very rare c. 1906 larkin administration building interior wall sconce with glass globe – frank lloyd wright, architect

About This Item

original electroplated bronze, cast iron flush mount wall sconce, removed during the demolition of the frank lloyd wright designed larkin administration building in 1950. located in buffalo ny, the office building served as the headquarters for john d. larkin’s prospering soap company. plans for the new building were completed in 1904 and the finished building equipped with air-conditioning, fireproof construction and ample openings for natural light was ready for occupancy in august of 1906. the building was noted for several bld. innovations such as suspended toilets and built-in desk furniture to name a few. the cast iron wall sconce was originally located in the mail-order group rooms on the east side of the 4th floor. photographs showing the sconce “in situ” can be found in frank lloyd wrights’s larkin building authored by jack quinan. the building was senselessly demolished in 1950 with only a small portion of an exterior brick wall remaining among a vast useless space. aside from a very limited number of office furniture pieces found in museums and/or private collections, very few interior building artifacts have surfaced.