, about $45,000 to $50,000 for the house, the land, and everything inside! The house has two floors and is about 5,500 square feet. It originally sat on a large piece of land, about one acre. Amazingly, 17 pieces of furniture that Frank Lloyd Wright designed specifically for the house are still there today.

History of the Boynton House

The Edward E. Boynton House has had many owners and seen many changes over the years.

Building a Dream Home

Edward Everett Boynton was a successful businessman who sold lanterns. He was a partner in a company called C. T. Ham Manufacturing Co. Edward faced personal sadness, but his daughter Beulah was very important to him. He wanted to build a new home for them.

Boynton learned about Frank Lloyd Wright through a business partner. Even though Beulah wanted a different architect, her father was very impressed with Wright. Construction on the house started in 1907 and finished in 1908. Beulah, who was a teenager at the time, was very involved in the design. She even noticed a mistake the builders made with the fireplace!

The original property was huge, about one acre. It had a reflecting pool, a tennis court, beautiful gardens, and many American Elm trees. The driveway was as long as a city block!

Life with the Boyntons

Edward and Beulah Boynton lived in the house for ten years. They were one of the first families in the area to own a car, so they built a garage. They also had a cook, two maids, and two gardeners. One of the gardeners even drove the car!

In 1914, Beulah had a daughter named Jean. In 1919, Beulah and Jean moved to New York City. Edward Boynton joined them later and lived with them until he passed away in 1938. The house then sat empty for a year.

Tough Times for the House (1919-1940)

After the Boyntons left, the house went through some difficult times. The next owner, J. Oswald Dailey, lost a lot of money. To help, he sold off parts of the property. The tennis court, gardens, pool, and fountain were all removed. Two new houses were built on what used to be the Boynton's land. The original open porch of the Boynton House was also enclosed with glass.

Eventually, the bank took control of the house because the loans weren't paid.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Return (1932)

In 1932, when he was 65, Frank Lloyd Wright came back to Rochester to give a speech. He drove by the Edward E. Boynton House and was very upset by what he saw. The property was much smaller, and there were ugly drainage pipes on the outside of the house.

Wright was so angry that he banged his head on the ceiling of the car! He shouted, "They have destroyed my house!" He was still upset when he gave his lecture that evening. He felt that modern architecture wasn't true to itself. Frank Lloyd Wright never returned to Rochester after that visit.

Longest Resident and Neglect (1940-1968)

In 1940, the house was for sale but didn't sell quickly. By 1942, the bank took it over again.

Arlene E. Howard bought the house in 1943 for $8,000. She owned it for almost 25 years, making her the longest resident. She painted some rooms and even some of the original Wright furniture. Towards the end of her time, she didn't visit the house much, and it became empty and neglected. The roof had problems, even after being repaired.

New Owners and Landmark Status (1968-1974)

Dr. David and Carolyn Tinling bought the house in 1968 for $57,000. They had four young children. Dr. Tinling thought the house looked perfect, but Carolyn remembered it needed many repairs. The original carpets were still there, and all 17 pieces of Wright-designed furniture remained!

The Tinlings worked to get the house recognized as a landmark. In 1969, the City of Rochester officially named the Frank Lloyd Wright's Boynton House a Rochester landmark. This helped protect the house's structure.

Public Tours and Challenges (1974-1977)

Louis and Joan Clark bought the house in 1974. They started by removing many of the overgrown bushes and trees around the house. They also took out old carpets, updated the heating, fixed plumbing, and began stripping paint from the woodwork.

The Clarks decided to open the house for tours, and over 2,000 people visited in the first two years! They wanted to make it a museum, but the neighbors were not happy about the idea. Because of the neighborhood's reaction, the constant repairs, and some break-ins, the Clarks decided to sell the house.

Protecting the House and Furniture (1977-1994)

Burt and Karen Brown bought the house in 1977. The previous landmark status only protected the outside of the house, not the valuable Wright-designed furniture. The Clarks wanted more money for the furniture.

The Browns worked with the Landmark Society of Western New York. They made a special deal: the Landmark Society bought the furniture and then leased it back to the Browns for just $1.00 a year for 75 years! This meant the furniture had to stay in the house and couldn't be changed without approval. This agreement helped protect these important pieces.

The Browns continued the restoration work, removing wallpaper and old carpet. They also stripped paint from the furniture and wood. They limited tours to students and special groups. A huge project was replacing the roof, which took over two years and cost nearly $100,000!

After many years, the Browns decided to move. The house was put up for sale.

Neglect and Abandonment (1994-1996)

Gordon Nye bought the house in 1994. He and his girlfriend struggled to live in Rochester and follow the house rules. The Landmark Society was worried about their large dogs and the safety of the furniture. Nye wanted to build a fence, but his plans were rejected. He built a chain-link fence anyway, which was not very nice to look at.

Less than a year later, they moved back to California, leaving the house empty. They stopped paying for utilities and security. The dining room ceiling started leaking, and plaster fell down. Because the house was neglected, the Landmark Society moved the furniture to the Memorial Art Gallery for safekeeping. The bank then started the process to take over the house again.

Rebirth and Privacy (1996-2009)

Dr. Scott and Kathryn McDonald bought the house in 1996 for $260,000. They immediately began repairing and restoring the house and landscaping the property. Scott's father, a skilled craftsman, even made new furniture for their home.

Unlike previous owners, the McDonalds preferred their privacy and did not offer public tours. They had a son and gave him the middle name "Wright" in honor of the architect. Although they loved the house, they decided to move in 2009.

Surviving the Next Hundred Years (2009-Present)

Jane Parker, a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright and the Boynton House, managed to see the house when it went back on the market. She loved it right away! Her husband, Francis (Fran) Cosentino, was not sure if it was ready to live in.

After they bought it, they found many problems. The roof was sagging, the outside wood was rotting, and there was damage from termites. Some support beams in the basement were even missing, and the house was in danger of collapsing!

They started a huge restoration project in 2010. They hired architects and landscape designers. They also contacted the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation for advice and to see Wright's original drawings.

Parker and Cosentino decided to bring the front porch back to its original open design, as it had been enclosed in the 1920s. They built a new garage in the Prairie style and added a covered walkway, inspired by Wright's drawings. Since the original large lot had been sold off, they removed the long driveway and replaced it with a walkway and more grass, making the front look more spacious. They also added a beautiful reflecting pool with a Koi pond and an Asian-inspired garden in the backyard.

All the special art glass windows, doors, cabinets, and light fixtures were carefully restored. The original Wright-designed furniture and all the woodwork, which had been painted over by previous owners, were also beautifully refinished and repaired. New furniture pieces were designed to match Wright's style.

The Edward E. Boynton House is now part of the East Avenue Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Legacy

Jane Parker and Fran Cosentino also agreed to make a documentary about the restoration of the Boynton House. A local TV station, WXXI, filmed the project for two and a half years. The documentary is called "Frank Lloyd Wright's Boynton House: The Next Hundred Years."

The film crew got help from Kim Bixler, whose parents owned the house from 1977 to 1994. Kim knows a lot about the house's history from old documents, newspaper articles, and interviews with past owners. She also wrote a book called "Growing Up in a Frank Lloyd Wright House," which was published with the documentary. Kim Bixler now travels around the country, sharing what it was like to grow up in a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Images for kids

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  Dining Room, bay windows, Winter 1968

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  Dining Room, Winter 1968

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  Living Room, Winter 1968

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  First floor, Winter 1968

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  First floor, Winter 1968

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  View from Southwest, Winter 1968

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  View of rear entrance from Southeast, Winter 1968

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  Boynton House Porch from side angle 1986

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  Boynton House Winter Exterior 1993

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  Front view, Summer 2007

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  Boynton House Side Exterior 2009 pre renovation

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  Boynton House Exterior Scaffolding 2011

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  Boynton House Side View 2012

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  View from Hawthorne Street, Summer 2011

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  Boynton House hallway under construction 2010

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  Detail of view from East Blvd., Summer 2011

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  View from East Blvd., Summer 2011

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  Boynton House 1973

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  Boynton House 1980s

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  Boynton House 1991

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  Boynton House 2012

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  Boynton House Front Porch 2012

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  Boynton House ceiling 2012

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  Boynton House Dining Room 2012 Facing Windows

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  Boynton House Dining Room Facing Cabinets 2012

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  Boynton House Landmark Sign

• Bixler, Kim (2012). Growing Up in a Frank Lloyd Wright House, United States: Clue Publications. ISBN: 978-0-9652426-1-5 OCLC 835633241
• S. 147